The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-11-05
TEN YEARS BEHIND TIME


pearance of the November number OF
Leslie's Monthly The substance OF
the article, entitled "The National
Lobby at Washington was printed in
The Independent eight o. nine years
ago and repeatedly referred to since.
While Leslie's Monthly is ten years
behind time, 1t may be said of it, Bet
ter late than never" The great dali
les are often weeks behind The Inde-
endent in publishing news that de-
cent, people are interested in, and the
monthlies only preserve the ratio"
by getting ten years behind.
short time ago in notice of the
book, "Out Of the West" practically
the same things were said about "the
great senator's" that is charged
against them in Leslie's Monthly.
Populists who have read The Inde-
pendent have known all about the
matter for years. Every great trust
ard interest has it's own senator to
look after legislation, to preserve Its
special privileges, to extend its power
to rob. What populist is there who
does not know that the gay old Lo-
thario and comic after dinner speaker,
Chauncey Depew, Is the agent OF the
Vanderbilt system Of railroads instead
OF being the representative Of the peo-
pie Of New York, or that his partner
Platt, in the same way is the agent Of
the express companies? All of them
know those things, as well as they
Know that Millard is the agent on the
floor OF the senate Of the Union Pa
cific road and Dietrich that Of the B.
g. M, beet sugar and the Oxnards. The
people have no representation at all
on the floor of the United States SEN
ate on it's dominant side, and 1t makes
no difference whether that dominance
is democratic or republican. The in
terests Of the railroad corporations,
the trusts, the banks and the tariff
srafters are served just as faithfully
when German is the senate leader as
when Mark Hanna holds that position.
The thing that interests The indie
pendent in connection with Leslie's
magazine article is the establishment
| 1t created In the ranks Of the maya
zine readers They actually seemed
to have never heard of such things be-
fore. II they had read it in The Inde-
| pendent. they would have paid no at
tontion whatever to 1t, but seeing 1t
in great plutocratic magazine star
tied them. Thousands OF such people
are so prejudiced that il populist
should hand them an official docu-
nient, published by the United States
government, which contained state
ments contrary to their notions, they
would Immediately denounce it is
fl aud, and say that it was Some pop
political document got out at populist
headquarters" The editor of The In
dependent has had just that kind OF
experience with them.
For some months The Independent
has been calling attention to the signs
of revolt appearing in the literary cult
of New York and this Leslie article
Is further proof of it. All these Tit
erary fellows" have been deyoting
their talents to a defense of the tyran-
mics of plutocracy. They have hereto
fore had nothing but sneers and con-
tempt for populist principles and the
fscts that popullsts presented There
now seems to be "a change coming
over the spirit of their dreams" The
contempt that the multl-milllonaire
have shown for them and for all things
except the power TO accumulate mon
ey IN bringing these literary men to
"a realizing sense" Of the oontempti-
Bile position In which they have placed
themselves.
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