The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-06-16


tention of their sovereigns to the fact
that as long as the people did not 60
hungry, the ruling prince could exer-
else autocratic power without protest.
1t was the neglect of such advice and
allowing Nine. de Pompadour to spend
millions on her vices while the peo-
pie went hungry, that brought ruin to
the French dynasty in the time Of
Louis XIV. The fact is that there are
millions in this nineteenth century
who, as long as they do not go hun
cry, will not even make protest
against the corruption of the political
bosses, who occupy exactly the same
relation to the people that the nobility
and princes did during the reigns of
the different monarchs of France who
went under the name OF Louis. Yet
when these unthinking French mil
lions became hungry, there was trou-
BILE, and there will be trouble N the
United States when the same class get
hungry. The tremendous cut in
wages in the textile industries all over
the east, renders it certain that good
many of them will be hungry before
next spring comes.
When talking with some bankers on
Wall street last winter they were tell
ing how they were going to hold things
up until after the election. One Of
them was asked: What them" He
threw up his hands and replied. "Oh!
after us the deluge," which reminded
us of the remark of Louis XIV, who,
when told of the suffering among the
people, replied: 1.-THE monarchy will
last as long as | i've and continued
in his old ways.
The full dinner pail campaign was
made upon this old idea, namely, that
millions would be satisfied as long as
they were simply permitted to live and
their stomachs were filled. Some of us
imagined that humanity had advanced
beyond what it was in the time of
Louis XIV. but it seems that pluto
cratic estimates of humanity was more
nearly correct. Thousands of wage,
workers marched in professions car
rying a dinner pail from the lid of
which protrnded small piece Of sau-
sage, while the rest of the pail was
empty, true symbol Of what was go
ing to happen to them.
The denial of trial by jury by the
United States supreme court to Ameri-
can born citizens of the white race
who happen to be in the Philippines,
the defiance of the constitutions of the
states of Colorado and Pennsylvania,
the usurping of the powers of con-
gress by the man on. horseback" who
occupies the White house, the progress
toward despotism everywhere, does
not excite the least emotion in the
breasts of the proietariat and they
will continue to vote the republican
ticket until they begin to get hungry.
Then there is likely to be trouble.
All this proves that the great mid
die class, those who have never suf-
fered from actual hunger, though some
of them have often been near it, must
take hold of the government. 1t will
not do to let the plutocrats and the
proletariat control until the masses
begin to suffer from hunger and are
demanding that there shall be a COM
mon ownership of everything. In that
day the plutocrats will be helpless be-
cause they are so few in number, and
the middle class will have to be re-
lied upon to keep order. To do that
they will have to take charge OF the
government, and they might as well
do Il now as at some future tine.
ON to Springfield!
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