The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-02-26

we were endowed at the commence
ment of our national career, as to
verify the opinions and predictions of
the fathers, and justify the hopes and
goodwill of the friends of mankind.
The President, in his late message to
Congress, refers, with seeming pride,
to the advancement we have made in
the hundred years of our national ex-
istence in population and wealth, in
the arts and sciences, in agriculture,
commerce, and navigation, in me-
chanics, mining, and manufactures,
and in the freedom of the bondmen,
and in general education. After pre-
senting what | regard as the bright
side Of the picture, the President very
appropriately advises the review of the
past, which | propose to make; ad-
vises study Of the means of preserva-
ton and advancement, and attention
to threatening dangers.
The centennial picture has reverse
side, with images in sad contrast
with the Presidents. One hundred
years ago we entered into the family
of nations with acknowledged and re-
spected independence, and with an al
most limitless domain, rich in all the
elements of national wealth, with I'M
equaled natural advantages and facili-
ties for their development, and with a
hardy, self-reliant, industrious, and
economical population. Impelled by
the love Of freedom, and attracted by
our cheap and fertile lands, immigra-
ton poured in upon us from all the
countries of Europe. Increase in our
population and wealth was steady and
rapid, defiant of all error in policy and
in legislation. But the great element
of labor has not escaped It's enemies.
1t encountered, and has all along borne,
the wrong of hostile consplracles on
the part of money and monopoly, Gre
ated and fostered by laws made in the
name of the people, 1t has been OPP
pressed in the distribution of the
wealth its hands have made. 1t has
subdued the forests; opened our
mines; erected our furnaces, mills,
and factories; constructed our ships, |
canals and railroads; and to it we are
mainly indebted for the progress we
have made in the arts and sciences
yet large portion of the people toll
day by day for mere subsistence, de-
stitute of the comforts and cOnyenien-
ces necessary to make life enjoyable.
Another class, small in number, not
physically, intellectually, or morally
better than the average of society, and
who, for the most part, never raised
finger to perform any useful labor, or
gave a moments thought to any sub
ject for the common good, have ac-
quired, by means of cunning fiscal
contrivances and other partial and
vicious legislation, the larger proper
ton of the products Of industry and
enterprise. We have so squandered
the public domain, by sales to specu-
lators and IN donations to railroad
and other corporations, as that, in less
than two decades to come, the Gov
will not have Il single acre of
tillable land. We have created rail
road. bank, and other corporations.
of every conceivable kind, character
and nature, and endowed them with
powers and granted them privileges
to those of natural persons,
until the legislation of the country. ma
tional and State, is so largely under
their control, that, instead of a govern
ment of the people, we have a govern
ment of corporate capital and of spo-
cial legislation, adverse to common
right and interest. We have delega-
ted to private corporations the sover-
eign power to make money and regu-
late the value thereof, and, by giving
the credit of the people to those cor
porations, created by our gracious
hands, have invested them with power
to grind and Cypress the industrial
classes. By the delegation of power
and gift of credit we have invested
with power to establish
the standard of distribution between
money and production, to control,
disturb, and ruin business, and to
to themselves the increase
Of wealth due to industry and enter
prise.
The present condition of the country
closes the contrast. No fervor of {,
language, no art of rhetoric can (
heighten the impressiyeness OF the {
statement. Public spirit, enterprise, (
industry, and progress-labor and It's !
food and comfort under indent-
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