The Peoples Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, September 6, 1901 Page: 1 of 8
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n
Voice
VOLUME 10.
THE PEOPLE VS. PLUTOCRACY, THE
PARAMOUNT ISSUE.
Hon. Wharton Baker on the Issue Before
the American People,
ihe Mercury takes pleasure in jriv-
ing its readers the views of Hon.
\\ barton Raker, late Populist candi-
date for President, 011 the paramount
issue:
The issue the American people
must meet in the immediate future
is between the plutocracy and Demo-
cracy, and on the side of plutocracy,
masK it as they may, are the Repub-
lican and Democratic parties: on the
side of the people the party that
carries the peoples's name. Both
the old parties profess to have trust
in the people. Both subscribe to the
docti ine that trust in the people is
the very essence of our form of gov-
ernment: each i> ready to outshout
the other in declaring that the will
of the people ought to be done,
yet neither is willing to put into the
hands of the people power by which
they could enforce the doing of
their will when their servants in
Congress, in State and municipal leg-
islatures tail to do it: power by which
they could prevent the doing of som
thing counter to their will by said
servants.
In a word, they oppose the initia-
tive and referendum, oppose that
which would give the people power to
make their will law, that would give
the people power to prevent any-
thing from being made law against
their will—oppose it because they
want to keep their own hands, in
the hands ot tti■_ Republican and
Democratic machines the power to
prevent the doing of the people's
will, that which they declare ought
to be done, and the power to do
things despite tiie opposition of the
people want to keep this power that
at times they can use in the interest
of corporations and against the in-
terests of the neople, use in the in-
terest of those who will pay for its
exercise in their interests, or again,
to prevent its exercise against their
interests, and want to keep it be-
NQRMAN, OKLAHOMA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1901.
cause it is a
FAI.SK IN THEIK DKEDS.
Thus botli the ol . parties are fair
in their promises to the people, and
false in ihtir deeds. As things are
now the pec pie elect what they call
public servants, but as soon as elect-
ed and installed into office such ser-
vants in name become masters in
fact. The people e ect some legis-
lative body which is thus practically
free, for aught the people can do to
prevent, to sell out the interests ot
the people to some corporation that
will pay high for such sale. And,
again, it is fiee to virtually black-
mail some corporation into making
demanded contributions for the sup.
port of the machines, the needs of
its bosses, 1 y threatening it with
some adverse legislation.
In fact, this blackmailing is very
extensively practiced, and by the
machines of both Republican and
Democratic parties equality. It is
carried on to an extent that is ap-
palling. and to an extent that the
public as a whole can hardly con-
ceive. Professions we have to the
contrary, but neither old party is
ready to trust the people with power
to directly enact laws for themselves
that their representatives might fail
to pass' at their command, as they
now often *do, and veto laws that
their representatives might pass
dispite their protests. Neither is
ready to put such trust in the peo-
ple, to make good its professions by
deeds. And why? Because 'to do so
would put an end to corruption in
£fovei nment, put an end. to the power
of the political machines to bleed
corporations. But corporations and
others seeking favors are not the
only sinners in corrupting legislative
bodies.
POLITICAL BLAK.MAIL CHARGED.
Even as they sin they are sinned
against. They sin, undoubtedly, in
paying for the enactment of legisla-
tion, ordinances giving them powers
and special privileges, giving them
powers to lay tribute on the people
that they ought not to have, and
that no legislative bod}' true to the
interests of the people would give.
But, on the other hand, they are
sinned against by said legislative
bodies, deliberately blackmailing
them for the support of the controll-
ing political machines. The per-
petuation of a system of absolute re-
presentative government, a system
that makes the peoples chosen ser-
vants their masters, and that sub-
jects them to continual temptation,
is a great wrong.
Here, then, we have a paramount
issue. The paramount issue is not
one of foreign or colonial policy: not
one of protective tariff or free trade;
not one of financial policy—gold
standard (Republican plan) gold and
silver standard (Bryan plan), or gov-
ernment paper money, volumes kept
NUMBER 7
We Want Your Trade !
We Are Going to get it.
