The Peoples Voice. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 50, Ed. 1 Saturday, July 13, 1895 Page: 3 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 22 x 15 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
CALAMITY HOWLERS.
ARE BECOMING MORE NUMER-
OUS EVERY DAY.
£*en the Supreme Court of the t'nlt«4
States H.it a Quartette of Them
Income Tax lierliloa
Ifllqult/.
Groi.
If Populists had given utterance to
the expressions that fell from the lips
of the four dissenting justices of the
supreme court In the Income tax case,
they would have been hooted at from
Dan to Beersheba as "calamity howl-
ers." Listen to them. Justice Harlan
says: "The practical, if not direct ef-
fect, of the decision today is to give
certain kinds of property a position of
favoritism and advantage that is In-
consistent with the fundamental prin-
ciples of our social organization, and
to invest them with power and Influ-
ence that is perilous to that portion of
the people upon whom rests the larger
part of the burdens of government, and
who ought not to be subjected to the
domination of aggregated wealth any
more than the property of the country
should be at the mercy of the lawless."
Justice Jackson Is reported as follows:
The decision, in his opinion, practically
destroyed the power of the govern-
ment to reach incomes. It takes from
congress its rightful power to fix the
rate of taxation .and substitutes there-
fore a rule incapable of application
without imposing the most monstrous
inequality on the citizens of the com-
mon country. The decision reverses
the common rule of taxation by exempt-
ing those \ ho were best able to pay
and forcing the burden upon the shoul-
ders of the least able to pay. In con-
clusion, Justice Jackson said, in his
opinion, the decision was the most dis-
astrous blow over struck at the consti-
tutional power of congress. It struck
down an important, vital and essential
power of the government. It left the
government, in case of necessity, with-
out power to reach by taxation in any
form the vast incomcs derived from the
real and personal property of the coun-
try. Justice Brown, in conclusion, said:
"The decision involves nothing less
than the surrender of the taxing power
to the moneyed class. While I have no
doubt that congress will find some
means of surmounting the present
crisis, my fear is that ia some mo-
ment of national peril this decision will
rise up to frustrate its will and par-
alyze its arm. I hope it may not be
the first step towards the submergence
of the liberties of the people in a sordid
despotism of wealth." Justice White,
in concluding, said: "The injustice of
the conclusion points to the error of
adopting it. It takes the invested
wealth and reads it into the constitu-
tion as a favored and protected class
of property, while it leaves the occu-
pation of the minister, the doctor, the
professor, the lawyer, the inventor, the
author, the merchant and all the vari-
ous forms of human activity upon
which the prosperity of the people must
depend, subject to taxation without ap-
portionment. The absolute inequality
and injustice of taxation by reference
to population and without regard to the
amount of wealth taxed, are so manifest
that to admit the power to tax and limit
it to this mode, substantially denies
the power to tax and limit it to this
mode .substantially denies the power it-
self, Since it imposes a restriction which
renders its exercise impossible." A few
extemporaneous remarks were made by
Justice White after tho reading of his
written opinion. He spoke of the deci-
sion as a blow at the American people
and said that the power of levying an
income tax non- l«ft could only be ex-
ercised with such injustice that no leg-
islative body would dare attempt to
exercise it, for such an attempt would
bring forward a bloody revolution.—
Coming Nation.
THE THREE ORACES.
jTHK FIRST FRUITS.
IOWA POPULISTS REAFFIRM
OMAHA PLATFORM.
fliey Don't Went Any More Fusion—
And a One-Issue IMatfurm Is Too
Narrow for Them to Stauil t'pou—
The Curreuejr Question.
The fellow to your left is from must not imagine, however, that they it so calmly. You wouldn't believe it
lex as The individual in the center have just made the acquaintance of a but these fellows are great politicians.'
TJ n^withnfwer8 ? U ?unk0 steerer- N°. they are simply They still continue to vote the old
ihe one with that everlasting squint in farmers who have been robbed by the party tickets In a year or two such
his northeast eye is from the central gold standard since 1873. They do not IndWiduaU *11 be a£eat Curiosity
as. As you will perceive, their see anything wrong about the robbery Just at present thev are called "sound
pockets are turned inside out. You either. Otherwise they would not take money farmers." ^ Ld they lookT
WHATDO POPULISTS WANT?
