Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-07-11

anu become the people = MASTER
1t is as well known that these rich
spend millions in corrupt
ing those in power, who are at all sus-
ceptible to such influences, as it is that
the Mississippi flows toward the Gulf
of Mexico. They pay for laws discrim-
mating in their favor and against the
people. They own some lawmakers,
national, State and municipal, who do
their bidding humbly as galIey-slaves.
They have scale of prices ranging all
the way froms.free passes and cham
pagne TO blocks of stock, houses
and lots and seats upon benches of
courts of last resort.
1t is said to have been for years the
exclusive business of the late Col.
Thomas 4. Scott, president OF the
Pennsylvania Central, to manipulate
legislatures in the interest of his road
and that in order to protect those ac-
cepting bribas, he was given I; carte
blanche as TO funds and was never
called upon TO account even to his part
ners in the nefarious business.
That this great moral pestilence
staiketh abroad at monday cannot be
gainsayed. Up to the present day it
has appeared la its most loathsome
form in some of the extreme Eastern
States, in the carpet-bag governments
of the South, i'll the rotten borough
States of the Far West and in ihe mu-
nicipal assemblies of New York and
other large cities. Boss Tweed among
Democrats and Oakes Ames among Re-
publicans, have been its most conspie-
uous propagandists and its most illus
trious victims. Thus far we have in
large measure escaped the scourge. In
the great agricultural States of the
Mississippi Valley, there have been
only what the doctors would call n few
sporadic cases; but it is more contagi-
Gus than the Smallpox, Yellow Fever,
Black Plague or Asiatic Cholera-and
the people should establish against it
an effective quarantine.
There can be no question that mo-
nopoly is the great, over-shadowing
curse of America to-day. 1t is the
modern Cesar unto whom we must all
pay tribute. 1t levies its heavy tax
upon every bushel of wheat, oats, rye,
corn and tlaX-upon every ton of coal,
hay and salt-upon every horse, mule,
COW, sheep and hog-upon everything
we eat, drink, wear, or use-and all to
the end that few men may be worth
hundreds of millions and the balance
DC tACiI SCI
The Government is fast getting into
the condition of the magician, who out,
of a few leather straps, iron rods and
wooden sticks, made an extremely live
devil and discovered when too late
that his devil controlled him instead of
his controlling his devil.
Close behind the curse of monopoly
and caused by it, comes the curse of
corruption of elections. Together they
| do their evil work. Together they will
fall.
Considering all these facts, can we
| lay the tlattering unction to our souls
| that we are SO much ahead of our fore
fathers after all. Are we not positive
ly retrograding in that public spirit
that honest jealousy of liberty-that
disinterested and virtuous patriotism
that make a great nation?
What constitutes State?
| Not high-raised battlements or labored mound,
Thick wall or moated gate;
Not cities proud with spires and turrets crowned
| Not bays and broad armed ports.
| Where, laughing at the storm, rich nayies ride
| Not starred and spangled courts,
| Where low-browed baseness watts perfume to
pride.
| No Men-high-min6ed men
Men, who their duties know.
Who know the right, and knowing, dare mann
tain,
Prevent the long aimed blow,
And crush the tyrant while they rend the
| chain.
These constitute State.
So sang Sir William Jones centuries
|ago-whose sentiment is echoed by our
own DIR. Holland in the following
lines:
God give us men . a time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready
hands;
| Men whom the lust of Office does not kill:
| Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy:
Men who possess opinions and II will;
Men who have honor men who will not lie
Men who can stand before demagogue,
| And damn his treaeherous batteries without
winking;
| Tai men, sun-crowned. who live above the fog
| In public duty, and in private thinking;
For, while the rabhle with their thumb worn
| creed;
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Miagle in selfish strife, 10 Freedom weeps.
Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps
| While these are the two great dan.
gers to public prosperity and public
virtue-there is, III my opinion, no rea-
Ison to despair ofthe Republic or to pre-
diet the overthrow or failure of repre-
sentative government. 1t is an old
l saying and full of comfort that the Gre
Iator is greater than the creature. Tits
an axiom of mathematics that the
whole is greater than any of its parts
1.-THE people of the United States are
when aroused and united, more power
full than any man or set of men. Cor
ruption in politics is the child of mo.
nopoly; and monopoly is the child OF
corporations. These latter, with botl
their good and bad effects, are like new
patches upon old garments. 1t was
; the ancient experiment of putting new
: wine into old bottles. The people die
not know and don't now know how tt
control them so that they shall produce
the greatest good with the least harm
: But they are waking up and learning
1t may take them IL long time to devise
ways and means sufficient to secure the
desired ends-but they'll finally sue
ceed. / am naturally an optimist.
am prone to look ON the bright side o.
|. things. L believe in the perseverance
of the saints-political as well as relig
ious. This as glorious world and this
country is located in it's garden spot
I am just as certain that the principle
of representative government is right
and just and wise as that / must one
day appear at the hejudgment bar of God
and am Just as certain that the Amer.
) it4n peop1e do not intend to follow the
disastrous example of Esau and barter
away the precious birthright for a mes,
pottage. Jefferson said: GAN expert
ence hath shown that mankind are dis
posed to suffer while evils are suffer
able. The American people have
. reached the limit of the sufferable
They have had their eyes opened
!. They have made up their minds to Kill
, monopoly, root out corruption in poll
; ties and to control corporations. Tha
is monumental and colossal job-bu
, they have begun it with grim deter
mination to complete the contract TIL,
+ Interstate commerce law, the anti
, trust laws, the electoral reform law
, and the numerous Doodle prosecution
. all point in one direction. Some O
. these laws may be crude and unwise
, Loopholes may be found through
which malefactors may escape-bu
they'll be made better and stronge
and more perfect till the will of tn
. Ipeople is supreme. 1t may requir
years. Rome was not built in day
but it is a great satisfaction to know
.. that Rome was built at last
Now, having spoken twenty minute
, ! IN anti Nro tIarriwaihar I am troin,