The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-04-06
CONVINCING ARGUMENTS.

Weaver was delivered at n recent meet
in9 In Joliet, Ill 1t is brimful of log
ical reasoning and convincing arga-
ments and statements of fact which can
not be too often repeated, and which
ought to command the careful attention
Of every reader
Mr. Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen:
The death OF Nation Is not so remarkable
N its birth. The birth is the result OF growth:
Death the result o. decay. When the laws and
forces which produced its birth are Withdrawn,
death Inevitably ensues. The graveyard of
Nations stretches from the cradle of the hu-
man family down TO the present time: Al the
great Nations of antiquity have crumbled into
ruin. Tho Nation e nothing but an aggregar
ton Of individuals who have agreed upon
the poopic who create the Government learn
once for all that the Nation Is not meeting
their expectations and not answering the purs
pose for which II was formed; that moment the
10 build up q state. II creates all wealth and
it 10 the source OF ali civilized power: and IL
Labor i ,ss 70 sgd ssss Labor
prchcnd this great truth is the cause of the de
cay and death OF all the great Nations Of an
,au,ty = seld sd when s,o the esTssa1 saR
ries ago, he found the Roman Empire depopu-
lated Of isborinr people, but he found the
wealth Of a vast Empire. that had been pro-
the hands Of a few wealthy persona He found
in the city OF Rome alone Leo great families
wncss s sysrsse % annnsL income each rs5 =, one
money. Rome had for years-decade after
dcoade-prevtous 20 that time, subsisted alone
upon the hsrvests brought by her fleets from
sorbed the wealth produced by the many, and
~ the Nation rested upon the shoulders OF the
people and the people had become impoyer-
t-hed. of course tho Nation had to fall
Now, / assert tonight that the very same
causes which led to the overthrow OF all the
arest nations os % ANTIQUITY are sS5 &c wSTk toSGay
true within the knowledge OF every lady and
gentleman present that labor-the source Of
~ wssl,nis not estdsnS V rhst ate i earns =, y
our American life, that they who produce the
most consume the ies5t have the fewest Of
the luxuries Of life. TMs 10 no exssgeration.
audience. Let your minds now run through
the abodes Of the lnboring people Of this COM
onnnsed vain and ee se II Z H Is nos a t1%s sonshf
Iamentably trae-fhat they who produce the
most wealth consume the least Of II and have
life Now II that Ia true II Ii the result OF some
vicious force or cause that is Of work In our
Government what's that cansea What 10 pro-
ducing this dreadful enecty William III. Van
derbilt Is building three houses that will cost
more than ekHD,D01. Huntington, Gould,
Mackay and other great capitalists are build
said-and truthfuliy y--by those best acquainted
with the facts, that Gould controls to-day
$500 .0oo,0O0 in his own right. Vanderbilt CON
derbilt OF Gould IL IL the product OF labor
These are serious indications Of how things
are going I'm this country. hold In my hand
Census. lie states where the bonded debt Of
the United states " bed-that portion held
BY private indiv dIals. Eiehty-dve per cent
the Union: and Il IL also true thnt ninety per
cent. OF the remaining fifteen per cent is held
Ia the smaller towns and cities. The non-pro-
"a rafha IN md a Ia
sinking into poverty.
tied the Unitcd states. and whilst here he
negotiated a treaty with the Government at
Washington. whereby the sugar manufactured
In the sandwich Islands should be allowed to
the treaty was Confirmed, he sold TO one Claus
spreckles the exclusive control of the sugar
trade ON thgs islands. Spreekles s then % entered
wherein they agreed 70 put up the tariff so
high on sugar shipped from the Eastern mar.
ket TO California and Oregon that nobody could
AFFORD to ship It, This gave spreckles COM
plete monopoly of the sugar trade in Califor-
mia and Oregon. The duty on the sugar land
amounted to f2,Z4I. 900 This Spreckles saved.
He then sold his sugar mt three cents peg pound
higher than the same grade of sugar can be
bought for In New York that pays three cents
per pound duty. Thus you see Spreckies and
the Pacific Railroads conspire to rob all the
people of California and Oregon. and the Gov
cFnmfnL OF Iuc OnlIe0 States UrOIeCIS IncIu
whilst they are doing It. tSensation.l
You, my hearers, are in fact responsible for
this crime. \ on are part OF the Government
Of the United States, and 1t Is your duty to re-
buke these great wrongA ..4.'.-sa.
