West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1890-10-23

Valley. who viii now confront the coun-
NY aud cOlogigo the workings and the 70,
suits OF q syalem OF tanr protection
which, after continuous trial of twenty
eight years, has accomplished nothing
save concentration, the amusement of
enormous wealth I'm a few protected and
privileged hands, dcpfiving the people of
u sufficient amount of currency in circu.
lation, impaverishing aud onslRving WACO
laboreis ana inhicting upon farmers such
condition Of financial wTctchC dness ns
TO NIL their hearts with bitterness aud re.
sentiment against tho law.mnking power
of the Governments
with n cry resounding through the
land for Scandinavians and other half
civilized races of Northern Europe TO
come over and recoloni2e American States
that were of the original and immortal
thirteen, who IL there here or elsewhe re-
20 maintain and defend an economic
policy under which such shameful dis.
asteIs have overtaken the most meritori-
Gus, the most useful the most honor
able and the most absolutely essential
class of American citizeps2 With the lie.
population of the agricultural regions of
New England and their abandonment Ia
the bush and tho bramble; with home
market for the farmers of the United
States generally for nothing at active
rates, except mortgages on their lands on
terms as 60 interest amount and time
which render payment impossible. and
foreclosure, sale and dispossession swift
and inevitable, surely 10 is not difficult 10
discover the character of the highwayswe
are travelling or the end we arc approach-
ing
This highway ia not new; other nations
have trodden IL before, and have reached
tho overthrow of popular government aud
personal liberty, az we will unless the
people speedily rise and rescue themselves
from the awful condition In which they
are involved. The improved landa of the
United States, the homes of farmers. nre
passing under mortgage foreclosures from
occupant ileeholders 10 loan associations,
TO nonresident money lenders, and be-
coming tenant rookeries, paying rent 10 n
landed aristocracy. The meaning of all
this is obvious in the light of history.
IL fares Che land, % hastenng us prey,
Mheic wealth. Rccuinulhtcs, aud farms decay.
In the strong language Of a gifted
writer ON this subject
When darkness settled over Egypt and she lost her
pefs s'noiE te great nation, ofle earth per cent
When Babylon went down lper cent. OF her popua'
lcns Owned i ne wealth. When perra bowed her
o Mhsg 'he snn Q, Rome se " black despair, f8Omei
tor me past % Years more particularly since Tie
sl9de Of she ey warn thg unli,d States ms moved
VA LOO our capitalist owned ~per cent OF tha na.
% per cent, having almost donbed their nfcuinnia.
tons. Ihey have more tban kept up thls ratio
Of ne total wealth Of he country. What proportion
o We pge,alag9a 1oias .his LARGE per cent Il not
per cent Of ne COCOON who mhabt this country
aoiea h Senih Z ' as is a snssSssse bot 80 on
every department Of susln.sa aud OF goV erucnt In
natlng tie rich richer snd he Door poorsr TOT
Sir the inquiry as 10 the cause. or
causes, Of this appalling condition is
earnest and universal among the labor
ing classes, and especially among farm
eis, at this time. The main anawer IA
easy and obviousi IL is TO be found on the
very surioce of our affairs. Living under
a plutocacy, the farmer does not own his
full time and labor; he owns n part. hut
not all. He needs all the six days OF the
week IN which 10 work for bimself his
wife and his children, but under the in-
iquitous system by which the tariff taxes
hii2 upon every necessary Of life he Is
compelled 20 devote the proceeds of at
leasy two days out Of The xix TO the pro-
lection and enrichment OF the robber
barOns.
one-ihird Of his time the American
farmer is toiling serf for tie payment.
not Of revenue to his Governments. bnt Of
naked tribute 10 those who are protected
in charging him from IS 20 100 Der cent.
more than 81 n worth on every article
his wants compel him 20 buy. For two
days work, We will say, farmer can
earn pair Of blankets worth So TO ma c.
but which are increased In price by iarifI
protection TO So To whom does the
additional labor on his part, necessary fo
enable him TO buy them, belong? The
same question may be asked in regard 10
oil bis agricultural implements, his house
hold and kitchen utensils and furniture.
aud All the clothing on his back, pur-
chased IN markets viciously projected in
the right to add var taxes to prices for
the benefit Of the manufacturing monopo.
list on every article there sold.
Sir, We are all familiar with the name
applied 20 system Of government by
virtue Of which one class owns the labor
OF another class, and it is a moderate and
reasonable statement 20 make that the
American labOrer, and more especially
the farm lab0rer, IL already one third
slave by Lew, with The clatch, greed. and
power Of his MASTER the plutocracy. ia
creasing the degree and the degradation
of his sorvitude every hour. The Tcla-
tiOns OF the laboma1 classes to the fendai
barons Of Europe dusing the Middle Ages
were exactly tho rame ia principle as
those DOW existing between the labOging
CLASSES Of the United States and the fav-
orcd few, for whom they are hewers Of
wood and drawers Of va or
Cedric, the saxon, had no surer bold on
the services OF Gurih, the sWineherd. than
tie lords Of fhc money power have al
this time on the hard earnings or Amer.
can industry. Are we 10 be blind 10 The
lessons Of history There is always a
point in the oppression and enslaYamenf
OF labor where safety ceases and DANCER
begins. tax known as coryce in France.
requiring aHd enforcing gratuitous Lahore
on the part Of The Inhabitants Of
district for their lord OF the manor
was one of the sore grievances which
Jed 90 The French revolution. A French
writer thus describes tbo workings OF this
tax:
~ clus.s ed N n number 0f dasf nofE which the
..lf liH ftf rEHt fu require annually rfaHH of
llt. on. lf.Hnifi sven uHrialafyne. 1uig lnG.i
til1, 70 nnf Pr rclnvel 81 hus diY.
Sc might fe1Te ans sofi of i.af pillow fhe Irni.
ni ie haf1f. ffaiu Dis hedges fuatf aud elfnn 81
iIIHHl fIntf fnsf fHN nf FiH castle And a..tf
fft tin WafrI iu DE pond HH nirHi ~ Keen fho
~ iii ~ tuat nonseigneurs sleep should not bo
Well might Mirabcau denounce the
cSrvee tax as most cruel of ali servi. /
tudes," and yet The French peaantry
OF That period were no more required 20 I
render Urnfuifnua rpfvfeoa To the Eronoh I