, 1881-11-05
THE PERIPATHTIC PHuOS-
OPHER.
Tie True Nearing II Deneersey
Ths Lish QasaEisa . World
Wide 0De-prossitatSon
Il tho Pro0.

The true meaning of Democracy is that 90
man Ahall live by the sweat OF snother's
brow. If any Of your readers doubt this
let them consult any true Democrat of Walls
WsllA csanty. There was . world Of sense
N that famous reply Of Diogenes to Alexan'
der: "What can do for YOU" asked the
conquerer Get from between me and the
snn" was the answer. Democracy insists
that the landlord or land speculatoe or her
editary pretender shall get from between
the soil and the sun shall cease to intercept
the bounty of Heaven, and cast q fatal blight
upon industry.
The agitation of the Irish land question
is not or should not he limited in significance
to that country. NJ true American can
contend for popular government without
laughing in his sleeves" and, at the same
time. concede the right Of minority to in
herit the earth. Il would be truly f,rcial
if, after denying the divine right Of %hings.
We should acknowledge the divine right Of
landlords.
The Irish people are simply applying our
proposition, that "ali men are entitled to
life, liberty, and the pursuit Of happiness,
and that Io man is entitled 10 any of these
at the expense Of his neighbor. Much
can STE the bearing the Declaration Of indie
pendence upOn the claims Of shoddy, land
ed ari.toerscy to seal, open or hold for its
own pleasure, the soil upon which every
human being depends for subsistence. The
spirit which has unshackled the negro (who
was far better off than the Irish serf) is not
gong to rest while industrious white men
have faith In the dietum Of the Bible that
the earth is Gods and not any body elses-
If the Irish agitation be thus looked upon
as related to the glorious democratic move
ment which is 50 visibly making Roadway
all over the world, II may serve the STATES
MAN, also, to consider this land question,
and TO contemplate the drift of matters in
the United States, especially on this Pacific
slope. 1t is well, first Of all to disabuse OFF
minds thoroughly Of whatever We may read
in the columns Of Republican organs. New.
er and nowh. re has the thorough rOttenneSs
of the American Republican press been so
truthfully and graphically defined as by
George Francis Tram in regard to the Credit
MObllier swindle thus
'In order to boom the bonds We paid
Shattuck So. 900 salary to spend half mil
lion in bribing the press, and SO he succeeded
in getting stamps enough. 1t was curious
to sec how anxious The Republican journals
that hal been abusing u.s. were to he se-
duced."
What gives Mr.. Ira MS evidence peculiar
weight is the fact that his brains and cheek
launched that giant swindle, and therefore
OF all men his testimony 10 the most direct
and important. What picture! The Re
publican press poison intelligence at the
fountain; they sugar-coat a great deal Of
falsehOod with very, very, very little truth;
but I'll leave to future historians the disa-
greeable task of branding the majority OF
Republican organs for what they are. 1t is
true many Republican editors unlike Scott
groan, grunt and swear under the terrible
despotism that makes their life living lie
and their very existence blasphemy but
they have not the moral courage to turn
tramp, or the personal recklessness to stalt
into ne " line of business in the face Of the
odds against them. I've known three OF the
leading editors and conductors OF as many
San Fran cisco city dailies, who did not hesi-
tate 10 say to me in confidence that they
would like to advocate my views as such
happened to be in accordance with their own
sentiments and convictions but one wa
prevented because he was in the hands Of
the banks; another because q large line of
foreign importers would stop advertising;
third because of the influence OF the land,
gas and water thieves. P,e written 'edI-
torials' for two San Francisco daily papers
and the amount got in coin for the same
was barely sufficient to keep body and soul
together But IN have journal Of my OWN
ere two years Until then you may classify
the Republican recreants IN their own small
style, rs either Judasrs OF Pontius Pilates.