Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-06-05
TALMAGE ON MONOPOLY
FOURTH OF THE LABOR SERMONS
IN THE TABERNACLE.

Not to be the Groom.
BROOKLYN, June 6-Rev T. Dewitt
Talmage, d. d., preached to-day in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, the fourth of his
series of sermons on The Labor Question
His subject was: Monopoly and Commun-
ism Struggling for the Possession Of this
Country" Before beginning his sermon he
announced that the congregation would
make trip to the Thousand Isles on the Goth
inst
The text was Isaiah, xii, A: 1.-THE Lord
delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be
married. Following Is the sermon in full:
As tho greater includes the less. SO does
the circle OF future joy around our entire
world include the epicycle of our own re-
public. Bold, exhilarent, unique. divine
imagery of the textl So many are depressed
by the labor agitation and think every thing
in this country is going to pieces, / preach
this morning sermon of COOL cheer and
anticipate the time when the Prince of Peace
and the Heir OF Universal Dominion shall
take possess on Of this nation and 'Thy land
shall be married"
In dis 'ussing the final destiny of this
nation it makes all the difference in the
world whether we are on the way to
funeral or a wedding. The Bible leaves no
doub on this subject. In pulpits and on
platforms, and in places of pub ic concourse
hear SO many of the muffled drums of evil
prophecy sounded rs though VIC were on the
way to national in erment, and beside
Thebes, AMI Babylon, and Tyre, in the ceme-
terry of dead nations our republic was to be
entombed that wish you to understand it
is not to be obseques but nuptials; not
mauso cum but carpeted altar; not cypress
but orange blossoms; not requiem but we'd
ding march, for Thy land shall be married"
propose to name some of the sutors who
are claiming the hand of this republic This
Ian Is so far, so beautiful, so affiuent, that
1t has many suitors, and it will depend much
upon your advice whether this or that shall
be accented or rejected
In he first place, | remark: There is n
greedy all-grasping monster who comes in
as sutton seeking the hand of this republic
and tia monster is known by the name of
Monopoly His scepter is made out of the
iron of the rail track and the wire of teeg-
raphy. He docs everything for his own adj
vantage and for the robbery of the people.
Ihings have gone on from bad to worse.
until IN the tnr legislatures of New York.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the most
part, Monopoly decides everything. If
Monopoly favor law it passes. If Monop-
Il
Monopoly stands in this railroad denot
putting into his pockets in one year 5000 600
600 in excess of all reasonable charges for
service. Monopoly holds in his one hand the
steam ROVER of locomotives, and in the other
the electricity Of swift communication.
Monopoly decides nominations and elections
city elections, state elections, national
elections. With brides he secures the votes
OF legislators, giving them free parse ;giving
appointments to needy relatives to lucrative
positions; employing them as ATTORNEYS if
they are lawyers; carrying their goods Is
per cent less il they are merchants and. if
he finds ase very stubborn as well as very
important, puts down before him the hard
cash of bribery
But Monop ly is not so easily caught now
as when during the term of Mr. Buchanan.
the legs ative commit Q in one of our states
expressed and exposed the manner in which
certain railway company procured dona-
ton of pubic land 1t was found out thas
thirteen OF the senator's of that state received
Sl75, 900 among Them sixty members OF the
lower house of that state received s.. 900 and
$40, 100 each, the governor of TIE state "a
ceived $50, 600, his clerk received SIS 900 the
lieutenant governor received $4,000. all the
clerks of the legislature received s.. 600 each
while $50 900 were divided amid the lobby
agents
That thing on larger or smaller scale is
all the time going on in some of the states of
the Union. but it is not so laundering as il
used 10 DO, and therefore not as easily ex-
posed or arrested
tell you that the overshadowing curse of
the United States to-day Is Monopoly. He
puts his hand upon every bushel of wheat.
upon every sack of SALT upon every ton of
coal; and every man, woman and child in
the United States feels the touch Of that
moneyed despotism.
rejoice that in twenty-four states of the
Union already anti-monopoly leagues have
been established. God speed them in the
work of lberationl | visa that lis question
might be the question Of our presidential
elections, and that we compel the political
parties to recognize it on tn ir platforms.
have nothing to say aga nst capitalists.
man mas right to all the money h can
make honestly. There i no. laborer in
the aud that would not be worth 81 900 600
if he could. have nothing to say against
corporal ons as such--without them no great
enterprise would be possible; but what do
say is that the same prncil les are to be- an
Piled to capitalists and corporations that are
pplied to the poor st man and the plainest
laborer. What is wrong for me is wrong for
great corporations, If j take rom YOU your
property without adequate compensation |
am thief, and If a railway damage the
property the people without any adequate
compensation that is gigantic heft. What
is wrong on a small scale is wrong on a large
scale Monopoly in England hes ground
hundreds and thousands of her best people
into semi-starvation, and in Ireland hos
driven muliitudinous tenants almost TO mad
ness
Five hundred acres in this country make
an immense farm. When you read that in
Dakota territory Mr.. Cass has a farm of
5000 acres, and Mr.. Grandon $4,000 acres,
and Mr.. Dairymple 40 900 acres, your eyes
dilate, even though these farms are in great
regions thinly inhabited. But what do you