WHY! YOU ASK?
hz GT,or
be as large as merchants doing a smaller business, and the large pur-liases ' ,'°
enables us to get the best bargains from wholesale dealers. Our fall stock q L
has just arrived and we can hardly find room for ;n « Hn < g
I we have marked them prices .hit will IkeImlaT We
same stock of goods on our shelves lone at a Mm ■ Ti ' l ,
worn. Remember when you come to town tlT «ct dus,V and shelf,
will make no mistake by hunting up the General Me,'"cLndise^store'o/""' C°"°n VCU
GEO. M. WINANS & CO
u uc* * 1 —"J 'viuuivo atj/i
valuable power to them. . c'rcu'ation to maintain stability
• i\t mtn'ii. t- , . nf nriVeo l„ , 1 . _ .
stroying their power to fatten, vam-
pire-like, on the blood of corporations
—corporations that the machines
now in turn give power to fatten,
vampire-like upon the body politic.
The difference between the position
of the Republican and the Demo-
Phe question is,
tocracy."
A Warm Essay.
In a little country school not far
from Princeton, literatry exercises
are regularly indulged in every Fri-
cratic parties on most questions is j day afternoon
but of degree: the difference between t elfe vear o d . ^ ^ ^ A
both old parties and the IVoples^rr^T ''l" ^
1 essav 011 I lie Newspaper." This
of prices(Pupulist plan), but whether
the American people shall havea gov
eminent of the people, by the peo-
ple, for the people. The issue, then,
is plutocracy vs. Democracy. The
menace of machine rule ever corrupt
ing in the interest of plutocracy is
the paramount issue. For when
there is a rule by corruption the
moneyed power can and will play the
highest card. It is the issue whether
we shall have a democracy that is
presented.
MACHINES ARE LIKE VAMPIRES.
The Republican and the DeniO'
cratic parties, controlled by the
vampire-like machines, are opposed
to a government of, by and for the
people. For the institution of such
would destroy such machines by de-
Summer Goods
Must he closed out this month
and to bring this about tve
are selling every thing at re-
markable, almost incredible
low prices
Shirt Waists—
It is unnecessary to seek for
reasons why these sensible
garments are so popular they
are their own best aigument
and the juices are some of the
most unusual of the season
The Right Store
for
The Right Goods
at
The Right Prices.
Large line of School Shoes for
every purse Yours to please
party is radical. Populists believe
in the honesty of the people, trust
the peop e with the regulation of
their affairs, believe in the justice
of their fellow-men.
They would leave regulation of
public affairs to the people. They
would, through direct legislation, re-
established democracy, take from
legislative bodies all power to pass
binding laws other than laws of ad-
ministration, Constitutional amend-
ments, national and state, are no
doubt necessary, for the change de-
manded is fundamental. Populists
are not radicals, but conservatives.
They make no war on wealth. They
recognize that the accumulation of
wealth marks progress; indeed, that
it alone makes progress possible, in-
creases man's power to command the
resources and so lift himself up to a
higher plane.
They want to see wealth justly dis-
tributed among those who create it,
and in proportion as they contribute
to its creation by the exertion of
brain and muscle, knowing that
nothing can so stimulate the weak to
production and accumulation of
wealth as this.
THE GRIM SPECTRE OP WANT.
It is poverty, the grim spectre of
want, that they would banish, and
if there were just distribution of
wealth it would be banished from
our land, not only because of such
distribution, but because more wealth
would be produced. The wastes in
distribution, and the unearned prolits
in production and distribution, pro- TKEY ARE
tits born of preferences and the I
grant of special privileges, are !
latter-day youthful Solomon treats
his subject thus:
"Newspapers are sheets of paper
011 which stuff to read is printed.
1 he men look over the paper to see
if their names is in it, and tlie
women use it to put 011 shelves and
sich. 1 don t know how newspapers
came into the world. I don't think
God does. The Bible says nothing
about editors, and I never heard of
one being in heaven. I guess the
editors is the missing link them
fellers talk about. The first editor 1 j
ever heard of was the feller who!
wrote up the Hood, lie has been
here ever since.
Some editors belong to church
and some try to raise whiskers. All
People versus Pin-j the matter and in case a bonus is
asked of them they propose to hold
.1 lull hand and stand pat.
i The same question as to the proba-
bility of the Rock Island extending
their road into Lawton arose some
time ago when the work of construc-
was suspended at 1 lichards, It seems
to be a singular coincidence that Im-
mediately upon the Frisco proposing
a route through this country the
hock Island at once advertised for la-
borers at Anadarko and began the
work of pushing their construction
further. For a time the road was
being rushed towards Lawton at the
rate of one and a half miles a day
while on an average one bridge was
, being built within the same period of
I time. Only ten days was required in
winch to lay steel from Richards to a
I point two miles this side of Fort Sill,
jit is believed that the Rock Island
will wait at this point until some
bonus is offered or until some other
I railway has come within touching dis
j tance of Lawton.
f That 1,0 honus will be offered is al-
of them raise hell in their neighbor ' u,,lver8ally declared and a great
hrtrwi ..11 „£ xi de.i of sentiment i* being worked up
fti-reno- to the matter. It is
! hood, and all of them are liars; at
least all 1 know, and 1 only know
one. Editors never die. At least I
never saw a dead one. Sometimes
the paper dies and then people feel
glad, but some one starts it up again.