I'hey Ilnre Foreseen Every Social Evil
anil Prescribe Only Safe Remedies.
We demand free and unlimited
1.
You Deserve It,
A thing Is right or wrong, no matter
what you believe about it. AH the
people in the world believing a wrong
would not make it right. All the peo-
ple once believed the earth flat, but it
was a globe just the same. All of you
may believe In the "intrinsic" idea of
money, but it is a fallacy just the same
and as easily disproven as the physical
fact of the world's shape, If you will
but investigate. You are always more
positive in a statement you have never
studied, can give no valid reason for,
than about things you have some
knowledge. If a man disputed your
method of spelling a word you'd go
j to some authority to prove your posi-
tion, and you would be foolish if he
brought you equally good authority
and more of them, if you should re-
fuse to even look at them. But you
do this very thing about political ques-
tions that involve your very existence.
You, therefore, deserve your present
conditions, you deserve poor pay, dis-
charge from employment, poverty and
misery.
coinage of silver and gold at tho pres-
ent legal ratio of 16 to 1.
2. We demand that the amount of
circulating medium be speedily in-
creased to not less than $50 per capita.
3. We demand a graduated income
tax.
4. We believe that the money of the
country should be kept as much as pos-
sible in the hands of the people, and
hence we demand that all state and
national revenues shall be limited to
tho necessary expense of the govern-
ment.
6. We demand that postal savings
banks be established by the govern-
ment for tho safe deposit of all the
earnings of the people and to facilitate
exchange.
Transportation being a means of ex-
change and public necessity, the gov-
ernment should own and operate the
railroads In the interest of tho people.
Tho telegraph and telephone, like the
postoflice system, being a necessity for
the transmission of news, should be
owned and operated by the govern-
ment in the interest of the people.
The land, including all the natural
sources of wealth, is the heritage of
the people and should not be monopo-
lized for speculative purposes, and alien
ownership of land should be prohib-
ited. All land now held by railroads
and other corporations in excess of
their actual needs, and all lands now
owned by aliens should be reclaimed
by the government and held for actual
settlers only.
above weight and fineness shall be
recognized as full legal tender money.
Monometallism means the use of one
of the metals as money, while bimetal-
lism means the use of metals under
similar conditions as money.
Money of final redemption or basic
money as understood and advocated by
tho goldbug clement is that money
which redeems all others. It is that
primary money which is promised to
be paid In exchange for all other form
of currency, and is a legal tender for
debts.
Fiat money Is law-made money and
includes all forms of money of what-
ever material.—The People.
A Javored Muncy j. Always a Robber.
There has never been a time in the
world s history when governments
have issued, or permitted to be issued,
different kinds of money, and have in
any manner given preference for any
one kind above another, that the money
so favored has not become a mere com-
modity, an article of speculation and
an instrument of plunder. We had
one of the best Illustrations of this fact
in the case of gold in the United States
during the war period. Everyone knows
that It ceased to circulate as money
and became a mere instrument for the
robbery of people. It was sold by gold
brokers at a large premium in govern-
ment currency to importers for the
payment of duties, and this premium
was added to the cost of tea, coffee,
sugar and other commodities and
charged up to the people. The national
currency thus obtained by the gold
gamblers was in turn invested in in-
terest-bearing bonds at par. The in-
terest upon these bonds was payable
in coin, and all secretaries of the treas-
ury have interpreted coin to mean gold.
The gold sold to the importer, and
paid by him to the government for
duties was, by the government, paid
back to the brokers as interest, and
again sold to importers at another pre-
mium which was again paid for duties
and again added to the cost of goods
and charged up to the consumers. In
this manner the people were plundered
Overproduction ot Wheat.
The best answer to the theory that
overproduction of wheat is the cause of
its low price is found In the "Corn-
Trade Year Book," England, probably
the most reliable authority published.
