Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1857-02-06
The CHARACTERISTICS of our Day.
The Money Power.
BY ICHABoD wiLLoUGHBY.


even at the outset, that the claiming of
the "roney power as ono of the pre-
FALLING and most powerful, characteristics
Of our day, is an idea antagonist, cal to
he opinions of many of our best and
most enlightened minds. Says cele-
DRAFTED writer, 1.-THE world has known
three phases the dominion of brute
force, the dominion of money. and the
dominion of brains. which is just COM
mencing - and while ascrihing to him
Tar superior faculties for penetrating far
beyond the things as outwaraly mani
Tested and discovering there the ffet
faint symbol of the fall of the money
power, much lament the non posses
sion of these faculties, that can perceive
this ray Of light. along our intellectual
and moral horizon. But if great minds
q with their knowledge Of the laws that
mark distinctly the grades OF mental and
moral Advancement, can but just see the
''comm encemcnt" CT this dominion OF
brains, surely a mere pigmy in compar-
-ison, can be tolerated for bein. unable
in this day, to see anything which rem
ders the grasp of the money power any
less cffctual or relentless
I propose in this article to show that
the money power is opposed to the spir-
1T of true freedom and liberty Every
power that weakens and dcpresscs this
: spirit OF freedom and liberty, must neces-
sarly corrcspondingly weaken the foun
dation of free and republican form eff
government and the fostering Of any
principle by profcsscdly free people,
which tends directly or indirectly. to
strengthen and increase the power Of
one class over another, must make little
inches in the block of freedom and equal
i,y. No country or nation, then, what
ever may be the fundamental principles
Of its constitutions. its laws, and its dec
alaratiohs of independence, can BE- free
indeed" SO long as its people from its
Assembled rulers, down TO him who casts
his ballot, which he cannot read, into
the ballot box. all blindIy bow the knee
OF reverence to this modern Baael the
money power.
And why, ask do we not scr its abb .
solu,e sway: 1t speaks, and it csm
mands many of the hes, inteleets Of our
country. which hastens to prove gu. their
treasures Of thought and ideas, a.. nicely
squared AMI cornercd TO SUIT It's d
mands it shakes iis head and minister.
Of Him who came to bring peace, =
stand quaking aud trembling in their
pulpits, hardly daring to give fall au,!
free uttcrance to their noble principles
Of freedom and equality which stands SO
boldly GU, in the doe ae, OF CHRIST
but tacir essence mast be sUnan.d ANA
rcmoddlsd little, else the shaking q
the head OF this power, VIII be accom-
panied by the closing Of tn, pocket,
it enters our court, so! Jastlre IS d.
throncl i. smiles, and st.si sAtyAy sins
which were as scarlat, have become
"waite as snow. thus wriagn: = WI ~
ly PARTON 10. a! tran, grass. IS, = -=a. s
int o Congress. with its fitting CIV. ii
ala vpry-a croSn " rs. ii dom. .. -.
tears and blood of humanity-lays its
stern grasp upon the principles OF free
dom then, and they vanish before its
touch il stalks in our town meetings,
and the birth-risht o! an American citi-
zen, the ballot, yields to its control it
raises up its huge barriers against reform
and progress, and they fall back in par
tial retreat; in every department of life,
in every grade Of society, in all the pro-
lessions and trades, in art, science, ana
literature. We witness the offering up OF
treasures to the footstool OF this relcnt-
less king
And even conservatism, grim, unchany-
ing and stern conservatism, rclaxes its
muscles at his approach. Propose for
it consideration some claims for new
plan for the mental, moral and intellect
ual improvement of the race, and it will I
tell you that the world is worse than it
eyer was before. that your scheme and
your ideas are bu. the ou,brcakinss Of
society in its deprayed condition, or they
arc bu, the imagery of some ir.brain-
cd fanatic--it will scorn even to exam
inc your claims but call its attention to
some new scheme for making money,
picture TO its view the thousand of dol
lars that you expect to realize out Of 1t,
and with smiles and bows it receives you
AMI If SAT- Sfie1 that yn,r SrLa,on -