Editors never went to school, be-
cause editors never got licked. Our
paper is a mighty poor one, but we
take it so ma can use it 011 our
pantry-shelves. our editor don't
amount to much, but paw says he had
a poor chance when he was a boy.
He goes without underclothes in
winter, wears no socks, and has a
. wife to support him. Paw hasn't
1 paid his subscription in live jea s,
j and don't intend to."—Princeton Re-
! cord.
claimed that the Rock Island people
are pushing their demands to the
point of extortion. The public pulse
beats doubly fast in the conclusion
that good money has already been
cleared by the opening of this terri-
tory and that the returns should be
adequate to satisfy the ordinary
speed.
SPECIAL QUARANTINE LINES A RE
FIXED.
An Order Issued by the Oklahoma Live
Stock Sanitary Board,
j 11 is hereby ordered by the livestock
J sanitary commission of Oklahoma ter-
, ritory that special quarantee line No.
woRRTPn It be cnanyed as follow#; Begining
WORRIED I at the northeast corner ot C-.dd..
ABOUT ROOK ISLAND. I county, at the point of
of the 98th meridian with Canadian
shamefully and impoverish!,urly j Lawton People are Afraid That the Road I river: thence south alone the eastern
large, impoverishing^ not only, in I is Going to Hold Them Up. boundary line of t ,ldon,i<
that they take f,„„ tta Ju„[,p„ |c„eaJ't£
fruits of their toil, but discourage
industry an production, for those
who have accumulations are not
called upon to contribute their due
share of the burdens of taxation.
Let such wastes be avoided; let there
be justice in the distribution of
wealth; let production be encouraged
as it would be under such distribu-
way accomodations have gotten to be
tlon, and the gaunt spectre of want; an important question with the peo-
would be banished, and those of
who have can be happier than we
are as well as those who have not.
For men and women with human
sympathies cannot get full enjoyment
out of a feast of plenty while fellow-
beings want.
of'the S,ePt Ti ThC C0I"i"f>r' °f thC W00d reservati n1n7wnche
of the Rock Island is the question of county; thence west on the north
note here now. People do not know line of said Wood reservation to the
where they are at, on the proposi- west corner of the same: thence south
Hon Business men are fearing a de- on west line of same to the point ot
mand upon their pocket books as is intersection of the base line to the
ev deuced by the following from the range line dividingsixteen andseven-
Lawton 1 ost 111 a recent issue: Rail- teen west; thence south on said line
10 Red I liver: thence tip Red River
in a nortnwesteriy direction to the
intersection of the Red river with
the federal quarantine line.
Taos. Walton, Vice President.
\V. I., Bolton. President.
o. 1'. Fkk.wh, Secretary.
pie of Lawton, it is now reported
that the Roc i Island railway after
getting within four miles of Lawton
has run out of the steel necesrary for
the completion of the track. It is
further stated that a turntable is
being put in at a point one mile on I
A SHOCKING CALAMITY.
- , - - liefellu railtoHd laborer,"
need, lor justice is the founda- opinion seems to prevail that the \"k ,f"n r ^ Kelleit of Williford,
Hon of peace good will, brotherhood. | Rock Island will not complete their j Uuekl, nVAn.^a sTiv!''! .Tki'T'1,
Let there be justice, and peace, and [ road into Lawton until the citizens of j Mm. It's simply wonderful ''for Burn"
goodwill among men will reign on j this place have offered them some I'?"8- Fi!ris- a,ld " eruptlous.
earth. The accomplishment of this inducements. Some of the business V * lt"J world'" ehimploti healer.
is the paramount issue before men.1 men are becoming very serious about1 Reed fruara"lt!ed' i5c' 8":d bi' *Ved
I x J'uilll. UilC UJIU* l Il
Justice, justice, justice, is the cry- j this side of Fort Sill. A common
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Allan, John S. The Peoples Voice (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, September 6, 1901, newspaper, September 6, 1901; Norman, Oklahoma Territory. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc117423/m1/1/: accessed March 28, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.