According to that authority the world's
wheat crop for 1891 was 2,456,000,000,
and the average price was $1.11 per
bushel. In 1892 the crop wag 2,440,000
bushels, but the price had fallen to 90
cents. In 1893 the crop was the same
as 1891, but the price had fallen to a
fraction less than 80 cents. In 1894
both crop and price were smaller than
any of the foregoing figures, the price
the lowest on record. The same au-
thority also shows that in the period
1875-84 the population of the chief
wheat producing countries was 397,000,-
000, and the production of rye and
wheat in those countries per head of
population was 7.08 bushels. In the
next period of ten years, 1885-94, with
population increased to 434,000,000, the
production of both these crops per
head of population was only 6.84 bush-
els.—Farm, Stock and Home.
Prices Would Go Cp.
These pressing you hard
enough, will cause you to use your .T^eTco'stTf gTodT t^on one™
fuHv bBnd lrtnh V°Yemaln wl - and in discount upon bonds and Inter-
blind, and by it injure not only j est upon them on the other Now
yourself, but thousands about you, your what is the sense of so many different
up —Coming Nation. * ' ^ ' k,ndB °f m°npy W111 S" ^ 18
Professor Laughlin is evidently prov-
ing too much and will have to be called
down or he will give the gold bugs
away. In his article of May 9th, he is
appealing to the wage earners to op- I chanEps to be begun in the next five or
-1~" ' - 1 ten years. There will in that time, I
believe, be a great political revolution
M l*nonicrs.
It has ever been the case that when
the money power are preparing tho way
for a big steal they seek to deceive the
people with the cry of "honost money"
or "sound currency." The fact that In-
stead of calling it "honest money" now
they are using the "sound currency" is
evidence that they realize that the
former phrase has been ridiculed out
of its usefulness. It can be truthfully
stated that no banker in this country
ever favored an "honest dollar" or
"sound currency." It was their influ-
ence in 1862 that affixed tho exception
clause on the greenback, which demone-
tized It so far as interest on the bonds
and payment of revenues were con-
cerned, the very two things which were
calculated to make It honest and sound.
They Insisted that it might be good
enough to pay the men who were fight-
ing for the life of the nation, but not
for the men who were staying home
and speculating off of the government's
necessities. In 1869 they secured the
passage of an act making their bonds
payable in a dollar twice as valuable
as the one they gave for the bonds.
In 1873, they secured the demonetiza-
tion of silver, and now they want the
power to issue their own notes for
money to loan at a big rate of interest
while they also draw Interest on bonds
on which this so-called money Is said
to be based. The kind of "sound cur-
rency" they are advocating is a fraud.
Pror. Herron Predicts Revolution.
Prof. George D. Herron of the Chair
of Applied Christianity, Iowa college,
whom Rev. C. O. Brown calls an an-
archist, has returned from southern
California, where he has been for some
time. "I believe that the people, that
is, the people as a whole, between the
very rich and the very poor," said Dr.
Herron, "are conscious that there must
be a change in the social order. They
are ready for it, if a plan can be put
before them. The Christian conscience
Is awakening. I look for some radical
p&se free coinage as detrimental to
their Interests thus: "And just here
is the reason the laborer does not care
to see free coinage of silver, because
by free coinage the prices of the labor-
er's goods would go up double what
looking toward the government owner-
ship of all monopolies, including the
great transportation lines, and the
blotting out of the various forms of op-
they are now." This frank admission Pression now existing by the power of
from the gold standard champion
should settle the question so far as the
farmer vote is concerned. If you want
double prices, Professor Laughlin says
that free coinage of silver will guar-
antee them.
But the professor like all the gold
standard advocates is very versatile.
When he writes an appeal to the farm-
ers, he will warn them against free
coinage, because free coinage of silver
will drive gold out of the country, thus
contiacting the volume of money one-
half and as a result reduce prices one-
half.—Dakota Ruralist.
not money that is good enough for
the common people of this country
If the free-silver Democrats have half ! "kowiso Eood enough for these Wall
as much backbone as the gold gang,
they will leave the party, unless the
National Convention will adopt a free
silver platform, and nominate a free
silver candidate. But most of them
will knuckle down and follow the dic-
tation of their Eastern masters, who
control things with their money.
street pirates?—Topek'a Advocate.
A Few Definitions.
