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VOLUME X.-tfO-5.T , - ; - r rORTLAND, OREGON, .THURSDAY, MAX' 12. 1881. : '-' . TER YEAR-W OO.
r.
-x
MONOPOLY
IM THK LIGHT OF PHILAJTHlBOPV ,AND BOCI-
' ' ' . ' ' OLOQY. . ; s
iDDBBSS BT BLVIX A. TUOKP BKPOBf THB OMA SCV
FBAOB CLCB Or IBDKPBXDKKCB. '.
I lore W linger opoa the strong but kind benev
olence of man now dead, who came to Nw. York
before the railroad was known, and while that
city-was -'carcely-inom than a-good-lred town.
This -man's whole financial capital was summed
up In the traditional shillings Employed as clerk,
which In tboM days meant- porter too, he labored
morning, noon and nighty By dint of honesty,
economy and Industry, he worked his way from
employd to master;1 from poverty to wealth.
This man was Palmer. And how can we fail to
admire the shrewdness, sturdy pluck and tire lews
perseverance of such a character, which, amid the
fierce struggles of trade, enable man, In this
Instance, to distance his competitors aud wrest
success from thevefy jaws of opposition T -
- This" Is the picture of individual enterprise upon
its better side ; and it Is this same individual en
terprise that has done more than aught else to
build up our national -commerce and raise our
country to its present height, of renown, and
which, extending and strengthening ittwlf by
corporate combinations, has given us those won
derful developments we see dally in the depart-
ments Jof bankingJnsurancc telegraphy, and
transportation, hot to mention many other mam
moth and similar outgrowths7f trade.
"But now the question comw,' says Palmer,
"how far may this Individual enterprise be legiti
mately carried? How far may the few go on ap
propriating to their own behoof the great powers
of steam and electricity, the soil, and all the other
great facilities for production and exchange which
natural and human Justice declares should be free
to all ? For, brought to Its extremest ultimate,
this process could only mean that a few great
financial potentates or Incorporated companies
. would own the whole of our great planet, while
all the rest of earth's cltlxens would be their mon
eyed slaves." ; ", '
A speaker, referring to the State of. California
remarks as follows : "There monopoly Is king..
There a few men control steam transportation.
They have annihilated competition There Is not
a farmer, not a producer, between the mountains
, and the Pacific, who does not pay them- heavier
tribute thanconquered people ever paid to their
conquerors. They fix the value of the farm, the
mine, the mill, and the forest. They decide year
by year whether the producer shall mske a profit
or a loss whether his children sliall travel toward
the academy Or the poor-house. They name Sen
ators and Judges. They have their Candidates for
the Presidency. They have bound the prosperity
of California In fetters of Iron as fatal as death and
-jur unyieldiug as the grave.- But all this evil Is
from the corrupt control of legislatures, public
officers, etc, and should be remedied by proper
legislation. A just government would regulate
rates for ths Interest of the whole people. V
Statutes may be ordained restrictive of those
-men who recognize no responsibility butthat of
. their stockholders, and no principle, olfaction but
personal and corporate aggrandisement. To7 this
most worthy aim Iay amen, for great would be
the good accomplished by such reform. As long
as gigantic public enterprises like our railroad
and telegraphic systems are privately controlled,
, there must be warfare between the private inter-
,' est of the stockhoidenl and the publlo Interests of
. the people. And even under the best of regula
tion laws, when best administered,, we should still
see the few swollen plutocrats atnasslag their for
tunes from the unjust tax they levy on the public,
- since, ever so restnctedj-titeir" iuwers becoraetoo
great to admit of opposition, and all competition
.is handicapped against them. -
WV.t - tkl. W.. o.a -i
move? Is It for the purpose of gaining legal
power to organise working women's societies, so
that when they die their husbands can draw
12,000, the same as now does the Workman's
wife T If the Workman's society would offer me
. membership free of tax, I would not Join them.
