The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-05-10
THE PROBLEM OF SOCIAL LIFE.
Prize Grafton Delivered by w. IL. Asher, mt
the Annual Contest Of the Indiana Ora
torical A s.ociation, In Indianapolis.


Indigence Is the fatal breath which, II not |
Iuenched, must extinguish the torch of CIV |
lization. 1t is latent principle Of death |
In the structure Of every nation. |
TO make the earth sustain mankind Is the
first problem OF philanthrophy. The ques-
lion Of property rests at the bottom Of half
The revolutions of history. It is the ques-
tion Of the judicious distribution OF wealth
that hovers like night mare, ON the body
social to-day.
To the thoughtful mind it would seem
that, as civilization advances and inventions
society would be elevated and the
ticc and crime and pauperism that spring
from p0serty woiild be extirpatea For this
we lnok In vain The increase iii material
wcalt.a does not diminish poverty and its
train Of sad and terrible evils Civilization
has imprisoned steam and by it has enlarged
the field of human enterprise. Civilization
has bridled the fleet and restless wind to
make it drive the commerce OF the earth
Civilization called the lightning from it,
home among the clouds, to make 1t pulsate
with human speech over continents and un-
der seas Civilization has everywhere re-
vealed the hidden forces Of the universe.
Nature has not dealt niggardly with us. She
has given us mineral stores OF unsurpassed
richness She has twined the proudest Tiv-
ers among our hills and set the grandest
lakes upon our pans She has clothed our
mountains with exhaustless forests, willie
along our valleys the Hoods Of age have lost
their boarded treasures Yet In this golden
age of material growth, In this land Of plenty,
the lives of benighted millions are filled with
suffering and pain and tears; on, streets
cleaning with the light Of gay and gildcd
,,ln hcfyr
sin. Beneath this all there must be a com
mon cause; an iinplacale, wide-extended
and radical wrong The countless diseases
OF society penetrate into all lands-deeply
buried and fixed in all civilizations They
exist In lands meeted out and trodden down
tn the dull and contented foot-stools of
priests and Kings; they exist also in q land
where every man is free, where there burns
in the hearts and veins OF it's sons patriot
ism as pure as the light of its stars They
are found in lands despot-ridden and famine
cursed; they are found in a land where the
returning season. shower upon the lips Of
thankless men the riches OF natures prod
igality They exist in a land where art and
beauty have yielded to the touch of dec ":
they exist in land whose teening millions
Joy in youth, and the light OF whose cons.es-
lations burst ike sun upon the falling
ruins Of the world.
The vice and crime and pauperism that
affiict mankind with an increasing pressure e
as civilization advances and the arts and
sciences multiply. spring from the insane,
irrational and inhnman leg station of man.
Government Is an important factor In tho
formation of mans character. lie Is made
by God, by nature and by society. And
governments based upon the false supposi-
tion that man can develop his own powers
and realize his highest nature need not hope
to secure liberty, equality and fraternity 50
long as they emanate from principle OF
falsehood and disunion The Most fatal er-
ror that can he infused into human society
ia that principle which allows the accumu-
lation OF the property of the country III the
hands of the few to the emhrutement and
impoyerishment of the many. This princi-
pie, more than any other. has caused this
earth to groan and travail in pain TIL now
1t has entaiied unon the human race bast
beggary and idleness and hate. 1t ha'
changed to beastllness the nature o.
man. little lower than the angel!
born 1t widens the gulf between op
nlenca and nenuly II aluts the porged: !
