The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-22
NEWS OF THE WEEK
Weekly Resume Really vitai BY he EDITOR

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The Springfield Republican, which is
so cautious and conservative that it
would not venture to remark That it
was going to rain unless it saw every
body with their umbrellas up, get up
courage enough last week to venture
the expression, after Tom Tagaerl went
home and German assumed command,
that: 1T is question whetiI r Mr.
Taggart is running the campaign or
not
It looks a little strange tn be re-
ceiving letters on the outside OF the
envelop OF which is printed. topples
Party Committee, 235 Broadway, Room
No. Is, New York, But good many
such letters are received at this ofice,
the last one was from ]. A. Edserton
in which he says: II have already
received assurance OF tickets in Maine,
New Hampshire, Massachusetts,. Con-
necticut, New York and New Jersey.
These are The states assigned to ne
and I intend to leave no stone I'M
turned In either of them" Ed6erton
adds a postscript IN which he says:
Ticket in Delaware is assured since
this was written"
Since the naval authorities have sent
a cruiser outside OF the harbor at san
Francisco to keep Togo away, the Of
ficcrs and crew of the Lena are having
a jolly good time
Some OF the old popullsts out In the
sandhills OF Nebraska, who have been
in the fight from the beginning, lave
been writing to the editor OF The indie
pendent asking what this upncaval
down In the east really means. One
OF them says in his letter: 40 these
men really understand populist prin-
ciples or are they simply disguised at
the action Of the democratic national
convention and are going into 1t sim
ply to beat Parker?'' The best answer.
to that question is to quote para
graph or two from the populist plat
form recently adopted by the Con-
necticut peoples party state conven-
;icut reaiIirm the Omaha and endorse
the Springfield platform, and as cltl-
zens OF the New England states call the
especial attention of the voters TO the
government ownership and control OF
the railroads. and municipal ownership
OF public franchises, which come in
touch with all the people. We would
ask the people to remember the coal
famine OF the winter OF 1902-C3 when
coal was selling at s14 to $40 per ton,
and in many cases could not be pro-
cured at any price, and schools lac
torres and churches were closed, and
thousands OF poor suffered from want
OF fuel. We of the peoples party hold
it to be true that with government
ownership ST the railroads, which
would permit the small coal miner TO
ship his coal as the small manulactur-
err can now ship his manufactured
goods. would destroy the power of the
coal trust to tax the manufacturers and
families of New England each year
hundred of millions of dollars to pay
unjust profits on the watered stock OF
the coal trust. We do not believe that
the government can fully control what
IL does not own, consequently we ad-
yocate that the government buy and
pay for the railroads and tnen control
them through operating companies or
otherwise for the benefit of the Whole
people. We claim this principle should
be applied to trolley lines and ali mu-
nicipal franchises, also to teiosraphs
and telephones and all pubnc means
of communication for which franchises
are granted"
This is good enough populism for
The Independent and no doabt When
they read Ii, 1t viii be perfectly salts
factory to the sandhlll popullsts Ut Ne
braska. for these same sandhli popu-
lists know something about pay lug ex-
tortlonate prices for coal themselves.
They are not 100 miles from the great
forty-fcot veins Of Ignite coal in wy
omlng which Jay Gould captured with
an armed force from the men who
owned them and turned them over 10