Now come nearer home for an illustration.
Here sits n farmer. He owns q poor man 8
a thousand memories that you cannot explain
and that money cannot buy.
On the plea that they are constructing pub
lie highway for the benefit Of the people, they
conflscate the right OF way diasonaIly through
his farm, and between his dwelling and bis
barn Tho damages obtained are very insig-
mfcnnt The road Ia built and the farmer,
now getting n little old, concludes to try to
farm on his three-cornered piece of land. The
first year after the road Is built the farmer pro-
duces one thousand bushels OF corn more than
he desires 10 consume. He goes to the road
that conhscated his land from him. He says
to the agent: "what will you charge me for
Eentleman with a pen behind his ear, says
"Come back tomorrow and / will let you
know" He comes back. at ls worth SO much
Il; will take half and you take the other
half" well; ! can't stand that II is un-
oora 10 the .sys
er, I'VE have a way Of getting around you un-
reasonable railroad men, This Ia public high
way; you told me so when you built 1t; you
FOR public use. Now W s6aIi sppesi to a jury
and they shall say what You shall charge me
for taxing my corn 20 markeL .s,. well, well, say:
tic od." ~ man, ''' v. ''''''' 'i' : ~
He interviews a lawyer, who says: "Oi
eours, not y can't be done: you have No n.
try ayc against IN individual and for the n
porafionf Every step necessary to enable tn,
.corporation TO get that land is pointed out By
He fies to the laws Of his country for pro
lection, and the law spurns m from the tenn
pile OF justice. hold I'm nv hand the repor
of the Auditor OF Railroad Acc UNITS for issO
On page 3s I Ind a At OF t3 railroads tina
have obtained lind grants: The whole mile
age OF tn se roads u 1+.Dl m les. They will
cost when built and equipped, at Se000o pc
mile, the sum OF about SIS, si,vUD,OO0. The Gov
eminent vaiuat on Of the land granted to then
viii max seven States y large as the State o
Of this ssnsration % and the 81. .dowy Seneraton
Tss land grant to the Northern Pacific 4
LOO oo acres, valued by he Goyernment q
equipped estimated at se5Uoo per mile, vii
cost So5 5.OO0,0OO ...r s-., f-T
the date OF these various land grants &
Identical with other financial class legislation
These land grabs constitute tho sum OF al
sillany In the history Of our Government. ]
IL the crime OF crimes
They are absolutely using. the lightning o
robbery. Not only that, but the great powe
OF steam has been seized. and all TIE gseat in
8, % rd naye been Tssg oize
stopped here. but have gone into the Goa
felds which the Almighty, deposited million
Of years a4o and kept In reserve to wa m Hi
shiveriny children ia this no, tn temporal
zone. The coal fiel Ia have all been bought uI
To-day poor iaboring man I'm New York VIII
buys his coal by the hodful, pays SIS 70 81
per ton, while Il is only worth e20s at tn
mouth of the pit after everybody has bee
psid that touched it: $2.0si The ba ance O
il went into the hands Of the railroad monoI
oily and to local dealers. You can't get, It b
the ton for less than 90 q ton OF 1000 pounds
but goo pounds IL only worth sos at tn
mouth of the mine, after everybody. VIII
touched 1t has been pad. And they hav
seized upon the forests as we'll These hav
been given away. The timber, SO necessar
In our civilization, arts and sciences, to b
wrought into q thousand curious, useful an
scientific fabrics. 10 now owned by the greH
corporation. Not only have they seized hol
OF the great agents i have named, but the
have absolutely obtained control OF the grea
factor, the Rrest agent OF modern civilizatio
which every man must use and which Is nece
sary TO the very life Of every living being
money. They control the money; they cor
troll the railroads; the coal fields, and are fas
tuying up. the wheat lands. They. contrt
the public domain; they control tbs lightnin
OF heaven: thoy control the coal-Oil tbs
boils up from the bowels Of the earth an
lights all countries, Christian and Pagan. A
the great forces Uf civilization have bee
49, E.-<x-