The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-01-08
BENEVOLENT FEUOALISM
Mr. Corbin's Tribute to This Remarkable
Book-Ssnds = Hundred Subscrip-
tions to The Indepe ndent


tions to The Independents
Editor Independent: Your change
of form is excellent. 1t enables me to
bind and preserve complete file for
frequent reference, for The, Indepen-
dent is not exhausted by one reading.
l value it highly and among quite
extended list of papers which | take
it stands second to none.
Acting upon your suggestion in a
late issue, l bought dozen copies OF
Clients benevolent Feudalsm" for
free distribution among men who can
think. It is remarkable boOk-the
best of the year.
The impression seems to prevail Ill
your section that the reorganizerS
have overturned democratic sentiment
in the east-that sentiment which
recorded six and half million votes
twice in the last six years in favor OF
a regenerated democracy. | see no
change in the rank and file whatever
here. The party machinery in all the
eastern states has long been in the
hands of thai element which offered
Palmer and Buckner to public execra-
ton and democratic crucifxion. That
machinery is all the reorganizers have
now. But while the people are faith
full to the best interests of the coun-
try, it remains true that there is less
outspoken objection to the reorganlz-
ing element. The ordinary citizen has
settled down into state of apathy and
detection
1f n, O.
blindly follow the self-constituted and
blatant leader and never more so than
now, counting only those who go 10
the polls. We boast of. our enlight-
enment, but the fact is voters as j
whole were never so ignorant of affairs
as now. The press is in the hands Of
plutocracy and is being worked III
both old parties to extol millionaire
benefactions, trust protection to the
producer and corporate love for the
workingman. The voter is kept in
the .densest ignorance Of the liberties
he has already lost and the dangers
which beset those which he still main
tains. Benevolent feudalism is an ac-
complished fact in considerable de-
gree already, and how few are sensl-
BILE of it!
| notice your announcement of Ash
by's Forthcoming work. This is mJ
sixty-second birthday and I do not
know as | can signalize it better than
by ordering 100 copies of The Inde-
pendent to be sent to those in polit;-
cal darkness rnd monetary bewilder-
ment | do this more, however, on ac-
count of the general excellence of the
- paper than from any special promises.
So long as the present management
remains in control of the paper, and
I hcrn that may be many years. it will
not fail TO warn the people against
the autocracy which threatens. MY
check is enclosed and list of 100
names.
There are fifteen million voters in
this nation. One-third of them think;
the balance let others think for them
If that one-third could read The Inde-
pendent for a year, the problem of de-
. cent government would be solved. One
vote in four is bought by corporate
funds But there are enough honest
voters to vastly outnumber both buyer
and bought if they could be gathered
into one party. That party must be
@populistic in essence, though under q
new name. 1 see no way to redeem
the nation from the dominance Ct
greed but for the thinking men of al
parties who are4untainted by the virll,
= lent villainy of repnblicanism to un,
ite. Let those in position make the
call for a national convention.
J. S. CoRBIN.
Gouverneur. N. Y. 7a.