/ rOuS tho starving. We would not deny TIL
/ right Of property, for around It cluste
some Of the strongest motives to fortitude
/ virtue and courage But around 1t ther,
should be restrictions thrown, that the in
/ oQualities of condition now SO pronOunces
and defined would cease to curse the race. II
the present state OF society this fact is clear
that the deep abasement of the larger por
/ tion OF mankind is inconsistent with indi
vidnal liberty. The music of Independence
/ bell proclaimed the equality of man Equal
| ity. say you? No! IL was but vibration o
| that sound whose harmony Will some da.
charm the ears OF an unfettered world \
/ the magic stroke OF the pen OF the grea
Lincoln 4.0O0, ,0G0 human beings We're un
| chained; 1900 COO souls made free Mad
free, say YOU. No. Transformed from t.
slavery of whips and chains To the bono ag
of poverty and ignorance and crime.
long as man Is compelled to toll for ner
subsistence the nobler qualities Of mind an
heart must slumber in undeyelopcd savage
| nv. And that nation need never hope TO
| aught but lawlessness and violence and di.
content that would rear the fabric Of soca
| life upon the enslavement and chattelizatio
Of the souls Of Gods poor. SO long. as
| majority Of the race Il robbed OF th
fruits OF its toll, there will be slavery NOR
abiect and hopeless than that of bolts an
bars and chains, for its master has not tn
individual heart and conscience OF mal
but assumes the form Of an imperious an
unrelenting fate. Our country and on
legislation encourage the accumulation q
property by gigantic monopolies which, III
der the guise of enterprise. are weasin
above our heads cloak of deception. BIZ
meath whose sitting folds the life OF tn
nation is going out. Under the shadow {
the benefits that accrue from consolidate
capital, evils are springing up which, lik
which they grow. Frauds are tolerate
when perpetrated by these institu Ion
only on account OF the brilliant gildin
which crime assumes when associated wit
riches The world treads lightly ON the sSi
OF men who hold in their hands the KEYS ,
the wealth OF States, who can reach wit
their subtle bribery the avenues to publ
opinion, sway the acts of Legislatures al
maintain formidable deputations at tt
doors Of Congress. The great financial il
terests OF this country are in state
anarchy. The law that reaches the peccadi
loes of individuals il too weak to restra
the enormities of thesegreat offenders Ths
have canonized robbery us success al
legalized fraud as law. An oligarchy OF fo,
, men could tomorrow, We're II not Tor ter
. porary considerations of policy, cause |,
! 0o0.t0o of people to groan under the burdt
! of the exactlons they might levy. Europe;
; nobility was born Of the soil, the soil has Il
!, it to thi. hour, aud from il will it live hn
it dies. crushed by the peoples might.
Europe the people get possession OF q
: land by the sword; the effect will be &
. same whenever a few are allowed to aec
| mnlate and transmit the property o. :
country. This ii q truth Americans can IA
: be too careful to notice The growing de
potisin in this land is not seatially diffe
| ent from that which has desolaled unhsI
Ireland and swept her factories from &
face of the earth DO YOU know that |.
y 1unu was once the nome Oh cGELsHLeN IL
i pie, the seat uf u busy and prosperous
q dustryg To-day her soas are born only
: be hunted as felons. or exiled from the la
= they love SO well. Do You know that in q
I OF the richest agricultural res .ons in I
l. world 1,C00.0Jo people starved in sing
b year because Engiands heartess and UNI
lenting landed monopoly Moad not perm
them to diversity their industries
G The industry of this country Is becomi
II concentrated into few hands, and organ
n ing brains are growing TO be the monarcl
. Distributed busne IS is dying out, anu socit
4 is tending to produce the results Ct I
:, labor managed by vast mechanical assoc
{. tions Combinations of capital and hri
r. are reducing men from independent lat
ers To wheels in the machinery OF .r
{. manufactures But d. you ask II tae*s
n holey Three fourths Of cur Leg slatise I
actments have partis an and not hum
aim.
The true purpose OF government Is 70 "
form human character To produce Misa'
Il and happiness for the human race, to =
n mote the advanced lrogressiye Alowiedl
. and 10 create wealth in an abundant u
' beneficial manner. Let the state encaula
{, the dissemination of knowledge. Let tn,
be limit TO the accumulate N of veal
Ia Leg the Government assume the right
n eminent domain over the railroads 4
"A. II. .F = hn trS lar