The Grange advance., 1873-12-10
BY A. GAYLORD sPAULDlSG.

Inere are TWO prominent IhlhSs Ill CIils
mighty and tremendous country of ours;
first, man; second, money. But the
biggest is money. That is the power of
church, state and society. Money
makes the mare 90" 1t builds rail-
roads, steam mills, churches, and
whisky saloons, and buys silks ribbons,
and fast horses 1t therefore behooves
every one to get the tin. No matter
how-by speculation, stealing, railroad
extortion, or salary grab. It is all the
same. Secure the cash, and you may
go to college or to Congress, be a Gov
ernor or a minister. You will shine
anyhow. Money is religion, and civil
ization, and fashion and popularity.
1t is government, law and order We
prove religion by sky-rocket steeples
and velvet cushioned pulpits, with
high-salaried priests and ministers
and civilization is known by acres of
fuss and feathers, adorned with deep
Sunday solemnity and exquisite social
etiquette. And the sure evidence Of
law and order is the abundant supply
of richly paid lawyers, sheriffs; consta-
bles and policemen, with plenty of full
employed gibbets, and crowded courts.
prisons, and jai]s, and taxes most fright
full. The perfection, beauty and glory
of these things consist in their over
whelming intensity, immensity aud ec-
pensity, which are beyond measure or
calculation. It follows, therefore, that
a proud and stylish city-like St. Paul
or Minneapolis, for instance-contains
more religion, civilization, law and or
der, to the square inch, than perhaps
any hundred miles of plain, honest
country outside. The criterion and
test is height, depth, breadth, show,
bulk, noise, cost, parade, and avoirdu-
pois.
But where is man amid all this
Non est i,sve,,tus! He is buried in the
rubbish. Real manhood and woman
hood are hidden in the cellar, garret,
kitchen or shop, or behind the glitter
and shadow of cloth or title that wealth
can purchase-reverend, honorable,
general, professor, great mogul, nabob,
grandee or mugwump. They can revel
in women and wine without limit or
disgrace. They own the splendid mill,
shop, store, factory, or meeting house,
which are vastly more important than
any little folks that grub and sweat to
produce them. What is labor ? Mere
dirty stuff Behold the farmers, in
rustic dress-1rish, Swede, French,
Dutch, Yankee-mechanics, laborers,
and all that-mere lowing cattle.
They ply the hoe, spade, saw and plane,
and live in slab shanties. They raise
potatoes, and build houses and railroads,
and sich. But money is another mat
ter altogether, and belongs to such as
luck or accident permits to get hold of
it-through trade or Office, by hook or
by crook. 1t is financial art or trick.
We sometimes hear that
"a mans man for a. that"
However, that is mere poetry, pretty
to talk and sing But the rough, sober
fact is far otherwise, in spite of all ora
tory and defamation, or boasting reli-
gion, patriotism and civilization capital,
monopoly and soulless corporations con-
troll in all departments, even in newspa-
pers, and workingmen and labor are in
helpless subjection
Yes, say what we will, it is fact
nevertheless, that the producing class
is actually driven to beg and to fight
for the simplest rights. And, though
comprising four-ffths of the people, in
whose hands should be the wealth and
power OF the country, yet probably not
tenth part Of the property Of the ma
tion is owned and managed by them.
Now, brothers, sisters, workers, am