We have been asked what the term
j "standard dollar" mean's. It really
[ means a legal dollar as provided by
j statute law. A standard gold dollar
contains 25 8 grains of gold, that is 900
■ . parts in 1,000 parts pure gold, the re-
The Omaha platform ccers the ma- ' maininS W0 parts being alloy. A
terial economic questions of the day, | fitandard silver dollar contains 412 1-2
and no party in this country can sue- I Srains ot silver, that is 900 parts in
ceed much longer without adopting [ 1,000 parts Pure silver, the remaining
them. Let the People's party stand j 100 Par's heing alio) A single gold
firm on that platform. I ®tandard means that only gold at the
niaclclistofl.
Edward Edwards, a former employe
of the Union Pacific railroad, lost his
position on account of a strike and re-
turned to England. He writes that
when he applied for a position there ho
was informed that he could not get
work on the railroads of England be-
cause he had been placed on the black-
list for participating in the strike in
this country! What do you think of
that? Of course the railroad managers
of the world have no conspiracy! O,
no! The English own our roads, black-
list our men and from their cover of
vested right starve Americans as they
did at Valley Forge under General
W ashington. And Americans vote to
have railroads private property in-
stead of public property so the Eng-
lish can do these things. Down with
tyranny.—Coming Nation.
the rich. This, in my judgment, is
coming as certainly as came the aboli-
tion of slavery."
Settling A Difference.
A fin-de-siecle domestic episode:
"Are you going to strike, ma?" asked
the little boy, as he tremblingly gazed
upon the uplifted shingle.
"That's just what I am going to do."
"But don't you know strikes are
played out and can no longer be won, I f^ted 'an'^'othe^'way
The Populist Convention, recently
held In Iowa, is an important one In
the pace it sets for other States to fol-
low, as well as the light it throws on
some matters that have been pretty
widely discussed in reform papers re-
cently. It has been charged that Gen-
eral Weaver, Chairman Taubeneck
and a few others, were working to the
end of having the People's party drop
every other issue except that of free
silver, and form a fusion or union of
forces with all who favored freo silver,
regardless of party. Mr. Weaver and
his friends, knowing the aversion
which existed In the People's party
against fusion, would not call it by
that name, but insisted rather on call-
ing it "Huddle and fight." They ob-
jected, also, to the charge that the
fight was to be made on the single is-
sue of silver, but Insisted that it was
to cover tho whole financial grounds.
The evidence developed by the Iowa
Convention had a tendency to show
that there was some kind of a dicker
in that State by which a fusion on the
silver issue was to be consummated.
The Leader, a Democratic paper, pub-
lished in Des Moines, says: "Some of
the most influential leaders of the
Populist party, who had been encour-
aged by the apparent growth of tho
silver sentiment among Democrats and
Republicans, had devised a plan of
campaign which involved two princi-
pal points and upon which it has hoped
to carry the State: First, an expres-
sion from the Populist Convention that
as it considered the silver question the
leading one before the people and the
particular reform which should be at-
tempted, the Populists of the State
were willing to combine with any party
in Iowa which would also declare for
the free coinage of silver at 16 to 1;
second, that the nominee of the con-
vention should be a free-silver Demo-
crat, whoso nomination the Democrats
of Iowa, at Marshalltown, with some
show of consistency, could indorse.
The candidate who was selected for
this double candidacy was no less a
person than ex-Congressman White.
This plan was laid before leading sil-
ver Democrats and had their Indorse-
ment. They were to work to capture the
Democratic Convention, while General
Weaver and his friends attended to
the Populist Convention. The details
of this conspiracy, if such it may bo
called, have never heretofore been pub-
lished, but that it existed those con-
cerned will hardly care to deny."
In our opinion, it was well that
"General Weaver and his friends" were
not able to "attend" to the Populist
Convention. General Weaver has been
a leader of the reform movement in
Iowa, that we know of, since 1878. The
policy unusually pursued there has
been to fuse. While some one would
occasionally succeed in being elected
to office, the growth of the movement
has been so retarded that Iowa Is be-
hind every other State that forms her
border. As General Weaver has been
the leader, it shows that there is some-
thing defective, either in the policy or
the leader. We do not doubt General
j Weaver's honesty and patriotism. We
j concede his ability as a speaker and
campaigner. But as a politician he Is
| a dead failure. It is a pity to humiliate
j such a valiant soldier as the General.
