The Rebel (Hallettsville, Tex.), Vol. [6], No. 264, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 19, 1916 Page: 1 of 4
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7. A.
60s per jmi «i for or
more (40 weeks) 25c.
If this vm+m k «mNi A/>p
your biim your subserip- ZO D
tion expires next'
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In tfnlw of 4 or
—REBEL
ET 100,000 ACTUAL
i JAJUtERS EACH WEEK. |
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ime Battle.
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The dirty Dank machinist chat have ruled Oklahoma with a
L hand for so many years are getting very uneasy. During the
six months the Socialists qf that state have scored at least three
mefl with telling effect and in such a manner as to presage a land-
ide that "will bury the Donk usurer-landlord governor, Williams,
,d his crooked crowd oceans deep __
It will be remembered that the Socialists got first blood last
when they replied like a thousand of brick to the. damnable re-
lation law that was aimed at them by the Williams machuie.
ley turned in and registered nearly 75,(KM) Socialist votes —* a
an of 23,00(Lvotes over the 11)14 election, with a splendid chance
' gaining as many more by Noveml>er and thus capturing the
Hate. An encouraging sign of these registrations was that the
largest gain was recorded in the Republican counties. The signifi-
-nce of this is that the mass of Republican wage-workers and work-
ing farmers of Oklahoma, like those of Kansas and other middle-
western states, are of a far more progressive type than the Demo-
~" gnd are fast falling into the Socialist ranks, realizing not only
[tnax this party completely represents their interests but has now
shown itself to be the most effective frighting force against the hated
~)onk machine. This visible getting-together of the working class
^position to the machine—who have heretofore been split up in
|e Republican and Socialist parties, naturally has seared the
gang" stiff.
To this add the second exploit of the Socialists where they
d in the fight for the adoption through referendum of a fair elec-
>n law and secured 105,000 signers to an initiative petition. The
ms gang was placed in a position where it was a case of "be
if you do - be damned if you don't." If they permitted the
reierendum to come to a vote, they knew that a law would.be ad-
opted providing for an equal representation of the three leading po-
Itieal parties (Democratic, Socialist and Republican) on state,
lty and precinct election-.boards. This would take away their
chance to steal the elections. On the other hand, if they held
i a referendum that had secured such tremendous support, they
l6w that > atill further djscredit them with
, more fair-minded citizenship, regardless of how
insible the pretext was. However the state-house gang had won
is way with fraud thus far and so fraud was the only card it could
,lay. The initiative petition of 105,000 signers was thrown out on a
' pretext and the partisan state election board (named by the
wuk governor, senate and state committee) which has the power to
ame the retiring officers of the county election boards, continues
control of the election machinery.
Third blood for the Socialists came in the election on various
itntionai amendment* framed up by the Democratic legUlfitnre
na governor The moet vicious of these amendment, provided for
literacy tart. It m aimed supposedly at the negro voter, but in
lity at all voters opposed to Donk rule, since the officers involv.
(all of them appointed by the machine) were given great IfiU-
ie in each case, determining largely from their own judgment
Bthor * voter was intelligent enough to vote. Thus a Socialist or
publican might be required to solve Algebraic problems and a
«k need only know hi. A. B. C's. A smooth scheme was evolved ,
„ the William, machine to put this damnable amendment over the
voter. Finrt a trick ballot on this qnertion was devis-
*1 w Governor William, in conjunction with the legidature,ai o
helped along hy Senator Ruaell in his .enate biU (No. 40). Next th
KZ^tion in mo* case, Med to send out to the voters
i the law provide#, pamphfeta erp Laming the
tew pamphlet, were sent nut were hopelessly gar •
*eep the people from learning the truth. "For th* say. Repuh-
\Z State Chairman Gei-ler, "the 7J™d
member, of the administnrtion; but the puhlic has ob*rved
that whenever the governor really wants a thing done, other officers
[usually perform." , . t
But for the arguwyed watchfulness and splendid organize
of the Socialirt party thi. well laid scheme would have gone
through. Almost at the lfirt minute the fraud with regard to the
tickets find pamphlets was discovered. This wet-elm club was ■dten
out to the hands of the Donks find the Socialists best them black
and blue with it. In the August amendment election every as
amendment propowd by the Donk administration was snowed
jnder—-the literacy test deepest of all.
