The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-10-31
ISSUES BEFORE The PEOPLE.
Address Delivered by N. J. Fiery
at BancrOfts Hall, Saturday Even
ing Oct. 20, 1878.

u AAO law Al
business relations much the same
as among animals in the natural
world, in regard to life, The
stronger feed ruthlessly upon the
weaker. The thought of eXcusing
the prey because of it's weakness
or right to life never checks the
destructive instinct of the vnlture,
the whale, the lion or the anacon-
da; but with a rage as fierce as if
fixed by revenge, the prey is poune-
ed upon, manglcd, and devoured.
So in business! men of one pur-
suit combine against those of an
other, and sometimes against those
of the same, and all the spoils re-
sulting from superior advantages
or improper devices are accepted
as legitimate and honorable gain,
while the losses of the weaker are
regarded as simply his misfortune
or the result of his neglect. "Let
every one take care of himseli"
"Take care of No, l !" sect all you
can" and many other maXims to
the same import are recognized as
honest rules for business, and are
accepted without qualification.
Even our common law recognizes
careat emptor let the purchaser
take care as q principle to pre-
vent the victimized purchaser from
legal proceedings for recovery.
Under such maXims we need not
be surprised to find human nature
taking the widest range for self
ACKNOWLEDGMENT, and hence the
necessity for combinations in the
name of trade uions, labor unions,
merchants unions, farmers I'M
ions and conventions, all meeting
and consulting for mutual protec-
ton. Nor for the same reason
need we be surprised to hear of
the hard struggles and multitudes
of failures ON the part of the
weaker and unorganiZed classes of
business men. They have strug-
gled hard to sustain themselves
under a combination of sapping
influences, until the last feather
that breaks the camefs back is
imposed and they sink.
These are the prey of our mon
eyed vultures, who, at the head of
some railroad, or monopoly, or
combination, or other influence,
have patiently and carefully been
watching their movements and at
the first favorable opportunity
swooped down upon them and
carried off the spoils. This reputa-
BILE robbery is practiced ali over
the land by men protesting better
hinge, and who are held in high
estimation in society, and some
of them entrusted with the vari-
Gus offices of the county, the State
and the United States. And what
is worse among this latter class,
they have prostituted these offices
Of public trust to their own selfish
gain and thereby reaped the gain by
Wringing it from the hands OF those
who have conferred the honor upon
them.
This absorbing the wealth of the
nation by inscriptions means is
not new in history; even as far
back as the days OF Rome 1t was
practiced, and as q result the wealthy
patricians became possessOrs of
nearly all the landed property of
the Empire. To remedy this, SOU
rius Cassius, Tiberius Gracious,
Drus1s, and other distinguished
Romans, secured the adoption of
the famous Agrarian laws, that q
portion of these lands might be res
tored to the down tFodden Pie
beans.
In France, Italy, Germany, Next
CO, aud other countries, the same
influences have become so oppres-
sive in the past as 70 cause strikes,
riots, and tumults, and finally they
have TO be crushed by the united
HprIsing of the oppressed masses.
The movement In this country
has heretofore been characterized
by strikes, and even riots, in few
instances but we are confident in
the belief that the much needed
reform can be better accomplished
In . perfectly laWfal and honorable
manner, and that without injustice
10 any class of society. ~
The late farmers movement began
properly with the labor reform
movement a few years since. The
mechanics ard day laborers felt |
that there we're influences at work |
which compelled them TO combine |
for the protectlon OF their interests.
They, having less property than i
the farmer, were The frat to feel