DOCUMENT No. li, ISSUED BY THE ational Anti-Monopoly Leap*, NO. 7 WARREN ST., NEW YORK. BRANCH LEAGUES THROUGHOUT TH1 UNITED STATES. HE ATTENTION OF THINKING MEN EARNESTLY INVITED TO A FEW EXTRACTS INDICATING mm crisis. THE " The modern barons, more powerful than their military prototypes, own our greatest nighwaye and levy tribute at will upon all our vast indus- tries. And, as the old feudalism was finally con- trolled and subordinated only by the combined efforts of the kings and the people of the free cities and towns, so our modern feudalism can be subordinated to the public good only by the great body of the people, acting through their govern- ment by wise and just laws."— James A. Garfield. cusncji THE National Anti-Monopoly League OUR PRINCIPLES : Anti-Monopoly. We advocate, and will support and defend, th rights of the many as against privileges for th few. Corporations, the creation of the State, shall b controlled by the State. Labor and capital— allies, not enemies; justic for both. L. E. Chittenden, President. Henry Nh hols, Secretary. F. B. Thurber, Treasurer. Vit c- Presidents : Peter Cooper. John H. Reagan. Harris M. Plaisted. Correspondence bolicited from all persons favor ing our principles. Constitution and by-laws, with hints how to or ganii'*.' oranch leagues, sent on" application. " Honestly and equitably managed, railroads are th most beneficent discovery of the century, but perverte< by irresponsible and uncontrolled corporate manage ment, in which stock- watering and kindred swindles ar to'lerated, and favoritism in charges is permitted, the: become simply great engines to accomplish unequal tax ation. and to arbitrarily re-distribute the wealth of th eountry, When this state of things is sought to be per f actuated by acquiring political power and shaping legis ation through corrupt use of money, the situation be eomes more serious/— Report N. Y. Board of Trad** 3 CONSERVATIVE REFORM. Yonkers Statesman, Jan, 26, 1882. There must be no monopoly of anti-monopoly. Neither the Democratic party, nor any faction of it should be allowed to seize control of this reform, which is so im- perative, and for which the public is so ripe. It should be guided and directed from the top, not from the bot- tom. Its spirit ought not to come from the slums of a city, which are tinctured with more or less hostility to all accumulations. It is obvious that all property is en- dangered when the aver age man can, by a lifetime of earnest work and frugality, accumulate little or nothing, and when a favored few, living in indolent luxury, can, through legislative grants and governmental favors, pile up many millions. The injustice and inequality are so apparent and gross, that they cannot possibly be maintained. If met in time, the evil can be remedied in deliberation, thoughtfully and justly. If resisted too long, the remedy will come from the bottom, in a revo- lution, in which all property and the State itself will suffer. Had the slaveholders yielded gently to public opinion, that gigantic wrong would have been corrected without any great upheaval or loss. Slavery would have been gradually exterminated * * * and the slaveholders could have retired, during a period of years, from their false position without serious loss or injury. But they clung tenaciously to the last to the most absurd de- mands; the Nation was driven to a revolution during which every vestige ot their property was annihilated. So with these railroad men. By submitting gracefully :now to a conservative, intelligent public opinion, they can retain much of their grabbings and plunderings. iThey are as yet protected and defended by the instinc- tive regard which protects all private property. They can, and they seem, to be inclined to, drive matters until they culminate in revolution. Then their fictitious bond3 and stocks, their waterings and their grants froui Leg- islatures, secured by corruption and bribery, y ha' resorted to confiscation. If this reform is checked ai prevented until it comes from the bottom it will end I wild confiscation, too. From the K T. Evening Pout. All this, we may be sure, is not a summer cloud thi can overcome the community without causing eith special fear or wonder. It betokens a real, a meuacin a present danger. It implies that a time has come writ the forces of public opinion must be 6ct at work in ear estto breast and bear back a grievous calamity. S piueuess will not answer; to close our eyes and stop 01 ears will not answer. A moment has arrived when \ must change all that; a moment when legislate and those who bribe them must cry halt; "cor Diners" and "eonsolidators" and ad other plotte against the common weal in the interest of corpora monopoly must be teld in trumpet tones, and in som thing more than words if need be, "Thus far shall ye i and no further." • From th J . N. T. Dxily Graphic. If we ever have a conflict between capital and labor this country, it will be b 3cause of the injustice done tJ masses b v a >rporate monopolies. It therefore behoov* all classes of citizens, and particularly those who ha' property, to sustain the efforts now being made by re Bonable and intelligent citizens to limit the power men who, to use the words of a committee of the Unit* States Sen ite, "recognize no principle of action but pe sonal and corporate aggrandizement." From the Memphis Appeal. The problem is worth consideration, for monopolis