People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1900-08-23

Enormous Fund to De Contributed
by the Trusts-Much of 1t Will De
Used In Actual Bribery on Election
Day - Corporations to Attempt to
Coerce Their Employees.
Especial Washington letter.
Hanna's programme for the re-elec-
ton of Mckinley calls for a repetition
Of the campaign Of 1S96-bribery and
coercion. The huge trusts and cor
porations are to contribute an enor-
nous campaign corruption fund and
are expected to attempt the coercion
of their employees into voting for Nc
Kinley.
There will be more or less of the
colonization of repeaters, but the major
portion of the enormous fund is to be
spent in the actual bribery on election
day Of purchasable voters, unfortunate
ly numerous and growing class.
There will of course be all the sky
rockets Of the campaign, 1ambOyant
speeches, appeals to patriotism" an
attempt to play upon the military spir-
1t and the use of large number of the
newspapers to suppress unpleasant
truths and distOrt injurious facts, but
bribery and coercion will be the two
main factors.
The Democrats will not have one
dollar where the Republicans have ten.
They will not have the support of a
single powerful corporation or trust.
Does any one think that if the fight
were on even terms, If the Demo-
cratic fund were as large as the Re
publican campaign fund will neces-
sarily be or if the trusts and corpora
tons could be compelled to keep their
fingers out of politics there would be
any question as to the result being
favorable to the Democrats?
All signs indicate the fulfillment of
the prophecy made in these letters
months ago and repeated since that
the trusts and combines would bring
about a general shut down of their op-
eratiOns as factor in their policy of
coercion. The signs in this direction
multiply even now.
This form of coercion is a dangerous
sort of campaign gun. 1t worked very
well in 1896, but a power greater than
the trusts seems to have possession Of
the trigger. The gun is being fired too
soon. The great public of consumers,
partly from prejudice and partly from
inability to purchase, have revolted
against the trusts and are refusing to
buy.
The result is that mills, factories and
furnaces are shutting down all over
the country for want of a market The
prosperity bubble was blown so fast
and furiOusly that it has burst. Every
man, woman and child in the United
States wears shoes. The shoe market
furnishes the most absolute test Of any
article manufactured Of the prosperity
Of the average individual. Nearly one
third Of the shoe factories of the United
States are shut down today. More will
be within 30 days, and the rest are
running on reduced time.
The shoe business is reported to be
In worse condition than at any time
In Is years. But the shoe trust has
made Its profits and doesn't materially
care If there isn't another shoe made
for six months. But how about the
thousands of shoe operatives who az
out of work? Would 1t be of any use
to talk prosperity to these men, or
will Hanna's bribers 60 after them
with ready money argument?
The steel and iron trust has been
compelled to reduce the prices of its
material over 30 per cent, yet the de
mand is Stacker than at any time with
In three years. Thirty iron furnaces
have closed down and as many more
will have closed down within the next
80 days. Yet the steel and iron bust
ness is considered the best barometer
of general trade conditions of any Of
the larger manufacturing industries.
Eighteen steel wire mills are now
shut down Of those recently operated
by the trust. A dozen more have been
kept shut down by the trust ever since
it went into operation. Yet the farm
ers are refusing to buy steel wire fenc-
ing, and the builders are shortening
their demand for wire nails, although
the prices in both have been cut deeply.
Now the tin plate mills are talking Of
shortening the supply, although the
canning season is just beginning. A
big building trades strike is impending
in New York city. The readjustment
Of the wage scales in eight big indus
tries on the LIST Of July promises a Sc
ries OF protracted labor difficulties.
What is the matter with Republican
prosperity?
In spite Of the enormous corruption
fund and the help of the trusts and
corporations, in spite Of the bribery
and coercion Of voters, the signs point
toward the election of Bryan. Then
there will be far less trust prosperity,
but there will be vastly more prospect
ty Of the individual.
The administration seems to be max
ing fist of the Chinese trouble. 1t
is a stock Republican argument that
the Democrats are not good admins.
traitors There will be less heard of
this In the future. McKinley's admin
istration has been characterized by