White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-01-12

Inc question OF monopoiies - On im-
portsnt one. The entire cousiry every
State ani every sections seemingly
affected in It's social and financial pros
peity. and the people should give it thsir
nntil their bearing, are de
fined. their powers limited. and their en-
croachments forever bsrrel BY legal en-
actments.
But not alone against home mooop-l
olies must the war he wsged; grieveously !
burdensoms as many Of them ore. their
debiii,sting is0uenc sPon the country is
small compared with thst Of foreign mo
nopolies. Their hold has been secured
moFs through the .hough,less Indifference
Of the people to possible abuse Of their
generosity than to any and all other
canses. Is-thsir great desi,s to develop
tl,e.iniernal resources of the c ountry. they
granted to railroad and other corpor A.
tions the most absolute power anl privi-
leges. without restrictions and wi tn few
conditions and reserv atoms. This was
the evil Of the past. the harvest Of which
we are now respiag. While we have to
abide BY the letter Of the con tract, we
can prevent the recurrence Of similar de-
fective legislation by keeping 10 our leg
islstive bodies the right kind of men.
Against the evils Of foreign monopolies
we can at any tims m,ks provision. II
they are tolerated. j. is b,cc,use ", the
people will it. Their good or bad i6au-
ence depends upon the regulation Of the
tariff And this is now fast bscomsiny
sgaiu the leading question IN American
politics.
How low duiies cripple American
manufactures. especially those fabrics
common with this country and Europe.
is readily seen. But it is not 20 easy to
understand. as some free trade writers
claim, how home monopolies arc bnil
up by raising barrier against foreign
con petition. Were the waves Of the
Atlantic pillows Of h,me. and ell ntsr-
course with the great manufacturing Gen.
tres Of Europe thereby cat Of. msnufac
turing nonopolies could not be estsb-
lished in this count'y so long as the laws
were for all sections aud classes. The
reason therefore is becanse the raw maie-
risls-iron. copper. enc. lead. lumber.
wood. otc.-srs geographic ally distrib-
uted. man ss free. labor is free intel
igeuce is general. and land cheap-te.
cause, in out. great nation, founded upon
the granite Of equality. labor is the con
trolling element. Ons of the essential
conditions Of monopoly is tho control OF
labor. Not until land becomes as dear
in America IS in Great Britain, and in
intelligence is male subordinate to wealth,
can capital control lsbor. A careful ex-
animation Of statistics shows that the
average stay Of factory opper atives is only
three or four years for men end five or six
gor women. These freqnent changes are
in harmony with the ruling passion OF
intelligent beings-.o own, cultivate and
sdo,n their own piece Of land. no
matter Eow small. Our ".Homestead
Laws" may be regarded as law Of
American industrial lille. for it stand.
like an impossible barrier against the
Schemes of capital to control intelligence
and labor-So soon as factory hand Sc
cures mo- ney Sufficient TO cnsble him tc
purchase . tract Of land, or to improve
any which the Government ia ready at all
times to give him. the factory is absn-
doued; until this rnle is reversed, capita
can never control labor. and monopolies
can never become oppressive. 1t is in
countries like England where the laboreI
is without education, withou, the right to
vote. without political representation.
without the ability to regulate wages
without access to cheap land. that w
behold the bligh,ing results Of monopolies
And it is these huge corporations o
Europe. whose Operations have EXTENDED
across oceans and into every civilized
portion of the globe. that we have to feal
ind gnard against. They are to-day
striving to trsmp!e into the dust hun
dreds of our factories. and turn thousands
Of men end women ont of emp men'
producing prostra,ion, Suffering. crim'
and death. While we are crying ngains
existing home evils. and endesvo'ing t.
correct our system Of class legislation lie
us beware Of placing our necks under ih'
yoke OF foreign capitalists. Rather le
rs make the barrier high enough ant
light enough to cave the people from for
eigu monopolies.