and railway discriminators are certainly making m£ ters uncomfortable. * * * It is to the interest corporate managers so to do their business* to retain the good feeling of the people on th< side, but UHade4 toy the desire of gain to-day, eo 5 orations do not look to to-morrow, and they are raising n indignant spirit of resistance that bodes no good. From the Brooklyn Dxily Eagle. There is a pretty general feeling that the Continent ;-f America was not discovered by' Columbus, and civil berty established by the Fathers of the Kepublic, t<> he end that fifty millions of people might be made trib- tary to a band of railroad magnates, or that farmers, rtisans and merchants might, by hard work and keen ompetition.raise up a dozen Yan lerbilts, with each sev- ,ral hundred millions of dollars. Those who entertain bis feeling have become persuaded that the time has rrived for the industrious masses of this country to I rotect themselves, if they ever intend to do so. It will <>r tainly not bo easier after the adversary has grown trongor. In this contest every delay is to the disadvan- age of the people. Let the issue be deferred for a few I 'ears, and nothing but a miracle or a revolution as vio- lent as that of France will overthrow the oppression. M all misleading delusions, there is none more mis- hievous than the notion that popular suffrage and pop- ilar power arc synonomous. Given the means of brib- og multitudes, of intimidating others, of wrecking op- )onents, coupled with actual possession of the Govern- ment, and adverse sentiment must be paralyz >d. If the cuftrage is to be our salvation, it must be applied sharply fvhile there are still odds on the side of unbought and interrorized manhood. From the Anglo-American Times. i The tendency of all close bodies like corporations is 10 usurp, because they are soulless and are therefore vorked beyond any influence of sentiment. By degrees, Unless checked, they will absorb all rights and privi- leges within their scope, till gradually the sovereignty lsurped appears rightfully and by law to be [3xercised by them. This has always been the ten- dency of railroad property in such countries as :he United Kingdom and the United States, because, in feese, property exercises the most influence, and corpor- 'itjidtts aara ner.aii.t±ed to erect themselves into a sort of 6 Jmperium in imperio, whereas such countries as Frai I Germany, llussia, assume a supreme and direct con I over railways: even so in British India. The Corp* I tion therefore, is always under the governmental ch< I and it is nut permitted to take on itself functions j I taining to government. In no other country, howc has the power of the railway corporations become great as in the United States. * * * The ambltioD the person has thus been allied with the soulless chai ter of the corporation ; and as a consequence a num of autocrats, exceeding in wealth and the control tl exercise any body of nobles in any country at i period, has been created in the United States." From the Chicago Fj press. The curse of the country Is not bank monopoly alo nor railroad monopoly, but a tendency to concentr and centralize the wealth and power of the people means of monopolizing the wealth resources of the tion, and thereby commanding the political forces of Government. Not a branch of industry nor an elem of sovereignty but is under the ban of monopoly. I a legislative body nor hardly a representative of people but is a slave to its imperial dictation. From the N. Y. Times. Nobody questions the value of railroads to the pul or the necessity of the corporate organizations by wh they are owned, but unless they are brought under wholesome control of law, whereby the rights of ir vidual citizens and of the community at large can secured, sooner or later a conflict will come betw< their power and the might of the people which will ah* the very foundation of laws and order. From Truth (N. Y.) That we are on the eve of an industrial re lution every candid observer of events must c cede. But whether it is to be violent and bloo and terminate in the more complete subjection the people by the power of concentrated capital, whether it is to be peaceful and triumphant, no man c guess. 7 From the X. Y. Maritime Register. uch has been said about monopoly and anti-mono - and the latter has been condemned in influential ~ters as only a spasmodic movement with politicians back. Time will prove the contrary. The anti- iopoly feeling is growing among the great mass of people. They see in the gigantic monopolies which mpede healthy progress, an evil of the greatest nitude. They see in them a power which will sepa- people into two great classes— those who control belong to monopolies, and those who must submit eir mandates. Comparatively few people enter into distinctions. The majority recognize two or three ninent features and are guided by them. It is this acteristic that w T ill obtain in the monopoly fight, le recognize in monopoly a power which closes avenue of advancement and prosperity to all but avoredfew; a power that would be master of all , either directly or indirectly. They see that this them practically at the mercy or the few. The of our institutions is opposed to that. These points 11 that they need to strengthen their determination leave the contest until a more equitable condition fairs -is established. RAILROAD POWER. C. Lord, ex-president of the