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Show THE SHIPWRECKED CREW. M. G. WEAVER, IN COLD FACTS anything for us. Now let us organize a Labor Exchange and only sell our labor for equal toil and not cheat ourselves by accepting that soft, glittering, almost worthless metal, which neither feeds, warms, nor shelters. If we had worked for ourselves from the beginning, instead of working for gold, we would be all well fixed today. Let Jack alone, and we will see if he can catch fish with his stuff as easily as he has duped us We can make our own checks to keep account of deposit and to facilitate trade out of paper and exchange on equal basis, in any civilized country." Early the next morning everything was in a bustle. Three new huts were started and everybody worked with unusual zeal and energy. When Jack came to hire them offering as high as $50 each for a days work no one paid any attention to him. Seeing he could not get their services in that way he took Sam aside and offered to loan him all his money to carry on the enterprise in hand if he would allow him to share at their table and of their products for interest, because of the capital" invested. No," said Sam. No one would work for it now. None want it. As an exchange medium, we can take less expensive material, of our own make, thus saving the interest and much unnecessary work. If you want to share our wealth, you must also share our toil. For labor only will we yield our labor and its products and on no other condition." Jack laid his heavy purse aside, as a relic of past iniquities, and went to work like an honest man, doing his share for the privilege of eating at the table and sharing the wealth created by labor. Since the tables were turned, improvements are swelling rapidly, and there are no more strikes, loafing, landlordism, panics, tramps, spurious laws, unequal taxation, toadyism, superstitions nor inequalities to be heard of except in the past history countries. of Moral: Join the Labor Exchange and enjoy its benefits. 1 One morning after a stormy night at sea, ten men found themselves on a desolate island. One jvas lucky enough to have a gun, another a hatchet, another a saw, another had some fishing tackle, and one had nothing but money, a useless article on an island, while five had nothing at all Knowing the prevailing ctaze for gold, the one with the shiners, called Jack, offered to each of the men' a dollar apiece to work for him that day. This thsy eagerly accepted, being elated to strike a job the first day. Three were put to work electing a tent of poles and bark, two to construct a table, bench, etc., fui furniture, one to hunt, another to fish, one to hunt for fruits, nuts and the remaining one to prepare a dinner of the sundry products. Now, the day being nearly spent all were tired and hungry. When the table was set, Jack said to the All these things have I ordered workers: and paid for, no one can dispute my exclusive right of possession; now, 1 propose to give you all a squaie meal for a dollar each. This, hunger compelled them to accept. After the meal, Jack said: Those who have no money for lodging cannot stay here tonight." All silently departed leeling badly cowed. When they had located themselves for the night, Sant said: Just think what blockheads we have been building that teat and doing everything, a lot of good eatables, and giving it nearly all to that fat, lazy Jack just for the privilege of handling those nine dollars lor a few minutes." No," said another, we are not to blame, Jack, the greedy plutocrat just went and took it." Yes, but with our own consent," Sam. Well, he furnished the capireplied tal for the enterprise and it is not more than right for us to allow him something for interest." Ill tell you where we missed it," retorted Sam, we worked too cheap. Had we received two dollars each it would have been plenty for necessities and some over." HOT STUFF FROM A HIGH SOURCE. The Thats what I say," said another. For a number of years the abuses of the labor is ours and we have a right to ask any land have been heralded to the world, and price for it we like. Let us organize and the perpetrators criticised only by a little handful of insignificant weekly reform papers. strike for two dollars." But there are signs of a change in this direcWhat is the reason we have tion. Once in a great while we find an editFirst voice. no work, no food, orial in a great metropolitan daily that actusuch hard times ally calls people and their acts by their right no shelter?" name. The following is from the New York I supSecond voice. Journal: pose; there is so demand for anything." Last night a long line of poverty-stricke- n No demand," cried Sam, dont we need men stood, mutely eloquent, from Astor anything?" Place down to Fleischmanns bakery, waitThird voice. Yes, but we have no eming for free bread from the hands of a generployment, so where is the money to com: ous man. The story that might be told by from to pay for what we need? Most people those hollow-eyeand pinch-face- d men has must do with but little when the market is pathos which would melt a stone. overstocked. The trouble is, we worked too Why is this increase of $80,000 a day for fast. It is all due the labor saving machin- bread in this city? Is it the war with Spain? ery we used. I am sure that if we had If it were only this men and women would caught the fish by hand, cut the bark with dry their tears, and set their teeth and starve our teeth or a sharp stone, caught the rabbits without a murmur if it might bring liberty to with a pointed stick, etc., we would have to a wronged people. plenty work of But it is the greed of men calling themis too not there No, selves Americans that is grinding the poor to replied Sam, much produce, but it is not justly divided. death men who are rich and live sumptuOne man is overstocked and nine are desti- ously every