Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-09-13
NATIONAL ISSUES.
Buchanan on the Great Political Ques
sA tons Of the Day.

which touches National issues. We
commend it for careful perusal to all
who would vote intelligently in the
coming contest.
ALIEN OWNERSHIP OF LANDS.
In the golden days of democracy
the national territory was extended
by the purchase OF Louisiana to the
Gulf of Mexico on the south, and
westward from the Mississippi to the
Pacific, making an area three times
as vast as the entire territory contain
ed in the original thirteen states,
giving an outlet for trade and COM
merce, and increasing the immense
territory for homes for the people.
Who own these lands today? 172, 2l6,-
600 acres are owned by favored rail-
road corporations; 2O,5OO,OOO acres
have been granted to other corpora
tons; 6l,9OO,OO0 acres are in fee sim
pie and 9O,OOO,OOO acres, through
mortgage assignments, are owned
and controlled by aliens, who reside
in other countries, reap the benefits
but do not share the expenses of the
government and share the RESPONSE
bility of American citizenship. Only
small per cent. of the lands that
should be restored to the people has
been recovered. More lands in the
United States are owned by English
landlords than is contained in the
whole of England, Scotland and Ire
land. England, with her gold and
diplomacy, seems to be endeavoring
to accomplish the conquest she failed
to win over our forefathers by the
bayonet. Such is the way in which
the republican party has guarded the
interest of the people for the last thir-
ty years. Well may we feel sympa-
. thy for Ireland in her struggle for
home rule "a fellow feeling makes
us wondrously kind" Democracy
waits to welcome all who come to
identify themselves with American
interests and become an integral part
of the common veal, "the land of the
free and the home of the brave
But she demands that the public
lands shall be held sacred as home
steads for American citizens.
OUR MONETARY SYSTEM.
We point with pride today to the
fact that when democratic principles
ruled the affairs of the government
the monetary system was managed
with such justice and equity that tht
wealth was more evenly distributed
among the whole people; advance
ment and prosperity was more gener
al. In 1860 there was so little cen
tralization of wealth in the United
States that there were only two mil
lionaires and tramps were unknown
Thirty years of republican rule anC
legislation, dictated by the none!
power, has created 1000 million
aires, owning a sum of thirty.siX bill
lions Of dellars, and the tramps hav
increased in like ratio until there ar
multiplied thousands. The capital
lists own today 805 of the nation
wealth and less than 10 per cent. c
the entire people own this vas
amount. The world has never see
such aggregation of wealth in s
short time. In thirty years tn
United States has almost trebled he
wealth. Although the youngest ma
ton she is the richest. Fortunes ar
built up in day and millions ar
made on the turn of a trade. Bu
has this vast amount of centralize
wealth brought prosperity and hal
piness to the masses of the people
On the contrary, there has nevt
been such deprivation, such financi'
distress, so many failures in bushes
so many mortgages on the home
and such want. Between the soil
money power and those who woul
centralize the government there
such bond of union that we hay
today strong centralized govern
ment protecting the money pow,
and upholding the republican part,
and both are using their vast powe
in every department of the govern
ment in making the few richer an
the poor poorer.
In all governments there are tV
opposing forces-the forces of centra
izing power and the force of the wi
Of the people. Nations have fallt
as the centralized power has conque
ed the will of the masses. Histol
tells us that when darkness settle
over Egypt and she lost her pla
among the nations, only per cent