I. C. & L. railroad, the following to the Locomotive Engineers' Jour- "We have had a civil w;*r, wonderlul in its propor- its terrible cost of life, human suffering, treasure, ational credit ; and yet, in spite of all pride and ting, how do we stand to-day? I put the question honestly and earnestly, and future history will rer it. Is not capital realized through devious ways by means of unjust methods reveling in luxury labor is comparatively unrewarded, deferred, unpaid and too often despised? Is not this an era is country in which mediocrity, pride and public lption are holding high carnival ; can railway man- 3 accumulate great fortunes in half a score ot years )t at the ultimate, if not the immediate, expense of •? If not of it, of what? It must strike every think- 8 Lng man that the pride ami avarice of our country I growing too rapidly and without any sufficient causl and It will bo better to put the brakes on in time." L I my readers commence, if they please, at Washington • New York, and prosecute their Investigations ovrai through the railways spanning this continent and ccl neetingthe waters and commerce of tie* Atlantic aj Paeiiic, and tell me when and where public integrity h prevails '.1 against both political and financial corru Uod, or where capital and greed have not taken an u fair advantage over the rightful property and labor the people." From the Kearney (Nebraska) Press. The virtue of the people must be placed against t money of monopolies, and if our present form of gc ernraeut is worth preserving they will prevail. T danger is imminent to the country, and should be n with the same spirit and courage shown by the you Republican party when it met, restricted and lina abolished slavery. From the Washington Pont. The managers of railroads in this country show 1< 1 intelligence in dealing wiih the public than the own< I of any and all other property. The patience of the p< 1 pie is taxed to its utmost limit year after year by re J road corporations. No obligation into which they en 1 with the public, or which is imposed upon them by la is voluntarily performed. The history of their dcalir i with the Government is a history of evasion, decepti* and stealth. They water their stock in orcl^toabsc their earnings and make appear reasonable their oth wise extravagant dividends, the result of extortion; charges. The beneficiaries of muniticent land grai disregard the conditions under which they receive the endowments and retain the benefit thereof. from the Am rican Dairyman. All intelligent citizens must appreciate the facttl tariff, transportation, telegraph, trade, and patent r nopolles are fast concentrating the wealth of the nat i in the hands of a favored few, and that if the pres. 9 ostein continues much longer we will have m this coun- y an aristocracy and a peasantry with lines as dis- .nctly drawn as they are in the older countries of the •orld. From the San Francisco Chronicle. If the past may be accepted as a fair index of what is 3 come, it will be but a few years at furthest before rail- oad monopolists will dictate the laws and control alike he legislative, judicial, and executive departments of he Government, own the territory, and fetter the work- 3g classes with the shackles of peonage. Already some f these corporations closely approximate that measure f power, aLd, unless their arrogance is signally re- uked, their aggressiveness checked, and they are >rced to deal justly and respect the rights of the peo- le, the existing form of government will collapse, and n its ruins will be reared i.n oligarchy of wealth. From th* New York Real Estate Chronicle. THE COUNTRY'S DANGER. There is real danger to the country in the vast ex- ansion of power which the monopolists have secured, nd by the time the people perceive the coils that are eing wound around their necks there may be trouble, he safest way is to look the situation squarely in the ice and to understand that the entire business of the 'ountry, linked as it is to-day to the t legraph and the ress, is virtually at the mercy of Jay Gould, Cyrus \V. ield and D. O. Mills. They own th ; cables to Europe, le entire telegraphic machinery on this Continent, and iree out of the seven newspapers of the Associated f'ress. One paper more and the triumvirate will have toe majority of that organization. Do the people as yet understand the importance of his? It means that this triumvirate wid have the news f the markets of the world in their possession, can perate in accordance with this news ]nr> r before the reat public i& made aware of the ucaangs uio Lon- on Stock Exchange, the Paris Bourse, or the Chicago rain market. One week's operations in this manner lone will pay for the cons traction of more and more bles to all parts of the civilized world. 