But since ho insisted upon doing some-
thing he was not qualified to do, and
pursuing a policy that is condemned
by nine-tenths of the voters in the Peo-
ple's party, it Is well that he met de-
feat in his own State. The Populists
in Iowa, declare to the world by their j
action, that they have had enough of !
fusion, and political dickering. Gen- !
eral Weaver and his friends ought to
see by this time that to further insist
on Populists voting anything but a
straight Populist ticket, on the prin-
ciples laid down in the Omaha plat-
form, is to create confusion and dis-
sension in the ranks of the party, as
well as lose the respect of the millions
of voters who are looking around for a
party that has brave leaders, and the
courage of his convictions. It is useless
to still further try to disguise the fact
that the basis of this proposed union
of forces was to be free silver, solely.
The blinetallists talk of nothing else,
and a union of forces could not be ef-
All the docu-
ers, who were engineering the plan,
promises to have effect upon the pol-
itics of the State more than appeara
from the record. It means that It will
be impossible for the silver leaders of
the Democratic party to say to the
Marshalltown convention. 'Here are
the Populists, about 30,000 in number,
whom you can get for your nominee if
you will Indorse the free coinage of sil-
ver. It Implies that the first and the
vital step in the programme has failed;
that the carefully built bouse of cards
has toppled over. Whether the Demo-
crats nominate a gold monometallist or
a sliver monometallist, adopt free coin-
age of silver, or Indorse the national
Democratic platform, or whatever oth-
er course may be pursued, the Populist
strength will be given to the Populist
candidates. The Populists have de-
clined in advance to be caught by the
free silver bait, and the planners who
have been so industriously at work
for the last two or three months have
for sale a badly battered second-hand
scheme."
In a brief editorial paragraph, the
same paper says: "Let all the people
who believe in political action, which
Is free from suggestion of bargain and
sale, commend the action of the Iowa
Populists, who yesterday, almost
unanimously rejected the proposal
looking to fusion and a shady political
dicker. Fusion does not pay, and it
never will. Indulgence in it will do
more to broalc down a party than all
the assaults of tho opposition. A party
should have the manhood to stand up-
on its own feet and not rely on bor-
rowing a wooden leg."
No party that appears to be afraid to
advocate its own principles will or can
succeed. When honest men leave a
party because of corruption and shady
deals, they are not likely to Join an-
other one that is apparently engaged In
the same business. If Mr. Weaver's
policy had won in the Iowa Conven-
tion, and a fusion could have been ar-
ranged between tho Democrats and
Populists, in all probability the gold
bugs would have yielded to the free-
silver Democrats In the Democratic
Convention, and the Democratic party
would have remained solid, while the
Populists would have lost votes. As It
is, the contention between the silver
and gold standard Democrats will be
fierce, and result either in a split
among tho party leaders, or In a large
number of Democratic voters leaving
tho party, most of whom would join
the People's party. The People's party
of Iowa has done Itself credit, and
while it is to be regretted that such
men as Woaver will pursue a phantom
for the sake of temporary success, the
cause is to be congratulated that such
suicidal policy has met defeat at the
first State Convention held by the
Populists this year. There is no party
organized and equipped to make the
silver fight so well as the People's
party. Its doors are open to all com-
ers. Its platform is broad enough for
every anti-monopolist In the land. It
extends the hand of welcome to all true
reformers, but It will not trim its plat-
form to suit political shysters or to
boost anybody into office. This we
know to be the sentiment of nine-tenths
of the rank and file, and the party will
fight it out on this line, if it takes two
summers. W. S. MORGAN.
1(1 1<I
"It wholly depends upon who strikes,
whether the wielder of the rod or the
other fellow," answered ma with ex-
asperating coolness and correctness.
"Can't we arbitrate, ma, before you
strike?"
"I'm just going to arbitrate," she
said, as the shingle descended and
raised a cloud of dust from the seat of
a pair of pantaloons. "I am just go-
ing to arbitrate, my son, and this shin-
gle is the board of arbitration."
