The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-04-11

stock, until from par il drops TO twenty
five. She is then thoroughly frightened.
She hears many now say, "ISel out your
stock, or you'll lose ALL" So she sells
her stock and losses three-quarters of her
property, which even before was only
enough to keep her and hers in the ordina-
ry comforts Of life. Meanwhile our high
minded director and his partners, having
brought the stock down to low enough
! figure, buy it all in through their agents.
Soon the stock mounts to its original
value, and our director has made a mil
lion dollars by the transaction. The
widow is financially ruined. How? By
the rascality of the director, who has
been to her as truly mereiless tyrant
as ever was Nero or Caligula to the Ro-
mans. He has by fraud wrested from
her her living to increase his enormous
wealth. This is but an instance of what
is done daily by these money magnates.
\ y
If suits should be commenced against
any OF these wrong-doers, their money
enables them to tire out the complain
ant by the use of technical delays, by
| spriting away witnesses, and by corrupt
ing courts. This is so well understood
that no one who has any worldly wisdom
dares to enter the lists Of law against
any one of these gigantic reservoirs of
capital, and they on their side under
stand this impunity and immunity, and
improve it diligently. These power
units of wealth gather about them
clientele Of faithful because well-paid,
dependents, who speak, write, and act
Tor them as occasion demands, and who
by their wit and eilrontcry manage to
guide much Of public opinion in behalf
Of their masters Some of these depen-
dents are editors of influential Journals,
who skillfully make the worse the bet
ter reason and call evil good, so that
honest minded readers are found to be
sympathizing with the unfortunate cap
italist, against whom the wicked pro-
letarist says such hard things.
But this state of things cannot always
continue. The sense of oppression on
the part of the people at large becomes
deeper and stronger. They begin to
learn that their reform leaders are
brought up by the money-power, and
that the so-called reforms are but tubs
thrown to the whale. They see that
only violent measures can relieve them,
and common feeling of revenge unites
them. Now comes the catastrophe. At
! the first stroke they find themselves
power, and when men first discover their
power they are reckless how they use it,
They carry destruction on every side
They reyel in slaughter. They waste
property. They burn dwellings. They
oyerturn all institutions, They par
alyze trade. They annihiato society.
The tyranny of the moneyed units has
accomplished what nothing but tyranny
can accomplishing united action of a
heterogeneous and naturally inorganic
cd populace. 1t has raised spirit of
evil which it cannot allay. 1t has UNI
chained the tiger and yhetted his appe-
tlte for blood. These must not be con
sldered as exaggerated prophecies. His
tory shows that we are sober in our state
ments. The community cannot be plum
dred forever; combinations of capital
lists and legislators to rob the poor for
the benefit of the rich will eventually
meet with counter-combinations which
Will not contine themselves to robbery.
ms Is human nature IA we'll rs his
tory
The present peril of our country is
exactly here. The dangerous classes
among us are those who are engaged in
amassing colossal fortunes--the giants
who tread ordinary men under their heel,
and who care not how much the people
suffer. They are absorbed with their
wealth out of all sympathy with the
mass OF mankind and live as il the world
belonged to them. The cries of want
and sorrow are unheaded by them, the
appeals of charity and benevolence are
spurned, the demand for cooperation in
works for the public veal is sighted
while all their millions are poured into
the channels OF their own selfshness. In
monarchical countries, so long as the
people can find living they will endure
the oppression; but in a republic like
ours the time of account will come soon
er' Here the people will not wait until
they are ruined, They have some no
tons OF rights and some forethought of
impending evil, and they will anticipate
their own crisis by making crisis for
Others, How is this catastrophe to be
avoided? The answer is simple. The
dangerous classes must be rendered
harmless. But how can this be done ?
Only by righteous laws, righteously adj
mnistered. These laws will neither be
administered nor made until we put men
IN office W no will spurn brides direct or
Indirect The first thing, then, for the
safety of our country is the election of
honest and upright men to office. we
see now in our legislative halls, gamblers,
drunkards, libertines, ct id genus on,ne,
who must take brides in order to keep
up their licentious lives.
The second thing Cor our safety is the
enactment of laws to defend the poor
man against the rich oppressor. No man
should be allowed to hold SWAY over the
highways of the nation in an irresponsi |
bic absolutism There must be n limit
to individual wealth if we are to be pre-
served as a republic. Then, corporate
wealth should BE under strict supervis-
ION and Its management subject to lust
government control. Furthermore. the |
wages OF the laborer should be secured
70 MN for year at time, as in the ease /
| OF Salarled officer IN a., co,fo;4rl -