The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-22
DR.. TALMAGE ON MONOPOLY.

After the congregation in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, yesterday
morning, had sung, "My Country,
It's of Thee, "Dr. Talmage announced
his text from Isaiah xii: Thy
land shall be married" He said: I
propose to name some of the Suitors
who are claiming the hand of this
republic. In the first place there is
a greedy, all-grasping monster who
comes in as a sutton seeking the
hand of this republic, and that mon
Ster is monopoly. His sceptre is
made out of the iron Of the rail
track and the iron of telegraphy.
He does everything for his own ad-
vantage and for the robbery Of the
people. Things have gone on from
bad to worse, until in the three
legislatures of New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania for the
most part monopoly decides every
thing. If monopoly favors law it
is passed; if monopoly opposes a law
it is rejected. Monopoly stands in
the railroad depot putting into
his pockets in one year $200,000,00O
in excess of all reasonable charges
for service. Monopoly holds in
its one hand the steam power
of locomotion, and in the
other the electricity of swift
communication. Monopoly has the
republican party in one pocket and
the democratic party in the other
pocket. Monopoly decides nomina-
tions and elections-city elections,
state elections, national elections.
With brides it takes the votes of
Legislators, giving them free passes,
giving appointments to needy rela-
tiveS of lucrative positions, en-
plOying them as attorneys if they
are lawyers, carrying their goods a
large per centage less if they are
merchants, and if it finds a case very
stubborn as we'll as very important,
puts down before him the hard cash
of bribery. But monopoly is not so
easily caught now and captured and
arrested as when, during the term
of Mr.. Buchanan, the legislative
committee in one of our states ex-
plOred and exposed the manner in
which certain railway company
had obtained a donation of public
land. 1t was found out that thirteen
OF the senators of that state received
$175,o00 among them, sixty members
of the legislature of that state re-
ceived between $4,000 and $4,000
each, the governor of that state
received $4,000, his clerk received
$4,000, the lieutenant governor re-
celved $4,000, all the clerks of the
legislature received $4,000 each, |
while $4,000 were divided among
the lobby agents. That thing, on a |
larger or smaller scale, is all the
time going on in some of the states |
of the Union, but it is not so blund-
ering as it used to be, and therefore
not so easily exposed or arrested. l |
tell you that the oYershadowing |
curse of the United States to-day is |
1t puts its hand on
every bushel of wheat, upon every
sack Of salt, upon every ton of coal,
and every man, woman and child in
the United States feels the touch of |
that moneyed despotism. Irejoice
that in tWenty-four states of the
Union already anti monopoly
leagues have been established. God |
speed them in the work of liberia
ton! l wish that this question
might be the question Of the next
presidential election, for between
this and that time we can compel the
political parties to recognize it in
their platforms. / have nothing to
say against capitalists. A man has
a right to make all the money he
can make honestly. / have nothing
to say against corporations as
such. Without them no great
enterprise would be possible;
but what l do say is that the
same principles are to be applied to
capitalists and corporations that are
applied to the poorest man and the
plaineSt laborer, What is wrong
for me is wrong for the Vanderbilts
and the Goulds and the elevated |
railway companies of New York |
and Brooklyn. Monopoly in Eng
land has ground hundreds Of |
thousands of her best people into |
semi-starvation, and in Ireland has
driven multitudinouS tenants almost |
to madness, and in the United States I
proposes to take the wealth of So
100000 or 6O,000,00e of people and |
put it in a few silken wallets. |
Monopoly, brazen faced, iron finger
ed, yulture hearted monopoly, pro-
poses his hand, offers his hand to
this republic. Let the millions of
the people-north. south, east and |
west-forbid the bans of that mar
riage, forbid them at the ballot box,
forbid them by great organizations,
forbid them by the overwhelming
sentiment Of an outraged nation
forbid them by the protest of the
Church of God, forbid them by
prayer to high heaven, that Herod |