Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-06-25
SERMON.
with discourse of the Series on
the Labor Question.
hanger, of Monopoly, Communism,
,nsdelity and Nihilism-The Outlook
for the Future of the Republic
Overpopulation.

Overpopulation.
DIV. T, Dewitt Talmage delivered the
.,r+h of his series of discourses on the
Wv question at Brooklyn Tabernacle. his
',hiect being "Monopoly and Communism
60 s.n,e cling for the Possession of the Coun.
WV His text was:
rbe Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land
vail he married.-Isaiah xii 4.
AS the greater includes the less, so does
.ha circle of future joy around our entire
,ro,ld include the epicycle of our own re-
,,,blic. Bold, exhilarant, unique, divine
ims gerry of the text! So many are de-
messed by the labor agitation and think
syervthing in this country is going to
,isces. l preach this morning a sermon
If GOOD cheer and anticipate the time
when the Prince of Peace and the Heir of
universal dominion shall take possession
of this Nation and "Thy land shall be
married"
/ In discussing the final destiny of this
T. .tion it makes all the diferenceA. the
d whether We are on ~t..6EW1yl c6 a
..sral or q wedding. The Bible leaves
no doubt on this subject. In pulpits and
on platforms n in places of public con-
course, 1 hear so many of the mufled
drums of evil prophecy sounded as though
we were on the way to National nterment,
and besides Thebes, and Babylon and Tyre
in the cemetery of dead nations our re-
public was to be entombed, that I wish
YOU to understand it is not to be %obseuuies.
but nuptials; not mausoleum, but carpeted
altar; not cypress, but orange blossoms:
not requiem, but wedding march, fol .Thy
land shall be married" Ipropose to name
some Of the suitors who are claiming the
hand of this Republic. This land is so
fair, so beautiful, SO afiuent, that it has
many %suitors, and will depend much upon
your advice whether this or that shall be
accepted or rejected.
In the first place, I remark: There is a
greedy, all-grasping monster who comes
in as suffer seeking the hand of this Re-
public, and that monster is known by the
name of Monopoly. His scepter is made
out of the iron of the rail track and the
wire of telegraphy. He does everything
for his own advantage and for the robbery
of the people. Things have gone on from
bad to worse, until in the three Legisla-
lures Of New York, New Jersey and Penn
s%ylvania, for the most part, Monopoly
decides everything. If Monopoly favor a
law it passes. If Monopoly oppose a law
it is rejected. Monopoly stands in this
railroad depot putting into his pockets in
one year $500, 900, 900 in excess of all
reasonable charges for service. Mo-
nopoly holds in his one hand
the steam power of locomotives, and in the
other the electricity of swift c~ommunica-
ton. Monopoly decides nominations and
eIections-city elections, State elections,
National elections. With brides he secures
the votes Of legislators-giving them free
passes, giving appointments to needy rela-
tiyes to lucrative positions, employing
them as attorneys if they are lawyers,
carrying their goods fifteen per cent. less
ii they are merchants; and if he inds a
case very stubborn, as well as very inn
portant, puts down before him the hard
cash of bribery.
But monopoly is not SO easily caught
now as when, during the term Of Mr..
Buchanan, the Legislative committee in
one of our States expressed and exposed
the manner in which a certain railway
company procured a donation of public
land. 1t was found out that thirteen of
me Senators of that State received $4,000
among them, sixty members of the lower
house of that State received $1,000 and
$4,000 each, the Governor of the State re-
ceived $4,000, his clerk received S 5000, the
acknowledgements received $40, 900, all
the clerks of the Legislature received 5000
each, while $50, 900 were divided among the
lobby agents.
rejoice that in t~wenty.four States Of
the Union already anti monopoly leagues
nave been established. God speed them
IN the work of liberation! wish that the
question might be the question of our
residential elections; and that we compel
the political parties to recognize it in their
platforms.
have nothing to say against capitalists.
"A man has a right to all the money he can
make honestly. There is not a laborer in
me land who would not be worth a million
dollars if he could. have nothing to say
against corporations as such-without
,nem no great enterprise would be posi-
pe; but what l do say is that the same
principles are to be applied to capitalists
ana to corporations that are applied to the
poorest man and the plainest laborer.
"hat is wrong for me is wrong for great
corporations. If l take from you your
property without adequate compensation
l am a thief, and if a railway damage the
property of the people without any ade-
vuate compensation that is a gigantic
melt. What is wrong on a small scale is
wrong on a large scale. Monopoly in
england has ground hundreds and thou
sanas OF her best people into semi-starva.
.on, and in Ireland has driven multitu-
oinous tenants almost to madness. y =
Monopoly, brazen-faced and iron-fn-
sefed, vulture-hearted monopoly, offers
aus hand to this republic. He stretches
II out over the lakes, and up the Pennsyl-
wanna and the Erie and New York Central
Ia'lroads, and over the telegraph poles of
,ne continent, n y "Here is my
neart and hand; be mine forever" Let
rne millions of people, North and South,
Last and West, forbid the banns of that
.'arrlage-forbid them at the ballot-box,
lofoid them on the platform, forbid them
~ great organizations, forbid them by
.Ne overwhelming sentiments of an out
aged Nation, forbid them by the protest
VI The Church of God, forbid them by
prayer to high heaven. That erod shall