The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-06-09
The Power Of menepoIie..

The Power of MonopoIiex.
We give below few pungent and
pertinent remarks On the subject Of
the dangerous power and influence Of
monspolies, delivered lately by Rev.
DIR. Talmage from his Brooklyn prl-
pit, This able and learned divine an
nounced his text from Isaiah xii, 4;
"Thy land shall be married and
spoke thereon as follows:
81 propose 10 name some of the
suit0rs who are claiming the hand of
this Republic. In the first place there
is greedy, all grasping monster who
comes in as suitor, seeking the hand
of this Republic, and that monster is
monopoly. His sceptre is made out
of the iron Of the rail track and the
lron OF telegraphy. He does every
thing for his own advantage and for
the robbery of the people. Things
have gone on from bad to worse, until
in the three Legislatures of New Y ork,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the
most part monopoly decides every,
thing. If menopolies favor law it
is passed il mOnopolies oppose law
it is rejected. Monopoly staads in
the railroad .depet, putting into his
pockets, in one year, $2G0OO0G00 in
excess of all reasonable charges for
service. Monopoly holds in its one
hand the steam power of lOcomOtioD,
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 bribes it takes the votes of Leg
islatore, giving them free passes, Civ
ing appointments to needy relatives
of lucrative positions, employing them
as attorneys if they are lawyers, car
rying their goods large per centage
less if they are merchants. and, il it
finds case very stubborn as we'll as
very important, puts down before him
the hard cash Of bribery.
LEGISLATURES BOUGHT OUTRIGHT.
But monopoly is not so easily caught
new and captured and arrested as
when during the term of Mr.. Buchan-
an, the Legislative Committee in one
of our States explored 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 $l75,OO0 among them, sixty
members of the Legislature Of that
State received between 5000 and
$1,000 each, the Governor of that
State received $4,000, his clerk re-
ceived $1,000. the Lieatenant-Gover-l
nor received $4,000, all clerks of the |
Legislature received 5000 each, while |
$1,000 were divided among the lobby |
agents. That thing on larger or
smaller scale is all the time gong on |
in some of the States Of the Union, |
but it is not SO blundering as it used |
to be, and therefore, not SO easily ex-l
posed and arrested. tell you that |
the overshadowing curse of the Uni
ted 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 |
the touch Of that moneyed despotism. |
l rejoice that in twenty-four States of
the Union already anti monopoly |
AVoS uSo AovO OOOA OSt0UIlSACus UOu
speed them in the work of libration
l wish that this question might be the !
question of the next Presidential elec-
We can compel the political parties to
recognise it in their platforms. have
nothing to say against capitalists. A
man has a right to make all the money
he can make honestly. 1 have moth
ing to say against interpretations as such.
Without them no great enterprise
is that the same principles are to be
that are applied to the poorest man |
and the plsinest laborer. What is
wrong for me is wrong for the Van.
derbilts and the Goulds and the eleva-
ted railway companies of New York |
and Brooklyn. Monopoly in England |
has ground hundreds of thousands of
her best people into semi.starvation,
and in Ireland has driven muititudin-
Gus tanants almost to madness, and in
the United States proposes to take the
wealth of fifty or sixty millions of
people and put it in few silken wal
lets. Monopoly, brazen faced, iron
fingered, vulture hearted monopoly,
proposes his hand, offers his hand to
this Republic. Letthe millions of the
people-North, South, East aud West
forbid the bans. of That marriage,
forbid them at the ballot box, forbid
them by great organizations, .Orbid
them by the overwhelming sentiment
Of an outraged nation, forbid them by
he protest of the Church of God, for
bid them by prayer to high heaven,
hat HerOd shall not have his A BIZ
gail" as .s.lrt -... Ia