The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-03-07
MR.. BEECHER on THE MONEY POWER.

The following on. the danger to
be apprehended from the money
power III this country is from the
lecture on Manhood and Moncy,
delivered in Cincinnati on the even
ing of the 10Th ult. 1t hits the nail
on the head:
Not only are there these dangers
which belong to the young and to
those in the midst of life, but ]
think our time is beset with Other
dangers that are very special. l
mean the danger of aggregated
wealth. While wealth distributed
through a whole community, aver
aging well in the whole communi-
ty, is g great biessing--and wealth
is q national blessing-yet when
vast corporations begin TO collect
under their ribs the power that
goes with wealth. all men have rea-
son to fear the weak, because they
are unable to resist the pressure of
power and ambition when it is
backed by enormous capital.
You stand in the city of New
York to-day and look suthward,
and you shall see that great railroad
corporation, the Pennsylvania road,
with q capital now directly and
through Its connecting branches, OF
hundreds and hundreds of millions
OF dollars; and you look little
further to the north and see the
Erie railroad, with capital of hum
dreds of millions of dollars; still
further to the North you see the
New York Central, with capital
of hundreds of millions of dollars.
| Now, let there come up a question
of national politics which touches
the railway interests SO that these
great roads join their hands and
their capital, what power is there
on the continent that could for O
moment resist them? We have q
disguised despost among US. We
have 8 tyrant that is more ty-
rannical in possibility in the future
than ever slavery was. Slavery is
dead, but mamm6ng stands in its
place to-day, and there Is odegial
lature that exists on this continent
that could not be crushed or bought
by the combinations. of such vast
treasures as are held in the hand!
of only three central roads. Courts
are done. =
They can reaclilout their edicts
and say to every county throughout
the state of New Y6fE, ascend W
such men to the House and such mel
to the Senate" and they are sent. l
is their interest to do it, and theN
control both parties, and thousand
and thousands of the votes of thei
employees together. They have al
their contracts, all the interested
parties that stand related to them
which they control, and they hay,
all the use of money which men ar
learning fatal skill in employing, b,
which directly and indirectly gigan
tic results are brought to pass.
, tell you, fellow-citiZens, that on
} institutions are endangered NOR
to-day from incorporated capita
than from all other influences. Tall
about intemperance. 1t is mon
} strous evil. Talk about great vices
The pulpit speaks of infidelity an
unfaith, and the growing tenden
cies of men to wild works of philos
ophers and opinions. These ar
f great dangers, but the most immedi
r ately impending is, after all, tn
money power. And our liberties
!, if they are destroyed-that is to say
1 if the commonwealth, after all, be
: comes an engine of a few, and ex
ercises the mandate of a power,
. will be through the influence @
the gigantic corpoI ations and corpo
j rations holding such money, and b
r such money such control. loo
out with hopeful eye, and believ
. that some remedy will be found
but feel sure, as 1 feel sure in tn
1 existence ofan avenging Providence
3 that if things go on for anothe
e twenty years as they have for the las
a ten, not only will corruption on
among the common people widely
but there will be either reforms
= ton or revolution, for there are in
t fuences at work that will just a
surely breed revolution by and b
as clouds in summer breed storm.