The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-03-16
GENERAL WEAVER.
The Great Problem Of
Our Day.
How The Privileged Few Cypress
The Many.
Speech ct the Academy Of Music, Dies
Noines, Iowa, Feb. Z, 1882.

captured the city Of Rome, about fifteen cent
uries ago, he found in it l,76O great faml les,
whose average annual income was u, 100000
each, calculated incur money. But, whilest he
found enormous wealth In the capital, the en-
pire could not furnish an army to resist the in
vader-ths population and poverty in the
country had kept pace with the accumulation
Of wealth In the cities. Agrippa is said to have
built the Pantheon ct his own expense, and to
have furnished Rome with 100 fountains,
adorned with marble columns and statuary.
Five men in the time Of Nero owned half Of
The whole Of the island OF Pephalonia,
md built . city upon II. Gibbon, when
upon this sad period In human
history, says. "inasmuch a. the football Of tho
barbarian had not, up TO that time, been heard
n al the empire, this state Of affairs can only
b ascribed to class Legislation Ia the Roman
Government" They Jailed to comprehend
what fear We are failing TO comprehend to-
day-the Importance Of labor to the state II
labor h necessary to build up the state, labor
10 necessary TO sustain the state. They struck
down labor, and thereby destroyed the very
foundation upon which the Auperstructure OF
that civilization rested. Not alone the Roman
but al the great governments Of
antiquity psrished for the Same reason. While
very foundation Of those governments, II was
the undoubted duty Of the statesmen OF that
day 30 have met the evil, and t. have provided
. remedy. They failed to do it, and the gov
ssnments we're destroyed in consequence.
There are forces at work today in the Amer
lean republic which will cer .aly undermine
and destroy, in the near future, our Govern
ment also, unless speedily turned aside by the
patriotic action Of the people.
"A q - 81 q 3;
life ve are confronted with the sad truth that
they who produce the most consume the least,
and have the fewest OF the necessaries and lux.
uries OF life. The object of production II con-
sumption, and labor produces oil wealth. OF
course, IN the great hive OF human industry,
all cannot be producers. Tue great law Of
SOCIAL science il imperative in ito demand that
fields Of labor that cannot be called productive,
aud yet are absolutely necessary. But back OF
them ali stands productive industry that feeds,
clothes and shelters the whole family Of mau,
and insist that they ought to have q big,
round share Of the good things Of this life. 1t
u tneir own, and they should enjoy 1t first Of
al others.
Now, il It be true that the lions share OF the
wealth annually produced by labor is gathered
up by few non-producers, it il certainly the
result Of some derange ment or disease OF the
body polite. The remedy must 30 speedily
found and applied. It must come from tho
people themselves, through the Government.
Governments are instituted TO secure the sights
or man
We have system Of political economy in this
country that can calculate accurately the pro-
duct Of labor, but it f0rgets the producer. Il
has come down TO us poisoned by the corrup-
ton, superstition and tyranny Of medieval
times.
Adsm smith. one or the greatest writer's OF .
rtAia NJ ~
the conclusion, and states 1t in his wealth Of
maizena, that ''they who feed, clothe and
shelter the human family ought, in equity, 10
Be themselves tolerably well fed, clothed and
sheltered"
Ricardo, ! much later writer, and the author
lily upon which bulllonism relies to-day, mn
blushingly maintains that lAbOrers, servants
and journeymen ought 10 be limited to that
share Of the necessaries Of life that will enable
them to reproduce the race or servants accord
ing to the demands Of society! Upon these
eminent authorities rests the whole structure or
our present economic system in America.
smith and Ricardo are the Boax and joachim
ferlng to-day. II IL : syston ingenlously con-
tliyed 10 crush out the many and 70 enrich the
few.
Our Government ID founded upon the science
OF society, and recognizes each individual in
the state ~ the equal Of every other individual,
and . beng tho supreme object Of the protec-
ton OF Government.
Man wa not made for the Government; he
y older than Christianity; the State and the
party and al these were made for Ills benefit.
Some writers have defined the Declaration OF
Independence ~ the key to aud interpreter Of
the constitution. Others have defined it to DO
''hberty IN practice" But, 10 my mind, that
immortal instrument has ever been instinct
with very life. It il liberty personiied. I can
heAr vaiCr ~ Un63daas ~ -
the inalienable rights Of man. and l can ace the
mailed warrior ~ he stepped forth, with sword
in hand, resolved to cut through the musty prec-
edents that were onslaving mankind. and deter
mined to conquer Or die. Tue Constitution OF
the United States may be defined to be liberty
methods by which our fathers, in their normal
condition VI peace, proposed TO secure to every
citizen OF the republic his inalienable rights.
Now, the constitution In not sef-enfOrcing. II
requires the active agencv Of each generation tC
give II vitality. and VIC will all agree that unless
each generation shall imb,Le the spirit Of these
great instruments, in ali their beauty aud pow
er, It will be impossible 10 maintain free gov.
eminent in this country. The Declaration will
boastcd constitution crumble into shoulder.
ing ruin that shall mark the burial place OF
democratic liberty on this continent.
Tha American republic was founded to pre-
serve the original equality Of man. In its ad
mnistration We have not ut all times been true
70 thst purpose. During three fourths Of til,
frst century OF our national life, the pendulum
ssung alternately between freedom and op
precision.
We all we'll remember when q certain form o.
wealth situated in one-half OF the Union dom
mated over everything Capital invested il
slave labor controlled Congresses. State Legis
latures, courts OF justice, the press, the bar
the pulpit and the great tribunal OF public
opinion.
know Q gentleman, now only jus
past middle life. who IN his youth was an ap
phcant for admission into the Pittsburgh II. E
Conference.
The committee on his examination reporte,
him AZ gentleman Of good attainments, botl
classical and Biblical, Of great talent a. an ora
tor, but they were reliably informed, the
saad, that Brother b. had been known to rea
meetings. and therefore he was ineligible 70
membership in the Pittsburgh Episcopal Confer
ence. They could not take Brother B. into tn
conference under these circumstances, and tn
BISHOP advised the members OF the committe
10 labor With him and have him desist iron
such abominable practices. And one OF tn
members OF this committee told me, him self
that he labored With the brother until ~ o'cloc
ct night that he was persistent and refused /
reform, and they had to give it up.
There were, on the other hand, during thi
period, some mgnincent instances OF the en-
torcement Of the provisions OF the constitution
and OF the protection OF personal liberty. re
member An instance in 1858. Hungarian,
the name Of Martin Kosxta, who had been ban
ished from his native country for polite.
ofRenses, had visited this country and declare
his intention Of becoming citizen. His bus
ness called him to the Turkish port OF Smyrni
He was seized by the Austrian authorities an
imprisoned on one of their war ships. Our wa
ship-St Louis-commande BY Capt. lngrs
ham, was lying 1t anchor in the port Kosxt
applied to ,IngrAham for protection. The big
s0uled tAr demanded the immediate release {
xosxta, and 1t was haughtily refused.
second demand Was made and still they refuse.
Than Ingraham sent the Austrian command.
word that his mission was one OF mercy, an
that no would give him fifteen minutes to low.
Martin Kosxta into row boat and place hil
on hoard the st. Louis. and in default he Woul
open broadSide upon the Austrian feet. II
needless 10 say that KosztA Was hbcrate'
There Was m instance where the protection
the Government was extended to the citize.
i was right The stats exalted the man. Br
to-day i Il not too true that the poor man
rsckonSd OF little value to either the church
The state? They use men now 10 build up u
church and the state, instead o. employing Il
49, - -. ~ ia kSsl1