!' The joke is that the Democrats ^ah(T
iaim th&t the Socialists are "insinuating that the
'Democratie party has been crushed". So far as we know they
ave not "insinuated" at all. They have said so flat-footedly
up and down, backed up with irrefutable facts. The puerile
Plea of the governor that this is a "business administration is
what the Socialists have charged that
admimsirauon—ui ww ^
paramwM of the electric-lit towns, namely the allied usurer,
wu'iora, big mercantile and corporate interests of Oklahoma. The
dock has struck their hour. The workers of Oklahoma are coming
own.
"NO!
THE HHI
me fair." — If that bo
true, howinhel did any Southern
woman ever come to marry *
tt ***** j
tftfftMMMfMflNMM
JIM FERGUSON says four
id heads of families are
to the tenant farmer roll
b every jpar. God save
locratjc party!
'T .• t*ft' '♦ .
BALLMTTSVIUS, TRIM, SATURDAY, AUGUST 19,1916.
THE RURAL CREDITS THE PLEDGE VIOLATED
No. 304
The rural credits law may get
the farmers' votes. That soema t*
be its main purpose. There is no
sign that it will get any money in-
to the pockets of the farmers.
There is more red tape about it
than barb wire around a trench
outpost. The main object of this
red tape seems to be to keep out
any farmers who might really
need a loan. All tenants are ex-
cluded from the beginning.. Tho
forty per cent who must require
help are confronted with the sign
"No tenants need apply."
There is much more organiza-
tion than money in the who'e
scheme. There is a "Federal Farm
Land Hoard" of five members at
Washington. There will be 12
"Federal Imnd Hank Districts",
each with power to liire such at-
torneys, experts, assistants, clerk*,
laborers, and other employes as
they shall find necesary.
These district organizations are
theii to organize "national farm
loan associations." No farmer can
borrow a cent until he has become
a member of such an association.
Before he gets a loan he must find
nine otherwould-be l orrowers.
Together these .prospective bor-
rowers must subscribe for enough
stock in the local association to
amount to five per cent of the
'oaiiH they desire. Only members
of the association can borrow mo-
ney.
One of the friends of the bill,
speaking for it in congress, estim-
ated that a farmer would be re-
quired to spend $72 before he
would receive a loan of $1000. Not
less than $100 nor more than $10,-
000 can be borrowed by one per-
son. Interest is limited to six per
There are but few states in the
union where a farmer who coultj
qualify for a loan under this act
could not obtain equally good
terms of any bank. There are
many counties where there are n°t
10 land-owning farmers who
woidd have any interest in joining
such a bank. These are just the
counties where the farmers are
most deeply in,debt. •
This bill brings no relief to the
millions of mortgage-ridden ten-
ants of the cotton-belt. It offers
no reduction in interest rates in
the only states where such rates
are now much above six per cent.
Where the n°te-ahavlng usurious
banks are now reaping their har-
vest there are few land-owners,
and these are lending, not borrow-
This law will offer an oppor-
tunity for the safe investment of
millions in agriculture. It opens
the road fyr the financial capital-
ist to secure a national grip upon
the entire farm-owning class. It is
the natural response to the pres-
sure of financial capital for new
rieds of investment
It will assist the big farm-owner
in equipping his farm * in such
manner as to enable him even more
rapidly to compete the small far-
mer into the renting class. In so
d°ing it will hasten evolution to-
ward Socialism, which, we fear,
will scarce'ly be appreciated by
the little farmer.
If there had been any desire
really to help the farmer who
needs loans it could have been
done by the simple process of au-
torizing the postal banks t° do a
complete banking business, in-
cluding checking and loans. With
the system of "two-name" paper
already in use in many European
farm banks, of which the present
law establishes poor imitations,
every "post office could have been
transformed into a loan bank for
farmers, or f®r anyone else in need
of credit. ' '
But this would have wiped out
the powerful banking trust,
against which politicians rave up-
on the public plaform. but which,
furnishes the cash for campaigns.
The present law is simply an-
other expression of what Dickens
called the ''circumlocution office"
that was always trying to find out
"how not to do it."
W. H. F. Robinson answers the
Rebel's call to arms and lines up
ten of his Arkansas comrades for
the fray.
The Democratie Party for sev-
e£aL*ear8 in thi> g00d 01(1 Sute
of Texas has succeeded in corral-
ing the yeomanry by potting up
to than a pledge on Primary Day
in July that they wonld vote the
ticket the following November.