Why not? For the simple reason that I would
have to work for the Interest of 'feat society,
-which ronld,ln myopl nlonvturo the bars oifln
dividual Interest, and in the future drive the
working masses to homes of poverty, and their
widows would have to pick the, gleanings of or
ganised socIeTIeraTntTsTeep at the feet of the rich,
as the Bible says Ruth was compelled to sleep at
the feet of Boas. I wish to work for the Interest
of universal human Justice. and natural rights,'
that would enable woman to carry on business
Inst thesamsrafter theeathferhusband'as
before, and give all of earth's children a home in
stead of 12,000. . r v
I am not afraid of woman. By ftvlng her equal
Tights, thers isro danger hatshs will send the
nation to destruction, as some men think. -Na
ture has endowed her with shrewdness, sturdy
pluck and tireless perseverance' of such a charac
ter as would equalize monopoly, stop the license
of crime, and make this earth a better dwelling-
place for her sons and daughters. She would es
tablish commerce and the ballot-box as rulers In
stead of the sword and the money power. -Right
here I can do no better than to quote from an ad
dress delivered before the Anti-Monopoly League.
In'settlng-tortthrpnrpoees tho Leaguern
speaker thus announces two oLJts fundamental
principles: 4 We advocate and will support and
defend the rights of the many as against the priv
ileges of the few ; and corporations, the creatlous
of the state, shall be controlled by the state.' To
make the first of these statements consistent with
the second, it seems to me the latter should be
amended thus: "Corporations, the creations of
the state, shall be controlled by the State; and
when Inflated to such magnitude that they be
come co-extensive with the government domain
itself, then theT shall be bousht and owned and
that when the chain Is broken then society and
her peaco Is destroyed."
It is Just and right that when private enterprise
so overleaps Itself as to trench on what should be
public enterprise, then the public or state should
step in on fair terms, "put the individuals out,-and
put themselves In. I cannot see why a nation
which conducts its post office and custom house
cannot also manage a national railroad and tele
graph system, and . also -(which Is even , more
needed, In ray estimation) a national, really na
tional, banking system.
I tor satisfied that Just so long as woman can
have no voice In the body politic with man, Just
so long will that heathenish, oppressive,. monarch
ical spirit be more or less Ingrained in man.
From remote antiquity comes the custom, and
from the conditions In the struggles of life, the
strong arm of man has saJULihat-he masses of
womankind shoujdgofioiurther socially with
man thantothe church, home, penitentiary or
managed by the state or government" OtherJfows; but in this age of railroading and tele-
wise, in my opinion, the lights of the many will
never be maintained against the privileges of the
few. This Is the only real solution of the question
thst I can see, and Is at once confirmed by a com
parison of our people's post office and the Western
Union telegraph consolidation, the first of which
sends a letter from New York to Ban Francisco
for three cents, and the secsnd a telegram of ten
words for two dollars! , '
The very principle that the Autl-Alonopoly
League enunciates brings Us face to face with the
hard problem of Individual yersus social rights;
of the old political economy based on self-interest
versus the. new political economy founded on a
higher view of man as a social being, and vested
with social rights and duties. In truth, the unde
niable fact Is that labor, acting upon the free gifts
rand forces of nature, Is the source of all wealth;
and It Is equally true that labor does not reap its
equitable share of reward sTTh rough the squees-
Ing-out process of competition, the stronger are
yearly working toward the top, the weaker toward
the bottom ; the rich are growing richer, the poor
poorer f and, Instead of a Just distribution of earth's
products, we find the meanest of all mean power
concentrating Itself In the hands Of the few the
power of Irresponsible wealth. Our banking, In
su ranee, telegraph and railroad companies, our
great dry goods, grocery and ' other business
houses, and even the control of the real estate, are
now becoml ng th us monopol 1 ted, and such
a thing as free competition practically exists no
more. Against these overpowering agglomora-
tlons, any poor man -starts-out so weighted down
that victory-Is next to impossible. For a fw
years many such tyros may struggle on till one of
our decennial money panics flings up Its turbid
a a a a.
waves and enguirs mem, wnue ineir cargoesare
landed on the decks of their more powerful rivals.
who, by their superior strength, are enabled not
only to outride the storm, but gather in the spoils
the feebler ones have lost.
'Of Herbert Spencer's little work on sociology, I
can only give here the .barest reference to Its ar
guments He says 1. "Society Is not a mere aggrcK
gate of separate Individuals, which, like an audi
enoe In a theater, disperses when the play Is over
and exists no longer, but rather la a living organ
Ism, analogous In many respects to the human
body Itself. For Instance, the human body grows;
so does a society. Again, one" body, taking Its
conception as its date of birth, undergoes great
changes of structure and function ; so, too, does a
society in the course of its evolution, as witness
how, In early Stages of culture, man was his own
farmer, tool-maker, merchant,, etc, but how, as
time goes on, vast divisions of labor and occuna-
llon occurT by means oFwhlch commerce, manu
factures, the wits, education, and all the functions
and departments of life, become assigned to their
respective workers." Spencer's second reason 1st
"As In the human body, so In the social body,
there exists mutuality of dependence between the
parts and the whole, and thus the more humanity
develops the more Interdependent and unified Its
many classes become, until, as Cariyle says, an
Indian cannot quarrel with his squaw on the lakes
of Maine without producing a rise In the price of
ursjn Londoiu'To harm
such vast relationships, It is that governments
arise. Their purpose Is to act as the balance
wheel to the general clockwork, and make It all
harmonise and keep time."
