The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-06-25
Are We q Free People I

Of kings and lords, and that We have .
government of the people, by the peo-
pie, and for the people. Most Of MS
grew up to manhood in the belief that
this boast was founded on fact.
Recent events in our national history
seem to be rapidly opening the eyes Of
the people to the conclusion that
maybe this boast has been . delusion.
As an illustration, . gentleman Of
this county having claim against per-
fectly solvent estate about which there
was no dispute in law or in fact was re-
quested to meet the administrator at
his lawyers Office in Richmond on day
agreed upon and payment would be
made at once upon this claim which
had already been long deferred. Ar
irving at the lawyers Office he was told
BY the gentleman Of the green bag"
(this is not intended as pun) that the
administrator must not pay him as the
Court had not yet confirmed the sale,
and the Court must first act in the
matter.
And so the claim remains unsettled,
and 50 it will continue until the law
yers and the court can secure their
"just and honorable claims" when, il
there be anything left. the heirs and
creditors can make an equitable divis-
ion among themselves.
And no head of family in Indiana
to-day can by any possible means leave
an estate in any shape, that the court
and the lawyers shall not have the dis
tribution of it, and large fees for their
courtesy and kindness" No matter If
all the heirs and everybody concerned
are perfectly agreed as to the distribu-
tion Of the estate, it must go through
the court and the lawyers must be we'll
paid for carrying it through; and by
the time an estate has passed through
this ordeal, pretty near all the @iuice"
js squeezed out Of it.
If we look back over the history Of
Indiana to find why such laws have be-
come engrafted upon her jurisprudence.
it is easily found in the class of men
Indiana has for many years back placed
in her Legislative halls to make her
laws. We will see that large maiori-
ty Of these were professional lawyers,
and SO unselfshly were they devoted
to the interests of the @dear people,
and 50 anxious to protect the widow and
the orphan, that these sacred trusts
have been placed entirely under the
tender mercies Of the courts and the
lawyers.
Would to God we had Dickens" ia
show mp tho wonderful benefcence OF
such legis alton.
III We turn onr attention to national
affairs we will find even stronger evi-
dence Of devotion to the interests Of the
@dear people," There we will see that
Congress has the far reaching ability
to discover that the people are unable
to protect their own best interests, and
Congress has, therefore, bene6cently
placed these interests in the keeping Of
corporations of syndicates. Seeing o
disposition Of some turbulent citizens to
build up humble homes for themselves
and families upon the lands Of fair Okla
homa, the national army has been sent
to prevent so rash proceeding, even If
il has to be done at the sacrifice of the
lives Of the intruders And yet cattle
lords and syndicates are allowed full
liberty to occupy with their herds Of
cattle the whole of this beautiful land,
and these men claim that the settlers
will disturb their peaceable possession.
If an humble and upright citizen is
struggling to secure home for himself
and family anywhere upon the national
domain, and asks the Government for
the loan of money to enable him to get
q start, giving lien upon the estate as
security, he Is told that the Govern
ment does not loan money to the peo-
pie, but has delegated the power Of is-
suing money to the national banks and
the struggling citizen must go to the
banks to get the money he needs, and
If his realty is worth three times the
amount he wishes to borrow the bank
will accommodate him ut from eight to
twenty-five per cent. interest. The re-
suit of which is the bank soon absorbs
the home of the humble citizen and he
in his old age must be thrown upon the
cold charities of the world, and the
bank syndicate goes OFT in legal possess
sion of the life time labor OF an humble
and honorable c:ti eli.
If we seek for the origin of such leg
islation upon our national statute books,
we find thNt our Congress for many
years back has been filled by bankers,
and lawyer, twho are their snpnliant
tools) and scarcely Representative Of
any industrial calling found IN its halls.
And vet the various industries Of the
nation contain within their ranks four
fifths Of all the voters who give these
bankers and lawyers their seats in the
national halls Of legislation.
Fellow workers Of America. has not
this little game Of self-s!eal tication and
self-destrnction been played about long
enough? Can there not lie men enough
found in all the varied industrial callings
Who are honest enough and capable
enough to fill the halls of ma
tional and State Legislatures, and
who, when placed there, will hon
estly and earnestly represent the
interests of all the people? III
such men can be found, cannot the cre-
ators of the nation become sufficiently
united to place them in the halls of leg
islation? So great has the pressure
become upon the wealth producers OF
the nation in the last few years that no
considerable number of them but can
see and feel that the whole tendency OF
our national and State Legislation has
been against the best interests Of labor
ers and producers in favor Of an aristoc-
racy of wealth. A few more years Of
such legislation and every vestige Of
American liberty. which has cost 30
much in blood and treasure, viii be lost
new. r to be reclaimed.
The dessroyers Of good government
are always alert, $, eking every oppor-
tunity to secure by law the proceeds Of
the laboser's toll that they may wallow
in, wealth aud laxu.y without further
effo I. In almost every government
but this these efforts have been success
fui, and mi Ms the lecp,e rouse from
their letharg.y soon the effort will be
but too successful here.
Is there no power to put an end to
this iEdiii, renee upon he part of the