Thi Socialist Party, the second
political party in Texas, realized
that this was a frame-up in the
interest of the politicians and
their masters who wished to rob
and rein the State, and they have
actually succeeded.
We. said to the suckers who
wentjpnto the Democratic pri-
ry. jP'is pledge is worthless for
the ifBKou that no law of God or
matrfjean prevent a man from
chmypiig his mind in four months
and, farther, tbat it is a principle
involved that no man can enforce
a contract in the courts which he
has seemed by fraud ami lying.
The fact that the Dallas News
and alt other sources of publicity
in TeStas have deliberately lied
about the peronnelle, platforms
and fbaracter of those who run,
in the nature of tilings violates
the primary pledge that is to bt
carried out in November.
Hut thii year the Democratic
Party Convention ho« ITSELF
violated the pledge.
Hy nearly 2000 votes majority
the membership of the Democrat-
ie party of Texas ordered Sub-
mission on the ballot. The Hous-
ton State Convention of the De-
mocratic Party threw the will of
the primary in the waste basket.
They did the same thing,with the
party"ii instructions as to the Ro-
binsoifi Insurance Law.
Coming back from the Houston
Conviction an old time politician
was approached by an exuberante
youngfctolegate from the Panhan-
dle. lw said, "Olid to rteet you,
Senator." The old timer looked
at him and said, "I don't know
your name but your voice is very
familiar." The young Panhand-
ler replied, "You were in the
State Convention were you nott"
"That's where I heard your
voice, " said the old timer, "you
voted 21 times for one Senatorial
District; why did you do itt
"Because I made a deal with
the Pros in my District and I K®'d
to them, 'You have as much Pro-
hibition in the Panhandle now as
you would have under Statewide
Prohibition, because the stuff is
shipped in. What we need is an
Agricultural College; we can get
it if we don't attack the Gover-
nor; therefore, let me go down
and vote for you and save rail-
road expenses and time,' and
that's why I voted 21 times ' Anti'
with the consent of the Pros.
Thus it happened that the Pro~
hi Law. the Robinson Law and
every other measure that the
membership of the Democratic
party voted for has been trampled
under the feet of the politicians.
Out of that will come this: If
Ferguson dares to destroy the Ro-
binson Law next year the Home
Insurance-ites will be up in arms ;
if he dares to destroy the Prohi-
bition question, they will be up
in arms and, as a matter of fact,
both sides already have Lobbies
engaged to fight out Prohibition
and Insurance before the next
Legislature and there wtU not be
on? tcord about the LAND unless
the Actual Farmers and Indus-
trial Workers take the bit in their
teeth and say, '7^,havewvi0^:
ed your pledge; therefore WE are
-not bound by it; we will vote the
Socialist ticket next November.
To hell with the Democratic
party primary pledge next No-
vember !
Some people have strange kinks
in their craniums. They reason
thusly; It's alright for the com-
munity to own its publie schools,
hospital, electric light
e d<
Democracy.
.7 - Jm, ■
Now that the tumult and the shouting hax died aud the
tains and t.hc kings have departed from the various National
State conventions we know that in spite of our greatest efforts m-
action will be in the saddle in the lden of November, and then whatt
The war will close, the panic will be on nnd increasing multitudes of
the working class will hunger, freeze and die in the cities of A me rtea
in greater numbers than in the trenches In front of Verdun.
It, is no use of wakeniuf op after the blow has fallen and cot-
Ion has dropped to four cents and the usurer reaps his golden har-
vest. The question is, WHAT ARR WB GOING TO DO NOW!
It appears to us that we should be prepared in the best sense
of the word, and by being prepared we mean this,— prepared tn
follow the lead of Yucatan, Morclos and Sonora by declaring that in
Texas an<{ Oklahoma LANDLORDISM and UNUIY *h«U ptriih.
even as on the oth(r side- of the Ho Grande.
Fine words, yes, and they have been said before, but tho
practical question is. How 1
We would suggest this, that after the November election is
over the Land Revolutionists of the South call a Convention ftt Waco,
Texas, or elsewhere to devise ways and means to bring the Revolu-
tion for Land and Liberty north of the Rio Grande.
While wo are pacificists in our souls we are TIRBD OF
WAITING for a Ferguson or a Rail or any other Industrial Carpet
bagger oP Political Scalawag to solve this the biggest problem of
our time and generation—a problem that is older than Mosei. but
yet each year accentuates its pain because it is not aolved.