10 The masses will say "Organize an opposition Asso- ciated Press," but how can newspapers construct tele- graph 11 nee when the entire machinery is already in the hands of the monopolists? There is only one remedy, and tliat is for the Government to take possession ol the wires and deal on an equal and ju-t footing with all those using Lh>- ti-1. -graph-. From the Oniaha Bee. Railroad millionaires are already a menace to free institutions, and the country will not stand it to have many more of them created. Ffom the Cincinnati Gazette. Honest railroad management is what is needed in this country; and it is needed badly. From the New York Journal of Commerce. Sooner or later the people will understand their -jghts and will maintain them, if this is their Govern- ment and not one of railroad pools and rings. From the Rochester Morning Hrald. They have been hedged in and protected on every 6ide by statutes in their interests, while the people who have nourished them until they have grown to the stat- ure of giants, and in many cases the insolence and de- spotism of tyrants, are left almost wholly at tneir m-orcy. It is surely time that the people began to look after their own interests. From the Buffalo Express. No people in th Corporate life practically immortal in its duration, wieiding these great powers, has assumed an impor- tance never before known or contemplated, and it is aot only rapidly eonoentrating the wealth of the nation 16 In few hands to the detriment of the masses, but to per- petuate this state of things it has sought political power and corrupted our elections and legislation to an extent that not only Imperils public morals but endangers our free institutions. That this is true is known of all men. Official investi- gations have d( monstrated it; our everyday life has proven it. We therefore declare that organization of the people is necessary to maintain the following PRINCIPLES. Anti-Monopoly— We advocate, and will support and defend, the rights of the mamj as against privil grs for the few. Corporations, the creation of the Slate, shall be con- trolled by the Stat?. Labor and Capital-allies, not enemies ; justice for both. In accordance with these general principles we affir m that the public welfare and public safety demand the following specific measures of relief: j , 1. Laws compelling transportation companies to base their charges upon the "cost and risk of serviee," with a fair profit added, instead of the new theory advanced by them— "what the traffic will bear;" laws to prohibit the establishment, through construction companies or other devices, of a fictitious cost for works of a public nature; prohibiting unjust discriminations against both citizens and localities: Railroad Commissions, State an* National with adequate powers to see that these laws are enforced; a liberal policy toward our waterways, which, during the season of navigation, are potent in preventing exorbitant charges by railroads. 2 More efficient laws against the crime of bribery and for the protection of the purity of the ballot. A prohibi- tion of free passes. . . . ., 3 A Public Service founded on capacity and integrity. 1 Public Lands, the common inheritance of the whole people, should be reserved for actual settlers. 5 Currency, the measure of values, whether metallic or paper, should be equal to coin, and be issued and con- trolled by the Government only. J 6. The known benefits of the postal systems of other 17 countries to be adopted in the United States , including the postal savings bank, and the postal telegraph and telephone. 7. A Free Press— the bulwark of our free institutions —must be maintained. Leading journals have been purchased by monopolists who are endeavoring to control the thought of the Nation. The journals which are not thus controlled should be sustained by the people For these objects we declare that citizens should, with- out regard to party, vote for Candidates pledged to se- cure the adoption of the above principles and objects. That if existing political parties are so controlled by monopoly influences that they will not give the relief which the public interest demands, then it will become the duty of all good citizens to form a new party which will give the desired relief. That the Anti-Monopolists recognize the rights of capital as well as of labor we appreciate the benefits which corporate organization has conferred upon the human race ; we will labor as steadfastly to maintain the rights of corporations as to enforce observance of their duties, but the time has come when the people must organize to restrain the power for evil wielded by a few uascrupulous men, who have obtained control of the great forces of the century and who in their use "recognize no principle of action but personal or corpor- ate aggrandizement." METHODS OF PROCEEDING. To organize State, County and District Leagues. To influence, so far as possible, the nomination by existing political parties of candidates who will support our principles. Wnere such candidates are nominated, the League will notify its members of this fact and in such cases leave each member free to consult his in- dividual or party preferences ; but where one candidate will and another will not support our principles, then all party affiliations to be laid aside by members of the League, and a solid vote cast for the candidate endorsed by the League. If neither party presents a f candidate 18 favoring our principles, then the League will nominate I and support a candidate. HOW TO ORGANIZE. Wherever a citizen believes in the principles we advo- 1 cate, let him talk with friends, get together a few Oil them ("if but two or three are gathered together" it I will suffice for a beginning), resolve that a Branch Auti- 1 Monopoly League bo formed, adopt the principles, ob- 1 jeots and methods of proceeding of the Nationa I League, elect a President, Secretary and Treasurer, anc I proceed to extend the membership as fast as possible. I It is best to organize upon the usual political boundaries I or divisions, and