Now, all this , solidarity of Interest has always
been more or leas clearly perceived, and was even
shadowed forth In the old Roman fable of the bells
and the members. St. Paul said, "No man Uveth
to himself, amljwe are all members jnejofani
other ;',and we ourselves are accustomed to speak
of society as the body politic, and to refer to the
life of a nation In pretty much the sam terms as
we do the life of a man. Bradlaugh says : . "So-,
elety should ,bo one 'brotherly ci rclef In which
... . 1 n ewwx-ta.'rs u wr a tirtsx OffEion a niAfm
men should be linked together Dy a consciousness j hcbulijuuko ur n adw w r r hau io id,
thmt lk .iM aiiI hann in linkMl-MnsCIOUS I ' '
graphing there are a few thinking women who
dare come out aud plead for the free rights of the
masses of their 'sex, and, in accordance with the
fundamental principle of our government, to go
up with man Into the financial, political and so
cial struggles of life, and soon take a seat with
him In the state-house as well as the church.
With me, the very thought shows a bright future
of a higher protection and the elevation of our
mcr : :
1
A
V
I close with a few lines of attempted poetry :
BACK BOMB. - "V .
When jrou a fellow-mortal
Without flzod and frarleM views.
Hanginf on the aklrta ot othra,
Walklnc In tb4r eaaUoir ahoM,
BowlncjAW to wealth or favor, -
"Wlfh sbjrt, oncoveretl head, "
L natlr to retract or waver,
Willing to be trov or led ; ' t
When you see a politician -
Crawling through contracted hoi mi.
Begging for torn, fat -position
In tba ring or at tba polla, . '
With no atertlng manhood In him,
KothlngsUDIe; broad or sound,
: Destitute of ptaek or hattast, '
Dnuble-alded all axnund ;
WIb you sea a rl low-mortal
Hugging rliM to custom's creed.
Fearing to reject or question
Toll tics hlr fellows read,
Holding back all noble feeling,-
Choking down each maaljr view.
Caring mora for forma and symbols
Than to know the gwod and true,
Walk yourself with firmer bearing.
Throw your moral shoulders back,
8how, jrour spina has -nsrva 4
J ant the things Which ha must lack.
GREAT FEAT IN REPORTING.
(Prom the Mew York Mar.
A remarkable achievement in stenography was
that of the lady to whose kindness the Boston
Herald Is Indebted for the accurate aud almost
verbatim report of Carl Schurx's fine speech In
German at the reception by his Boston country
men. The speech was uanslated ofishand Into
English short-hand notes as it was taken, Instead
of being taken in German and afterward put Into
Engltshfas is generally the casern such dScaslons.
Mr. Thomas Allen Reed of London Is regarded as
the greatest short-hand writer In England, and his
facility at taking both French . and English
equally well Is considered a marvel. But when
he takes a French speech, his notes are In French.
In the Canadian Parliament there are two sets of
short-hand reporters, one to take the speeches de
livered in Kngusn, and the other those delivered
In French. But the mental processes necessary
to such a work as that of the Boston adyjrjjjbe
seen to be. remarkably complicated. "First, there
Is the following of the speech In German, which
must have been with the strictest attention.
Then there Is the Instantaneous translation of the
German words Into their English equivalents.
And thirdly, there Is the rendering of the English
Into short-hand characters, while the ear Is alert
to catch the German, The quickness of wit de
manded by such a performance is wonderful, and,
as lar as we anow, it is unprecedented inline re
cording of publlo speaking. The lady gained her
kiJMn. tWsayJypractlJn Jaklng-noi at
the lectures In German universities. ,
From the Ban Francisco" Examiner t "Women
have won a victory even In old-fogy, bigoted
Spain. After a long and earnest discussion, the
conclusion was recently reached that women
should be permitted to attend the lectures, and If
found competent, to take the degrees conferred by
L?Pi!n!lHlesrC
cles formerly placed in the way of. women's acquir
ing information, it would almost appear as If
meh were afraid of the women excelling them Id
science, art. or literature, and so dental them a
Xalr.spaiiun4ty--redevolopii
sowrn." '
7J
(Prom Tha Dalles Mountaineer.