And she solved the labor problem the
way Republicans and Democrats pro-
pose to solve it.
A dispatch says money Is so abun-
dant in London that the rate of inter-
est on permanent investments will like-
ly be reduced to two per cent. With the
help England is getting from the Unit-
ed States she ought to be doing well.
In 1892 we had Democratic success,
Cleveland, a Democratic Congress and
a general rejoicing and jollification all
over the land. Now, we have the gold
standard, bond issues, tramps, low
prices, hard times and wailing and
gnashing of teeth. Whoop it up for
the grand old party, boys!
The abolitionists wanted to abolish
chattel slavery. They were ridiculed
and socially ostracised. The Populists
now want to abolish debt slavery, and
they are meeting with similar treat-
ment.
ments that go out from the silver party
and the bimetallists are solely in the
j interest of free silver, and contain no
j arraignment of banks of issue or ex-
| pressions in favor of paper money,
} such as the Populists favor. The plat-
| form of the new silver party was wid-
ened to include these issues, but the sil-
ver men are as mute as mice on them,
j They are making the sole fight for sll-
j ver, and the real issue, who shall con-
trol the currency, is being observed.
! We have no doubt but what Mr. Wea-
j ver is sincere and honest in his mo-
I tives, but he ought to be able to see
j now that he Is out of line with his
j party and its platform, and that to fur-
ther insist on his policy would be to
weaken the ranks of his party right at
the critical moment. Unless he and
his friends insist that a large ma-
jority should yield to the dictation of
a small minority, we shall expect the I
General to be working harmoniously {
with his party In the future.
Coinage.
The editor, speaker or voter who ia
in favor of restoring silver to the posi-
tion it occupied under the law previ-
ous to its demonetization in 1873 will
say so. He will say In so many words
he is in favor of free silver coinage, in
the ratio of 16 to 1. A man who is
planning some trick by which to de-
ceive the people, who cares more for
party harmony than he does for prin-
ciple, who thinks a tow-string is a good
enough back-bone for a voter, will talk
as the St. Louis Republic did the other
j day:
| "Being in favor of bimetallism, the
i Republic could not be afraid to coin
| silver money; provided the coinage was
genuine bimetallism, or, in other
j words, coinage at a ratio which would
| have regard to actual value of the two
metals. There can be no danger in
\ such coinage as that."
| Such coinage as what? Does the
| Republic mean a ratio of 16 to 1? You
I know it doesn't. If it meant So it would
say so, for that's the style of the 16 to
1 man.
j When a man means 16 to 1 he says
I 16 to 1. When a man don't say 16 to 1
he don't mean 16 to 1.
How many of the 2,000,000 Populists
in this country are going to be haltered
and led into the democratic fold after
comparing the above language of the
St. Louis Republic with that of the
Omaha platform which reads as fol-
lows:
"We demand free and unlimited coin-
age of silver and gold at the present
legal ratio of 16 to 1."
Everybody knows exactly what that
language means. But nobody, not even
the man who wrote It, can tell what ra-
tio is meant by the paragraph we have
quoted from the Republic.—Nevada Di-
rector.
But this is not ail the lesson taught
by the action of the Iowa Populist Con-
vention. We have won the respect of
our enemies, as well as encouraged
those In our own ranks. The Leader,
commenting on the result of the con-
When the Populists get into power j Tentlon, says: "The defeat, therefore,
the plutes will get enough of law. j 'n the Populist Convention of the lead-
There don't seem to be anybody at
home now in the Democratic party.
The gold bugs would feel better if they
were in the Republican party, and the
silver Democrats would be more at
home If they were in the People's
party. There seems to be no further
use to keep up the Democratic party
as at present constituted. It has no
fixed principle, is composed of factions
and controlled by the money power. It
has been tried and found wanting, and
common decency now suggests that it
ought to be buried.
Banks, bonds and bayonets are the
trinity of evils which Shylock Is try-
ing to fasten upon this country.
The bankers and bondholders are the
greatest enemies to this country.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Allan, John S. The Peoples Voice. (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 50, Ed. 1 Saturday, July 13, 1895, newspaper, July 13, 1895; Norman, Oklahoma Territory. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc116724/m1/3/: accessed May 5, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.