The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-09-16
partly free and partly slave, but wholly

partly free and partly slave, but wholly
free.
In that long and bloody contest the
patriotic armies of the north in saving
the country from disruption and ruin,
proved themselves worthy soldiers of the
republic. Untaught in the art of war.
bat aetuated by the highest aud noblest
sentiments of patriotism, they fought
vaiiantly. and by their efficiency and he
roic endurance OF hardships won the
undying gratitude of their loyal country
men. All honor to the brave and patri>
otic soldiers of the republic. Commands
ed by such able and intrepid leaders as
Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Lo>
gan, Rosecranz, Buel. Pope, Mcclellan,
Hancock. Meade, Hooker. Burnside, and
a score more nearly as distinguished.
they made a record of which any nation
might well be proud.
After four long and trying years of
conflict. with the loss of 100000 brave
men and the expenditure of four billions
of money, the war ended, and at Apo
| mattoX the great military genius of the
age, our beloved and lamented command
er and comrade, Gen. Grant, formally
received the surrender of the army of the
| Confederate States of America. Peace,
| with its inestimable blessings came once
more to our beloved country, and our
great republic stands today a, perfect
| union of states. The vexed question of
the right of secession forever settled,
free and prosperous with its 10000, 900 of
people, the wonder of the world. After
the war, followed the reconstruction of
the states recently in rebellion. With
the accomplishment of this work closed
the second epoch in the history of the
great American republic.
We are accustomed to congratulate
ourselves upon having the best govern
ment in the world, with a people the
| most free, prosperous and happy to be
found. We may be justified in this. but
the thoughtful student of history who be
lieves that the past tends to repeat itself,
| is, if patriotic, troubled when watching
the tendencies of our republic. There
are evils that imperil the future of our
government, and today wise and patriotic
men all over the land feel deep solicit
tude for its welfare and permanency.
One of the evils menacing it is the
rapid growth of gigantic corporations.
WendelPhillips said ''our greatest dan
ger now in this country is corporation
wealth SingIy and separately these
corporations may be harmless but should
circumstances favor a combination of
| their interests, their power in our nation
al and state legislatures would be irresist-
| lble and destruction of national welfare
| There IS still greater danger to the
country in the aggregation of great
wealth in the hands of the few, to the
disadvantage ami injury of many.
Gradually the rich are growing richer,
and the poor, poorer. With increase of
wealth usually comes self indulgence,
pride and extravaganza. All history
shows that wealth grows more and more
ambitious. and that poverty in the same
ratio becomes more restless and discon-
tented. 1t is remarkable fact that the
great republics of Greece, Rome, Garth
age, Italy and The Netherlands that flour
Ished and became extinct, all received
their death blow from the inordinate pas,
Sion OF its citizens for money and from
indulgence in all sorts of reckless eXpen>
ditures. The rich citizen invariably be
gan with great simplicity in his tastes
and style of living, which in time gave
place to extravaganza, social excuses
and laxity in morals. The jealousies
and animosities growing out of the greed
of the rich on the one hand, and the DIS
content and unreasonableness Of the
| poor ON the other hand, have been grow
ing and spreading in the last quarter of "A
century. The conflict between capital
| and labor, between the employer and the
employe, all over the country is 4 most
serious evil, and is deprecated by all
good citizens. 1t has stslked into our
midst, and is at our very doors When,
and how this difficult problem is to be
sOlVcd-if ever-nO one has yet been
wise enough TO tell. The old and stub
| born law of demand and supply of wage
labor comes into the problem seemingly
to mysLify it.
A distinguished American statesman
recently said when speaking of our labor
troubles: 1T is quite time that labor is
able to give a scientific account of the
disease which it insists now atflicts Amer
lean society. 1t may be unable to name
any remedy which may not be dlscredited
as soon rs named, but it is profoundly
convinced. and nothing Can shake its
conviction, that something is radically
evil in social and economic system
| T,.l, ,trr-
of uneXamEled material prosperity, pos
sessing empires of virgin soil, causes the
mass of its citizens to sink into the con l.
dition of laborers with their hands for
daily wages. while a very small minority
entrench themselves more and more Sc
curcly in the enjoyment of the fruits OF
the labor of the majority, and for the
purpose only, in many instances of living
themselves, or enabling their children to
live, aimless lives of self-indulgence."
1t is earnestly hoped that some phil
0spher or statesman or some party, wise
and discriminating, and cognizant of all
| the facts connected with this mixed and
difficult problem, will suggest remedy
for this wide spread and growing evil,
and succeed in harmonizing the conflict
ing interests of the employer and the en-
ployed to their mutual advantage and
satisfaction.
Another evident and grave evil is
unrestricted immigration. We have as
nation in a most generous spirit, open d,
ed wide our doors to the poor and OPP
| pressed of all nations who avail them
selves of the benefits of free and prosper
Gus government, where liberty and equal
| ity prevail. and where industry and
economy have their sure and ready re-
ward.
From an early period in the history of
our republic. the toiling and poorly paid
laborers of all nations have come to us
have become of us, and have shared ouI
freedom and prosperity. 1t must he clear
to every intelligent and thoughtful mind
that the time has come for our govern
ment to guard with ljealous care its por'
tails, so that the pauper, the criminal, ant
all undesirable classes do not enter. Too
l l. 1. IL. 3 Il a