The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-02-16

he thinks, to attack state and there
Is an interest everywhere in the con-
test. There is square fight on be-
tween Rockefeller and the state OF
Kansas and there is as much excite
ment down there as when the sock
less statesman" rode over the prairies
and made his attacks on the order OF
things as then existing. The Kansas
legislature proposed to enact some leg
islation that Rockefeller did not ap-
prove Of That hairless-headed and
original monopolist, had been reduc-
Ing the price Of crude Oil week after
week without making any reduction In
refined. The Kansas oil field was pro-
ducing enormous quantities Of crude
oil and it was the evident intention OF
Rockefeller to keep on reducing the
price of the crude product until he got
1t at a point where there was only
enough left in the production OF oil
to ENABLE the workers to subsist and
perpetuate their species
At this point the legislature came
In with proposition to appropriate
about half a million dollars and put in
state refinery, so that the producers
Of crude oil could get their product on
the market in the finished form. AS
they were, they had no market. Rookie
Teller paid them just what he chose.
He was the only buyer 1t is probable
that Rockefeller would not have gone
into an open fight on state govern
ment If the thing had stopped there,
but there was another bill that he
would not stand at all. 1t was to make
the Rockefeller pipe line, by which the
Kansas oil was conveyed 20 the Rookie
Teller refineries outside of the state, a
public carrier and force IL under the
laws governing public carriers. That
Would open the line to the use of all
6il producers upon terms of equality.
Then Rockefeller declared war on the
state and stopped all work in Kansas,
throwing over 900 men out of employ
ment in one day.
When that was announced everybody
In Kansas sWore war on Rockefeller,
and independent producers all over
the United States sent words of en-
cOuragement The lack of mail, the
roads having all been showed in, has
prevented The Independent from get
ting full accounts Of the war, but from
what has been published in the plu.
tocratic dailies it is evident that things
are about as hot down there as they
were in old John Browns time.
This trouble all comes about from
not regarding populist principles. The
state of Kansas delegated to Rookie
Teller in the first place , part of its
sovereignty, when it let him exercise
the right of eminent domain in build
ing his pipe line. If that had not
been done, Rockefeller would not have
the power to rob and Cypress that re
suited in the uproar. There was an
instructive feeling among the popula
ton that Rockefeller had no moral
right to build that pipe line, and there
have been raids made upon it by the
farmers and others. Those raids were
all wrong. If Kansas will insist on
having republicanism instead of popu.
lism, anarchy does not furnish rem
edy. Under pOpullSm there would have
been no delegating of the sovereignty
of the state to Rockefeller.
The specific charge on which Mr.
Comerford was expelled from the Hi
nois legislature were these words
which he used In public lecture
The legislature has been an auction
block where special privileges hay'
been sold to the highest corporation
bidder" Every man in Illinois know
that the charge is true.
According to report Of the Lon
don board of trade on wages in tn
different European countries, wages o.
the railroads in Russia are as follows
Construction department, Is cents; Il
connective and carriage department,
cents; traffic department. So cent.
These figures are for the permanen
staff, and the salaries of heads of d.
partments are included, which mate
rally raises the average. Can anyon