The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-10-15

will. This is strategic point The
monopolists have planned that it
would take years to wrest from them
the control of the senate, but, 10! they
can be made to lose it in single
campaign, and the peoples party can
insure the success of the plan.
1.-THE president has no veto as to
rules of procedure and bills that re-
ceive favorable vote by the people
will not be vetoed by a president
Therefore it is of comparatively small
n,oment who becomes president. The
trusts will be directly controlled by
the laws that will result from the
bills that are directly initiated. To
help frame these bills is OF vital i'm
portance In fourteen short months
we should meet in national conference
to frame the bills. Great is the work
which the populist party can do! The
mere announcement of the program by
a national convention next year will
insure success.
AFTER majority rule is established
there will still be political parties, but
they will no longer possess the final
power-they can only recommend.
Naturally, all the successful parties
will have to champion government
ownership of monopolies, for the peo-
pie will refuse to grant special privil-
eyes. The differences as to the rec
concentrations of the parties will be as
to the manner in which this public
ownership is to be brought about. One
great party will stand for the people,
the other for the capitalists. AS to
what will be. the name of the party
that stands for the people will depend
on circumstances. In the south the
capitalists will control the democratic
party; in the north this class will con-
troll the republican organization,
though exceptions will doubtless be
the rule in both sections, as is the case
today in Wisconsin and South Caro-
lima. The socialist party with it's de-
mand for immediate public ownership
OF all the means of production and
distribution, will probably have a
small membership, as is the case in
Switzerland, unless it changes its de-
mands. 1t is demanding the immediate
fruition Of an ideal which it will take
centuries to attain. But the populist
demand, which is step by ster. pro-
gram toward publ ownership, is in
line with the law of social develop
ment. The poprlist platform, there
fore, is sure to materialize.
Two points more.
s'The questioning of candidates, to
be successful, must have some one or
more persons in the district who mean
business. The candidates must feel
that should they refuse to reply the
majority rule question will become a
live issue. In Nebraska, last year,
this was not the case. The questions
were sent out over the state from
Omaha by few men in that city, UNI
der the name, Allied Referend dunn
League of Nebraska. The republican
candidates refused to reply, we'll
knowing that there was no one to
carry the case to the non-partisan or
CARNATIONS and to the people. Such
failure is no reflection on the sys-
tenn we contend for. Wherever the
candidates in last years campaign
knew that they must reply favorably
or meet the issue, they signed up. In
Missouri, for example, organized labor
sent out just before election second
letter to candidates and it brought in
one-third of the total number of re-
plies. The candidates were becoming
frightened. The letters to candidates
by organized labor were ali remark
ably firm and insistent. They plainly
showed that the candidates must
pledge or fight.
I'm conclusion a word as to the
value of signed pledges They are a
great advance over the party platform.
The planks in these platforms are
more or less vague, and the candidates
do not feel that every line and sylla-
BILE binds them. But when a candidate
places his signature to an agreement
t. is entirely different 1t is his agree
ment, and, besides, to repuGiate such
contract could be proven in after
years. Illustrations are numerous as
to the difference between signed per-
sonal pledges and platform declara-
tions. In the Missouri legislature, for
example, a member declared that he
Il