It may be disagreeable to us to see that the Aztecs of Mexiao
have lit the fires of freedom by whoso light the white men of Dixie
must march to the sanctuary of their hopes, but neverthole* w*
should not be afraid to walk as they have walked.
True it is that such a gathering will call upon itself all tho
vituperation that the hired hacks of a H«srst, an Otis, a Rockefeller,
or a Pearson can command, but, what of It T
The iron logic of events compels us to follow the Indian or go
with our women and children to a Capitalist hell that might be dia-
grammed by three rings as In Mexieo under the IMas regime, where
t*"51*11'3 played "La Polome" and the CkmUfjeos of State and
Church walked around in the first kng, the higsifr elsai guwfasM,
the small merchants and their superstitious wives walked around
in the second, while the pellagran proletarian walked aronnd in the
third with only one vision—the Revolution that has made Mm free.
The tennnts of Dixie must follow in his footsteps.
THEREFORE THE CONVENTION!
It is possible that when this Convention meets that the old
battled-scarred veterans of the Socialist Party of the South will
meet in another hall at the same time and place and decido upon a
platform that can be written upon a postal card, which shall declare
that:
THERE SHALL BE NO MORE LANDLORDS IN DIXIB.
THERE SHALL BE NO MORE UST7RER8 IN DIXIB.
WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE ESTABLISHMENT OF
INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY IN THE UNITED STATES.
These suggestions we make to the end that the people of
Dixie and the United States shall be as free as are those of Sonora,
Morelos and Yucatan.
T. A. Hickey,
Covington HaB.
• as
(Note.-—This is the first of a series of article* on Industrial
Democracy. The next article will appear In our first September
issoe.)
SOCIALISTS OK THE LAND
QUESTION.
In a form more acceptable to
non-Socialist progressives than
former declarations is the Social-
ist party platform this year sub-
mitted for approval by the Na-
tional Committee to a referendum
of party voters. Though not flaw-
less, it is the best and most demo-
cratic document so far drawn by
political party with a presiden-
tial ticket in the field. It takes
the correct view on questions of
preparedness, foreign relations,
th® Philippines, equal
low private appropriation of ren-
tal value of some land, whieh some
authority would declare was not
being held for speculation or ex-
ploitation. It is quite possible to
see how this may open a loophste
hig enough to let most of the ben-
efits escape. Moreover, all of the
annual rental value of land has
been created by the people and
properly belongs in the public
treasury. Any exemption would
be wrong. Omission of the last
five words of the paragraph is ne-
cessary to put beyond reasonable
criticism the most economic de-
claration in the Socialist plat-
'i-Jw. !;Vf
Jl,.... .. Ti, -• . '
i^stenl; fire department, r< d and
streets, but it isn't right for the
community to make itaoini bread-
clothes and shelter.—The Squa
Deal.1 _
Use BOTH KNOCKERS, your
foes, to grieve and make them
capitulate.
I. D. MeFadden, Montroae,
Col.
•••'
wtimM
' V-
ffiii
suffrage,
direct , legislation, proportional form.—The Public (leading Sin-
representation and a number of gie Tax Organ.)
other issues, It does not ssk for
socialization of all means of pro-
duction and distribution, but
makes an effort, which many will
consider faulty, to distinguish
between what is properly private
property and what should be pub-
lic property. On the land ques-
tion it declares for: "The collec-
tive ownership of land, whenever
practicable, and in cases where
such ownership is impracticable,
th« appropriation by taxation of
the annual rental value of all
land held for speculation or ex-
ploitation."
This comes near to being right,
but not entirely so. It would al-
toafefcv IT
The infamous Donk amendment
to the state constitution of Okla-
homa providing for an illiteracy
test was decisively beaten at the
polls last week. The test was so
framed that officials of the Donk
machine could interpret it at will
in favor of their henchmen and
against Socialists—henee this vic-
tory is again a feather in the cap
of the Socialist movement of Ok-
lahoma. Every day prospects for
a glorious victory for our Okla-
homa comrades look more hope-
ful.
MM'
L
' .
M
i
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Hickey, T. A. The Rebel (Hallettsville, Tex.), Vol. [6], No. 264, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 19, 1916, newspaper, August 19, 1916; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth394480/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.