where one Assembly District or town is I organized start the movement in others as quickly a;- 1 possible. As soon as good men from different parts of p I State can be brought together, State organizations may I be formed, which should at once report to the National I League, secure recognition, and as soon as this is ob- 1 tained proceed to complete the organization in every I Assembly District in such State. As this is a non- 1 partisan movement for the general good, the action ol I the League in endorsing or condemning candidates should be fair to all parties. If a simple form of constitution and bydaws is desired, it will be sent on application to THE NATIONAL LEAGUE, 7 Warren street, New York. Membership rolls and other documents will also b€ furnished in moderate quantities free, and in largei quantities at cost. The monopoly candidates who give two or three dol lars for a vote on election day, make laws that cost th« voter ten times that amount in the course of the yeai Even if there was no honesty or patriotism involved, is like selling one's birth -right for a mess of pottag€ How long will wage earners vote to keep their child rei cold and hungry in order *hat such men may tra\*el o) free passes and live upon the fat of the land? It is b: the aid of such men that corporate monopolies p. re maa< possible, and that fortunes numbered by TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLAE6 are suddenly accumulated, while the masses of the peo pi© are rendered poor and dependent. 19 "Railroad methods of controlling political action were exposed in 1873, through the agency of a railroad quar- rel in the State of New York, resulting in the appoint- ment by the Legislature of a committee to investigate the management of the Erie Railroad. The following i8 from the report of the committee— testimony of Mr. Jay Gould: I do not know how much I paid toward helping friendly men. W« had four States to look after, and we had to suit our politics to circum- stances. In a Democratic district I was a Democrat; in a Republican district I was a Republican, and in a doubtful district I was doubtful; but in every district and at all times I have always been an Erie man. The state of things unearthed by this investigation was officially described in the report of the Legislative Committee, as follows : It is further in evidence that it has been the custom of the managers of the Erie Railway, from year to year, in the past to spend large sums to control elections and influence egisiation In the year 3868 more than one million ($1,000,000) was disbursed from the Treasury for ''extra and legal services " For interesting items see -Mr. Watson's testimony, pages 336 and 337. Mr. Gould, when last on the stand and examined in relation to vari- ous vouchers shown him , admitted the payment during the three years prior to 1872 or large sums to Barber, Tweed and others, and to influence legislation or elections. These amounts were charged in the ' India- rubber account" The memory of this witness was very defect ve as to details, and he could only remember large transactions; but could dis. tinctly recall that he had been in the habit of sending money into th« numerous districts all over the State, either to control nominations or election- for Senators and members of Assembly. Considered that, as a rule, such investments paid better than to wait till the men got to Al- l-any.and added the significant remark when asked a question, that it would be as impossible to specify the numerous instances as it would be to recall to mind the numerous freight cars sent over the Erie road from day to day. (See testimony, p. 5J6 ; And yet this man is permitted to go on rolling up his millions year after year, tolerated, if not courted, by re- spectable citizens whom he placates by petty donations for charitable and church purposes while expending thousands in debauching legislation and corrupting the very fountain head of justice. Controlling the telegraphs and the press, his editors preach peace on earth and good will to men in one column, while misleading innocent investors and vilifying patriotic citizens in the others. 20 HOW DID THEY GET IT 7 The following are recent estimates of the suddenly accumulated wealth of a few men : JAY GOULD & CO, Seventy-five Millions in Fifteen years. THE VANDERBILTS, One Hundred Millions in Twenty Years. HUNTINGTON, HOPKINS ft CO., (The Central Pacific Syndicate,) One Hundred and Eighty-Six Millions in, Fifteen Years. (From an investment of Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Dollars. See speech of Congress- man Daggett, Feb. 21, 1881.) Hundreds of others are worth from one to twenty millions, made i i the same way during the same time. Did They Get It by Honest Labor ? If not, has not this system gone about fur enough Daniel Webster said : "The freest government cannot long endure where the tendency of the law is to create a rapu accumulation of property in the hands of a few and to render the masses of the people poor and dependent. Note —After reading this pamphlet, pass it alon* to a friend : write your members of Congress an( the State Legislature, and tell them what yo; think of this subject. Additional copies of thi pamphlet can be had on application to the s Se ere tary of the National Anti-Monopoly League AJ persons approving of the objects and work oi thi League are invited to co-operate with it. Write us