day who for the gratification of tute. Does Jack alone constitute the market, avarice or the desire for power are striking with the lash of hunger those who are poor Independent of our demands?" Sam went to Jack for his opinion on the and needy. The fingers of the starving poor point at question. I will tell you how it is," said Jack, it you, If r. Leiter of Chicago, as the cause matters not how great the demand is, if you of a merciless oppression. The war is makhave no money, it dont count a straw in the ing prices high enough without any outside market. Let me tell you that your present help. Where is your patriotism in these trouble originated in extravagance. You days? Benedict Arnold is a saint in comwanted to live as good as the rich. Men in parison to a man who in these days of war your circumstances must economize or suffer and want will take advantage of the poor to increase his own wealth. more. millions of people are affected Seventy-fiv- e The next morning Jack offered the desired is wages, and all went to work with light hearts by your gamblings in wheat. It a strange make. confession and to Lucky humiliating and lighter stomachs. When by in America. If for are that a had you dinner, you you efforts, they again prepared big in in wilderness some or the were and was jungle of going up Jack told them the market he was obliged to have $ 50 apiece for din- Africa the natives would burn you at the ner. But none having enough, they wran- stake. As a nation we are in a sense responsible, gled with each other for money until at last seven managed to pay; the two weakest had for the people are supposed to make the to do without. But, after dinner, Jack threw laws, and they say you are within the letter a few bones to the unfortunate two beggars, of the law. Speculation may have uses, but Leiter has proved its abuser. The question remarking that he felt it his duty to be chariof bread is the problem of social peace, and table to the poor. When the nine had again departed to seek when you stand between bread and a hungry shelter in the woods, Sam called them to- child, you or any other man is an enemy to the commonwealth, no matter if the law" gether and addressed them thusly: does approve of it. We have been fools long enough! Let us To gain wealth by injustice or over the be men and make a change. Experience has bodies of starving men will bring ruin sooner proven that if we surrender our labor to Jack later. Retribution will come surely, for for gold, we are entirely at his mercy and we r is stained in blood and will gold get back the scantiest necessities of life. We besmear the possessor in the handling. The had organized to have our wages raised and are Gods, and woe betide the man who the price of our necessities went up even poor the weak. faster than our wages. This wage system is tramples upon all wrong, and we dont have any use for the Chairman Butler ought to tender his will do if not consumers of our product they resignation at once. to-da- y over-productio- half-civilize- d to-da- Over-productio- n, d to-day- ." Tjik Appeal to Reason digs up the NOT THE MAN, BUT THE SYSTEM. following from the London Times, published Joe Leiter, the wheat speculator of Chin regarding Lincoln's first issue of cago, is followed about by detectives whom $60,1100000 in greenbacks: he has hired to protect him. 1 do not know if any one contemplates giving him deserts, It that mischievous financial policy which but since he has used his inherited millions had its origin in the North Americaa repub to mike bread dearer in thousands of poor fie during the late war in that should mouths, he should be country whipped twice a day beconif indurated down to a fixture, then for month. Under a a properly constituted that government will furnish its money withadministered Leiter and his and government, out cost. It will have all the money that is kind would be sent to the penitentiary at necessaiy to carry on its trade and its com- hard labor. He is as much a robber . any merce. It will become prosperous beyond brigand of the Italian passes, and rmuii in the history of the civilized gov-ern- n precedent eats of the world. The brain and wealth of a thief as any pickpocket in America. Iconoclast. ot a.I countries wiil go to North America. 1 fiat I am surprised that the Iconoclast slruld government must be destroyed or it will destroy every the on mistake an effect, for a cause. Mr. Leiter is monarchy globe." He has done no Nothing was ever truer in spirit, but is aa effect not a cause. whether or not the Times said it we do not more to raise prices than the small retailer at know. To us it sounds a little like Tom the corner who adds 40 per cent to the price, Sawyer s dream takes in it. too long to have no mis- Those clauses of the Bible which say that uifdnh btlonKs to llie Lord, and that land not be sold forever, have been declared unconstitutional, illegal and wholly against public policy. The decision of the lower court (Ciod Almightys) is therefore reversed. Pittsburg Kansan. They have only to call to mind the fact that the Bible was written before John D. Rockybaptist assumed control. It seems to us a little inconsistent for the United States to boast of its greatness on the water and battle-fielafter it had advertised the fact to the world that it does not possess sufficient power to even run its own finances. d It must be a queer brand of patriotism that sends a man to war because it is the only opportunity that his country gives him to make a living. he pay VYor articles. Mr. Leiter has done just what 99 out of every 100 people would do if they had the financial power and the laws permitted them to do so. He has violated no law of the land. He has only bought a big stock of wheat as low as he could and is selling it as high as he can, and is not every man in the nation trying to do that same thing? Wherein is he worse