The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-01-26
straieht Pop>IIism

pendent has been saying for Severa
years. At the Denver conference, ant
many times before and after that event
the editor of The Independent has de
clared that it was impossible for this
country to endure 20 years under thu
present system. The Independent has
continued to call attention to the fac
that the income OF Rockefeller alone
consistently invested, would produce q
sum in a few years equal to the total
wealth of the United States.
In this edition OF the magazine Law
son starts his estory" with a descrip-
ton of the financial regime and the
manner in which the system gradu-
ally is getting legal control Of the en-
tire country. 1t will be only few
years, he says. when ten men will be
the absolute legal owners of the entire
United States and the rest of the peo-
pie will be legally their slaves.
That kind of talk is straight popu-
ism. In fact populism seems to be
lying four feet deep all over the coun-
try these days. But Judge Russell goes
further in populist statements. The
Independent has never ceased to cali
attention to the dangr.to ii the repub-
lic that would Is r'eassiilt from the concen-
tra.loa g wealth ii few hands, It has
Said that a power would be created
greater than the government itself
Now listen to Charles Edward Russell:
In the free republic of the United
States Of America is a power greater
than the government, greater than the
courts and judges, greater than legis-
latures, superior to and independent
OF all authority of state or nation
70 q country Of law it exists and pro-
cfnns - de- aze Ia .
- day this power comes to the table
of every household in America, rich or
poor, great or small, known or un-
known; it comes there and EFFORTS it's
tribute 1t controls prices and regu-
lateS traffic in a thousand markets. It
changes conditions and builds up and
pulls down industries; it makes men
poor or rich as it will; it controls or
establishes or obliterates- vast enter
prises across the civilized circuit. It
owns factories, shops, stock yards,
mills, land and land companies, plants,
warehouses, steam and electric rail
roads, politicians, legislatures and con-
gressmen. 1t is remorseless, greedy,
tireless, Unsuitable. Today it compels
a railroad to dismiss it's general mana
ger; tomorrow it is blacklisting and
running some little commission mer-
chant 1t fixes the price of cattle and
hogs, the price of California fruit. 1t
can make within certain limits the
price of wheat, of corn, Of oats, what
it pleases; it will shortly be able to
control the price of every loaf of
bread. Its operations have impoverished
or ruined farmers and stockmen, de-
stroyed millions Of investments, caused
banks to break and men to cimmit sui
eide, precipitated strikes and annihil-
ated industries.
That is just what every populist in
the land has been saying for the last
twelve years, and when they said it.,
they were not listened to, but de-
nounced as socialists or anarchists.
Does not the following from Law
sons article sound very much like an
editorial that appeared in The Inde-
pendent about month ago?
1T is only matter of simple mathe-
MATES to ascertain the day, that is only
a few years away, when ten men will
be as absolutely and completely the
legal owners of the entire United
States, and all there is of value in it.,
as John ID. Rockefeller is the absolute
and legal owner of the large section
OF 1t OF which he today is possessed. :"
Every reader will remember when
The Independent asked each of them to
take pencil and piece Of paper and
figure out what Rockefeller's income
of $40,000,000 would amount to at five
per cent in ten years, compounded
every three months, and that is Just
what Rockefeller does. Standard Oil
paws it's dividends quarterly and