The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-07-07
Dr.. Talmage on monopoly.

DR.. Talmage on Monopoly.
New York Herald.
After the congregation in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, yesterday
morning, had sung
"My Country, tits of Thee"
DIR. Talmage announced his text
from Isaiah xii, Al "Thy land
shall be married" He said: pro-
pose 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 II as suitor seeking the
hand of this republic, and that
monster is monopoly. His scepter
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 legis-
latures of New York, New Jersey
and Penn sylvania for the most part
monopoly decides everything. If
monopoly favors law it is passed;
if monopoly opposes law 1T is re-
iected. Monopoly stands in the
railroad depot putting into his
pockets in one year 5000, ,OOO,O 900 in
excess of all reasonable charges for
service. Monopoly holds in its one
hand the steam power of locomo-
tion, and in the other the electricity
ofswift communication. Monopoly
has the republican party in one
pocket and the democratic party
in the other pocket. Monopoly
decides nominations and elections
city elections, state elections,
national elections. With bribes it
takes the votes of legislators, giving
them free passes, giving appoint
ments to needy relatives of lucrative
positions, employing them as attor-
neys if they are lawyers, carrying
their goods a large per centage less
than merchants, and if it finds a
case very stubborn as well as very
important, puts down before him
the hard cash of bribery.
But monopoly is not so easily
caught now and captured and ar
rested, as when, during the term of
Mr.. Buchanan. the legislative com
mittee in one of our states explored
and exposed the manner in which a
certain railway company had OBJ
tanned a donation of public land.
1t was found out that thirteen OF
the senators of that state received
$175,000 among them, sixty mem
bers of the legislature of that state
received between $5, 900 and $40, 900
each, the governor of that state re-
ceived $4,000, his clerk received
$4,000, the lieutenant-governor re-
ceived $4,000, all the clerks of the
legislature received $4,000 each,
while $4,000 were divided among
the lobby agents. That same 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
laundering as it used to be, and
therefore not so easily exposed OF
arrested. tell you that the over
shadowlng curse of the United
States to day is monopoly. 1t puts
it's 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 despot
ism. l rejoice that in twentY-fouI
states of the Union anti-monopoly
| leagues have been established
God speed them in the work of lib
Grafton! l wish that this question
might be the question of the mex
presidential election, for between
this and that time we can compe
the political parties to recognize II
in their platforms. l have nothing
to say against capitalists. A mar
has right to make all the money ht
can make honestly. have moth
ing to say against corporations al
such. Without them no great
enterprise would be possible; but
what 1 do say is principles ought tC
be applied, the capitalists and the
corporations that are applied to the
poorest man and plainest laborer
What is wrong for me is wrong fol
the Vanderbilts and the Goulds anc
the elevated railway companies o
New York and Brooklyn. Monopo
ly In England has ground hundreds
of thousands of her best people int
semi starvation, and in Ireland ha
driven multitudinous tenants almos
to madness, and in the Unitet
States proposes to take the wealth
of fifty or sixty millions of peopl
and put it in few silken wallets
Monopoly, brazen- faced, iron fig
ured, vulture hearted monopoly
proposes his hand, offers his han'
to this republic. Let the million
of the people-North, South, Eas
and West-forbid them at the ballo
box, forbid them by the great or
ganization, forbid them by the over
Whelming sentiment of an outrage'
nation, forbid them by the protes
. Of the church of God, forbid then
by PRAYER to high heaven, tha
Herod Shall not have this Abigail
The weekly press of the state, in
cluding such sheets as the Athen
Post. Murfreesboro News, Pulaski
CITIZEN. Columbia Herald, Lebanon
Herald, Gallatin Examiner, Pari
|. Intelligencer and many others VI
do not recall at this writing, Il
r i 80