Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-07-09
machine, and all that makes home pleas

the doctrines of darker age, from the onru~
ing of witches and those VINO entertained her~
etieal notions on such metaphysical subjects as
and transmigraton. Ithas
advanced from the saber, the burning stake
the thumb screw, the rack anG the dungeon, as
a means of grace and is advancing to the idea
that God is love; from moderation TO perfect
freedom in worshiping Jim
In the field of letters from the position that
il was folly to educate the masses, wrong to
educate a woman and crime to reveal the
mysteries of the alphabet to the negro, to the
throwing open wide the door and encouraging
the perfect development of every person, re-
gardless of station, sex or color
This sons OF Aesculapies have not been SUM
bering. The strides in surgery and medicine
have been grand, notwithstanding the tact that
more than three thousand years ago there was
balm in Gilead and there were physicians
then who knew how to administerit. In 1850
the physician who lost only 25 per cent, OF his
cases of pneumonia was skillful. In 1874 he
who loses 5 per cent. is unskllful. In the
treatment of other diseases and in surgery the
advance has been equally marked. The death
rate has decreased. The lease of life has in.
creased.
The shackels have been stricken from more
than three millions slaves 0, wish could
whose veins flows Caucasian blood.
Nations are advancing from the settlement
ofissues BY the sword to settlement by ar5i
tration
Judging the future by the past and the pres =
ent surroundings may we not safely conclude
that there Is a wide, open field everywhere for
progress aad the discovery of the hidden laws
of nature For instance: May not glass be
made as mallable as lead-as plant as rubber?
May not the laws that govern the rains the
winds and tho storms be discovered and made
to contribute to the wants of man? And the
air vet be navigated as safely as are the waters
of our rivers and oceans2
In the mental and theological world there IL
clearly wide open field in which the wise, the
great and the good can make research and dis
coyeries isolated and alone, rs far from the
land marks of other explorers as was Living
stone in the wilds and jungles of Africa. Aad
when we have ascertained, by unerrlrg laws
and rules that the causes existed hundreds,
NAV be thousands, of years ago, that make our
brother man pursue an erratic, may be Grim
inal course. that the sins of his fathers are be-
ing visited upon him by law that every man
observes, be he jew or Gentle, Christian Or
Infidel we will be more tolerant if those
who differ from us in theology and politics will
be more charitable in passing Judgment, more
Ienient in inficting punishment and will, as far
as possible leave it to Him who doetn all things
we'll to meet out exact justice to our fellow
man.
But for to-day, as time presses, ignoring the
future that we may and will attain in chemis =
try, mechanics and medicine, letters and the
olegy let US pass on.
We have advanced to the idea of the equal
itp of rights. 1t yet remains for US and our
children to carry out in legislation and practice
those ideas to their legitimate results, to so
lcgislate under those constitutional provisions
of the higher law that all may share alike in the
glorious inheritance of our fathers, to SO legis-
late that the burthens of government may bear
alike upon all, according to the rule that much
will be required only OF him to whom much is
given
Glass legislation and monopoles have been
the curse of all times and of all countries. Ii
cropped out in Jewish history. The ancient
theocracies and republics as well as the mon
arches nursed it. 1t stood out in bold relief
in more modern times. 1t stands out to- day.
England cursed herself with caste, and with
class legislation and monopoEes, beside which
our patent laws tariffs and transportation troub-
les are mere bagatelles, yet as she has stripped,
and is stripping herself of the greater, may not,
cannot we occupying higher vantage ground
strip ourselves ofthe smaller?
As in the past this people purged its legislative
halls ofthose who bowed to the Molock of slave
ry its courts of judges who held that the negro
had ne rights that the white man was bound to
respect; So if this people would preserve its in
heritance intact; if it would avoid those mael-
strooms IN which yther nations have gone down,
it must, rising above the passions and prejudi-
| ces ofparty, extend an opportunity to mediate
in sweet retirement to those who, recreant to
their trust, have worshiped at the slIrnes of the
golden calf, the modern Baal monopoly
Turn not loose upon them the sons of Levi
Oh, no. For whenever the standard Of public
morality shall have risen sufficiently high, to
teach corporations that corrupt public bodies,
that as to them capital punishment has not been
abolished; to teach all men, that those who buy
and sell votes are as much outcasts from the
pale of decent society, as are those who buy and
sell their fellow man on the coast of Africa; to
teach them that it is as wrong for public officials
to dabbe in Credit Mobier stock as it is for an
attorney to receive a gift from the opposite par
ty, and the people shall have taught the judici-
airy shall have taught their servants everywhere
that they cannot serve two masters; that it is a
crime to place themselves under obligations to
those whose interests may, perchance, be adj
verse to those whom they represent, and shall
have made it understood that in this, "the voice
ot the people is the voice of God" not only will
great advance have been made towards the
reformation of existing abuses, but they will
have been removd.
Turnpikes, mills, bridges and ferries, rates
ofinterest and common carriers have for one
reason or another-reas0ns apparent to every
one and unnecessary to repeat--been regulat-
ed and controlled in all countries and through
al inn Tho riObt bau happ AisnufpH
to protect the people from extortion and I'M
just discrimination by those small monopoies.
May not then patentees, insurance and rail-
| re ad companies, the creatures of modern times,
| be regulated? The law should not be re-
specter of persons. If it can reach road or
| ferry costing one hundred dollars it ought to
reach one costing one hundred millions; or
have we in exchanging our old wagon road for
| the iron horse, exchanged king Log for king
| Stork? Common sense tells MS they ought to
be regulated; our courts tell us they can be,
sal experience tells us they must And as the
national constitution Cnce standing in the
way of the advancing age to the perfect free
ing and enfranchisement of the slave was
amended, so too must constitutional object
ions, if any there be, give way to the advanc-
ing age in another direction No Scion has
exacted a promise not to amend till hii return.
lucy NtIt MIItttH DS WlSS Dub IOh U3 iIiSIllGu
men. No curse has been pronounced upon
him who adds thereto or takes therefrom. But
enough. Upon this subject there can be no is
sue. Upon this the American people are or
ought to be unit. This talk about legislat-
ing out of existence is nonsense. They are
each and all blessings, and are as safe a 5 tbs
each voter were a stakeholder therein The
people will do no wrong, will simply chain the
lion-and regulated, controlled and protect
ed by the law, they must learn to obey the
law and bow to the law making power.
The great crises of our national existence
is past. The storm clouds gathering force
for wears, burst upon our heads in '6l. The
heroism and virtues of our people were sorely
tried; but freedom survives the dismal gloom
of the hour and slavery the very germ that
generated the storm is gone and the rainbow
of the covenant is hanging in the sky.
Those evil days are past, and the courage
that carried US through them ought TO laugh at
the present anc enter upon the future full of
confidence.
The great unknown lies before US, but il is
III a