Itetolved, That we are in favor of the en f ran-'"
chlsement of women. First, because It Is right. '
Second, because there are certain Invidious dis
tinctions made by the laws of Oregon In reference
to the descent of real and personal property which-
we fear will not be changed unless woman is
. a a a as "
given tne bauot; among mese inviaious uisiino-
tions lsT the, la W: governing curtesy, and dower.
Third, thst no governments are so successful as
those whose laws and authorities ofgovernment: r
are based on the nearest approach to equal rights v
of all. -
livtolved. That we heartily commend the action
of the Legislature of 18H0 In. passing the resolution
for so amending the State Constitution that the
women of Oregon may be secured in the posses
sion of their right to the elective franchise.
Retolved. That we will use all honorable means
to Induce the Wasco county members of the legls-
lative sesslon of4882 to further legalise the action '
of 1880 by ratifying the Woman Suffrage resolu
tion.
Iietolved, That no government Is republican In
form or democratic In principle which refuses to - - -
guarantee to every citizen the equal protection of
the laws. : , -J-t J.:.. '
' Jtetolved, That women are now denied the equal
protection of the laws, because they are taxed
without representation and governed without
consent. x ''. - " ' '"'
Rfolvedj That thls movemeni for enfranchise
ment for our wives, mothers, sisters and daugh
ters Is a movement In strict accord with , the fun
damental principles of, equality and justice upon
which this Government Is professedly founded.
Jletolved, That women are seeking for the bal- .
lot as much for men's good as their own; they
are courteously and earnestly demanding lights
not asking for privileges ; nor would they, If they
could, usurp authority over men. T
Jlt$otvi, That It Is the duty of women to un
derstand the functions of the government Which . I
they are taxed to maintain, and to whose laws
they are held to be amenable. '
A WORD FOR THE GIRLS. II
(Prom Iha-MetntMttsTllceorder,
A great deal has been said and written concern
Ing the rights of farmers' boys, but nothing about
the girls. It Is a common thing lor farmers to
pay their sons fair wages for their workYyet their
daughters do not receive-a dollar from month to
month'. Why should this difference exist between
the farmer's girl and the boy 1 The former Is
quite as much entitled to a reward for services as
the latter. In truth, thex farmer's glri js fjre
quently the more valuable of the two. She Is ex
pected in many cases . to rise very early, get
breakfast, dean up the house, and prepare the
other meals required through the day, or, If not,
to at least largely aid In all these household du
ties. In addition, she Is looked upon by father,
mother and brother to entertain company to act
the hostess, at least, as a creditable second to the
mother ; and she may be the pride of the -family,
and regarded as a sort of privileged character, yet
much Is expected from her lh ten thousand smaller
features of home life. WhythenTahouIdniheliot
be encouraged with at least as much pay as the
boy ? In addition to that, the farm-house should
be made as attractive as possible with a piano,
plenty of books, newspapers and pictures; culti
vate a taste In the girls for flowersTeto, . These
features, with a moderate amount of work, should
produce a happy and contented home farm life.
(Prom the TArt Orford rost
PROBABLY WILLFUL.
A package of New North wests was addressed
to Independence, Polk county, to regular sub
scribers, and then returned from there to the
office of publication through Wells, Fargo A Co.
As an explanation of his conduct, the postmaster
at Independence avers that the package was ad-' -dressed
to an Individual Instead of to the office
simply, and that he delivered the package to the
husband of the lady whose name the wrapper
bore, and then by him It was returned through
the paper and makes, affidavit (that the self same -paekage
had been addressed In the usual way to
the Independence office, simply, and that it was
received back through Wells, Fargo 4 Co. In
the original wrapper as first addressed. Here, '
now, Is raised a question of veracity between the -postmaster
and the mailing clerk, and thus far
the P. M. Is manifestly the sufferer In this behalf.
' Abu . uch -H-nlscannokbtloQ sternly re--buked
by the press In common. All have suffered
more or less through the Ignorance, Inattention
ot petty malice of some postmaster, who, not be
ing capable of distinguishing between doty and
spleeTthas en tailed embarrassment andloas-
uipwu irre'
-