than all the others? In fact I think that Leiter has done the world good by teaching it the dangers of having the nation's bread at the mercy of a few greedy rich men. With the profits derived he and his friends may now corner the ext crop and mrke more millions out of the people who are too silly to have the nation employ its citizens to raise wheat, grind it and sell it to the public at the labor cost. The more Leiters we have the sooner the present system will become unbearable. And that that will be good. Exchange. The Populist party may split up and die; the Social Democracy may divide up and We doubt that two Populist parties will come to naught as an organization; but the do as much good as one did. principles of . both will live so long as there are sorrows to heal or tears to dry. So long Self-respeis the corner-ston- e of all as there is robbery and oppression, so loag virtue. John Herschel. will there be opposition to it. LETTING OUR FRIENDS TALK. JUST WHAT WE WANTED TO SAY. The editor has been too bus) to write Driven almost to desperation at the acts much for this issue. The matter is made up of the driveling idiots in Congress and the very largely from clippings from better silence of their dupes, we felt that we wanted writers than we ever hope to be. So you to to the point, and was just something say a better get paper this week than usual. getting our paper and pencil ready and onr s to going when our eye fell on a SOMETHING RACY. of the Pittsburg Kansan and saw that We have in our possession a letter writ- copy Brother Buchanan had already said jnst what ten by Col. Pat Donan to a prominent we wanted to say. So we will let him talk to citizen of this city on the Cuban War situaHe you. says: tion, which, to our mind, is the most scathThe gold maniacs in and out of Congress ing effusion that ever fell from tongue or pen. Col. Donan is one of the best posted keep up the cry of the almightiness of go'd. men in America, having for many years Gold and gold alone fights battles gold been in close touch with all the national and gold alone makes prosperity," officials. He knows what to say, and says howl has been iterated and reiterated, This his say in a way that is inimitable. Col. till even Donan writes like nobody else, and nobodv poor wretches who are pinched to else can write like Col. Donan. His lan- make both ends meet join in the cry. . guage is somewhat rough, but he makes his It is all a monstrous hallucination when it points and rivets them with sledgehammer is not a willful lie. blows. This letter will appear next week. Gold never fought a battle, never brought Watch for it. prosperity, never did anything for the good of mankind. THE SOLDIERS DOLLAR. As a metal gold is the least useful in the Nortons monthly. whole lot cannot be mentioned at the same The greenback dollar was the soldiers time as iron, lead or zinc. dollar. During the late war many and many It is men, the husbands, sons and brothers d a husband and father has, in the of the wives, mothers and sisters of the land camp, or on the eve of battle, folded up one who do the fighting and we defy any gold of these greenbacks" stained with tears as lunatic in these United States to show a man. he thought of the loved ones at home, and old or young, rich or poor, who would not sent it through the mail. accept a legal tender note in payment for his Many a needy mother has opened a letter time as readily as he would gold. from her own soldier boy and found one of There is no such man in all America these greenback" dollars enclosed, and, as even the howling gold idiots would take it, she realized the tender love which prompted provided they would venture in the fight. the sending of it, and thought of the perils There is not a mine worker, laborer, meand hardships of her darling boy whose ser- chanic or machinist in the country that would vices earned it, has it been baptized with the not gladly take such notes in exchange for hot tears welling up from her mothers heart. all the iron and coal they could dig, and for But who ever heard of a soldier getting a all the guns, cannon and ammunition they a gold dollar and sending it to his wife, his could produce. children, or his needy mother? Not one. Why, the gold dollars, like most of the There is not a farmer in the United States goldbug advocates of today, were skulking that will not willingly and gladly furnish the around home, playing the coward. government with all the wheat, corn, foodHad it not been for those greenback" stuffs, cattle, horses and mules he has to dollars the old soldiers might have been spare in exchange for Uncle Sams unlimited hammering away at the gates of Richmond legal tender notes. till this time. Not one. Because it paid the soldiers for their serThey have no use for gold they can neivices, because it supported the loved ones at ther eat it, drink it, nor wear it; its only use home, because it saved the Union, because even at the present time under the reign of it destroyed slavery, because it perpetuated the gold robbers is as money something to the government, the patriotic people of be used in paying debts or purchasing America love the greenback. service. And, because they love it, they propose to But theres the rub. preserve it and make it the money of the Geld is scarce; it can be cornered like any American republic in peace as well as in war. other commodity, and this practically deGod bless the soldiers dollar! stroys its use as a money. God bless the greenback dollar Until this gold madness is stayed, the peoThree cheers for the soldier's dollar! ple will continue to be the dupes and slaves Three cheers for the greenback dollar! of the gold sharks. It saved the old flag once, and it is a burning shame that it is not allowed to do the The Populists of Kansas have renominated the entire State ticket. same thing again! ct think-work- blue-coate- 1 |