The Labor enquirer., 1886-12-25
st. Basil.-"The rich man is thief .

such opulent sheep-shearers as the Arch
bishop of Canterbury, or even the pas
tors of the Tabernacle and the City
Temple, but it is true, nevertheless, and
as the "Bigelow Papers" have it, 20
don't want to 60 furder than my Testa
ment for that"
Socialism challenges the entire consti'
tuition of modern Society. 1t demon
strates that its very foundations are laid
in fraud and rapine, and that the longer
it exists the more unendurable it mus
become. There are three great mons
ters that constantly gnaw at the very
entrails of what is dignlfed by the name
of civilization. These are Rent, Inter
est, Profit. This trinity of evil-there
are three persons in the deYilhead-
must either be strangled, or, like the fox
with the Spartan boy, it will eat outth
very bowels of humanity.
Rent pal to the individual for the use
of landau obvious monopoly of nature
has In all ages of the world been a
frlghtful source of misery and degrada-
tion to the human race. 1t is at the ba'
sis of monarchy, aristocracy and plutoc'
racy, and ls in several respects more
terrible scourge of mankind than chat
tel slavery itself. 1t enables an entire
class of the community to live in luxury
on the unremitting toll of the workers.
Landlordism surrounds itself with a
perfect army of on-producers to minis
ter to it's follles and vices. In order to
maintain it the workm an has to stagger
through life until he sinks into pau
per's grave, not merely with landlord
on his back, but a queen, bishop, a
feather-bed general, lawyer, funkev,
a game-keeper, Jockey, cook, a pros
titute, and several other necessary ad-
iuncts. Well did the Mosaic law-giver
know what he was about when he made
Jehovah declare, "The land shall OF be
sold forever, for the land is Mine"
Not less terrible in it's effects Is the
scourge of Interest or Usury. Scripture
is one unbroken chain of testimony
against it. 1t is even contrary to the
fundamental laws of this country, and
was never sanctioned until Henry WILL,
Defender of the faith, reformed Saving
the mark y the Church of England.
Professor U. S. Beal, of New York, thus
powerfully describes its ulcerhke oper-
atlons: mo blister draws sharper than
does the interest. Of all industries
none is comparable to that of interest.
1t works all day and night, in fair
weather and in foul. 1t has no sound
in its footsteps, but travels fast. 1t
gnaWs a mans substance with invisible
teeth. 1t binds industry with it's film,
as fly is bound in the spiders web.
Debts roll a man over and over, binding
him hand and foot, and letting him
hang upon the mesh until the long-leg-
ged interest devours him. There is but
one thing on farm like it, and that is
the Canada thistle, whose blossoms are
prol fc, and every flower the father of a
million seeds. Every seed is an awl,
every branch a spear, and every plant q
platoon of bayonets, and field of them
like an armed host, The whole plant is
a torment and vegetable curse. And
vet the farmer had better make his bed
of Canada thistles than be at ease upon
interest"
Like Rent, Interest enables an enor-
nous horde of non producers to tatten
on the produce of the workers. In
deed, t is difficult to say whether the
army of stock kholders, bondh olders, de-
benture holders, mortgages, security
holders, ct hoe genus omne, is not a
more dangerous enemy tnan even the
landlord. The landlord robs by day,
and is bare faced highwayman, who
will assuredlv be dealt with one oi
these days when the people pluck up
sufficient courage; whereas che usurer is
a midnight thief, who stealthily alb
stracts our goods under cover Of dark
ness.
Lastly comes the pro6t-monger, who
differs from the rent extractor and the
interest extractor in this, that he pro-
fesses to be to some extent worker
and therefore a useful member of so
ciety. But his work is simply piilage
Stock and grain exchanges are merely
80 many legalized thieves kitchens.
"The exchange" says Nordsu. ''is den
of robbers, in which the modern success.
sors of the robber knights of the Mid
die Ages make their abode, and cut the
throats of all who pass that way" The
speoulator plumbers indifferentlY pro
ducer and consumer. The former ht
defrauds by selling goods which he does
not possess at price lower than thu
current market rates, promising to de
liver them months, it may be, late
than the date of sale. This makes th'
producer, especially if hs is struggl ng
underbid the specuiator, who is thu
enabled to buy at a lower price evel
than the one contracted for with tn