The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-11-05
PLurocRArs AND PEOPLE.

The next irrepressible conflict in
this country will be waged between
the plutocrats and the people. In a
paper published in the Forum MGgG-
zine for September, Mr. Thomas G..
Sherman shows that $1,000 persons
now possess three fifths ot the whole
national wealth, real and personal.
The aggregate value of their property,
according to the highest estimate, is
sixty billion dollars. The United
States Senate is controlled by million
aires, the State Legislatures in many
of the Northern and Western States
are under the mastery of the money
kings, and popular elections are de-
termined by the toss of the dollar.
The voice of the people is stihed by
the ring of the metal, and today we
have President who owes his Office
to the "fat" that was fried out of the
manufacturers.
There are more than two hundred
and fifty persons in the United States
whose wealth averages 500, 100000
each, and these two hundred and fifty
millionaires control to large extent
the Legislation of the country, and
have pushed their way into the very
temple of justice. The tendency of
the times is towards the centralization
of the government the
establishment of privileged class,
towards the further restriction Of the
rights of the States and, by conse-
quence, of the rights of the people.
Thoughtful men of all sections, and
without regard to party lines, observe
with concern, the drift of events, and
are disposed to unite in a protest
against further encroachment upon
the liberties of the people.
There was a very animated debate
before the American Bar Association
in Chicago, on Thursday, in regard
to the powers of the Federal Courts.
The lawyers of the Northwest are be-
ginning to feel the effects of too
greatly extended Federal jurisdiction.
They demand that the power of the
State Courts shall be enlarged, and
that the jurisdiction of the Fedaral
Courts shall be restricted. Litigants
are under the thumb of soulless cor
porations, and are compelled to COM
promise or waste their time and ener-
gies in fruitless efforts to secure set
tlement of their cases upon an eqult-
able basis. The Federal Courts are
under the control of the corporations,
and justice is worth what it will fetch
in the market We do not mean to
say that the Judges of the Federal
Courts are knocked down to the high
est bidder, or that there is a regular
exchange of money for the services
rendered by the Bench as the lawyers
are paid for their services by their
clients; but the effect is the same. By
some hocus- -pocus, corporations char
tered by the States have the right to
appeal their cases from the State to
the Federal Courts, and the ends Of
justice are defeated.
The only safety Of the people, as
Mr.. Wilson, of Minnesota, informed
the Bar Association, is the enlarge
ment of the powers of the State
Courts and the restriction of the juris-
diction of the Federal Courts. The
mills of the gods are beginning to
grind in the North and West, and we
hope that they will grind exceeding
small. The strength of the Govern
ment is in the people, in the consent
and confidence of the governed, and
not in the money of the corporations.
-NcaUs and Courier.