Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-11-21

-->>N> NAoSAS AOAU VII WA4Su w O0 udppys
In the course of time the king diet
and the lords died but the charters livet
and new kings and new lords profitet
by them. -. .,-
At last the people got so restless ant
made such grim threats. that the lord
were frightened, and when a rebellion
was Imminent the lords were on tn.
point of burning up their charters. Blu
this did not meet the views of the devil
and he put it into the heads of the PEG
pie who were paying for the right t.
work to buy the right of their lords fol
lump sum. OF course the lords were
glad to compromise in this way, and il
came about that each man VINO worked
in a certain place bought the right of his
lord to work there forever, him and his
children after him, and to sell the right
to others. 1t took a good many years tc
complete this change but when it was
done the devil rubbed his hands and
switched his tail gently, now this way
and now that, saying: Surely the devil
will be to pay!" s
|. And it was so.a I. IL. 80 ~
Some of the purchasers from the lords
found chat where they had the right, to
work they could make good deal with
only a little effort. and rsfound that
Where they had the right to work they
could only make little with great eff
fort; and thus ithappened that, the FIRST
and those who bought of them grew
rich and the others remained poor. And
those that grew rich did just what the
lords had done before Them; they sold
permission to work to the poor who had
no charters, and this proved so profta-
BILE that they were able themselves to
obey the old proclamation against work.
ing and yet to.;live i'll great comfort.
Like the lords from whom they had
bought, they were lazy and happy. +.
But the people were constantly beg
ging to be allowed to work, and the more
they begged the less attention was paid
to them. And when they didget a chance
to work they were not allowed to re.
ceive, no matter where they worked o,
how much they made, any more than thu
people who had charters to work in the
very poorest places in the kingdom. And
that was little enough, as every body
knew. =
Withal the people increased and null.
tiplied, and to help them out of their
trouble they invented great machines.
which did marvellous work; but neither
the people nor the machines could work
without permission Of charter owner,
and the more the people worked and the
more marvellous their machines the more
the charter owners charged them for the
right to work, until even the machines
fell into the hands of few, and the
people could not make new ones, he.
cause charters to work had become SO
valuable that except in'she very poor
est places only the few were able to buy
the right to work, and the poor were
trying to hire themselves out And so
1T appeared that, happen what might to
make work easier and moro fruitful, the
charter owners got all the benefit.
In these days 3 prophet arose who told
the people that the charter owners had
no right to forbid them to work nor any
right to make them pay for working.
But the charter owners rallied at the
prophet as adevil (the devil having put
it into their heads to- do SOY, saying,
"Have we not bought and paid for these
charters?"
And then arose a priest who, seeing
how the people We're oppressed and rob-
bed by the charters, denounced the
charters and demanded that they be
abolished; but the devil ordered the
priest to be put down, and he was put
down.
And yet every one marveled that there
were so many poor and that the poor in
creased. But the priests taught that it
was not marvellous, for God willed 1t,
whereat the devil. again rubbed his
hands together and gently switched his
tail, now this way, now that, saying to
''It won't be long now until the
devil is to pay!"
And he was right.
Pretty soon everything was in readi-
ness, and from advising King, and lord.
and charter owner the devil turned to
advising the poor,
'"See how the rich revel in the wealth
you have created!' he said to them.
""Why do you not burn and murder and
pillage? Is there no manhood in YOU?
Are you slaves?'
But at first the people protested that
they were opposed to murder and pill
lage, and asked why they should not
abolish the charters, as the prophet and
priest advised, which would need neither
murder nor pillage.
Away with your prophet and your
priest!'' shouted the devil. s"They are
in league with the rich. Make no half
way measures! Let there be no COM
promise! Lay waste! Lay waste! See,
I will set you an example," and with
that tho devil touched tile tip of his tail
to the palace of a charter owner and in
stantly it was ablaze; and then the dew
Ills scheme, SO patiently planned, cul-
Like rats from their holes
rushed million debased and desperate
men. Half famished and all in rags,
aiming at nothing and caring for moth
ing, spurred on by revenge, hitting
right and left, burning, killing, plum
dering, they laid waste the land.
The devil was indeed to pay!
LEWIS FIEELA.7D.
5.y.,, The True Doctrine.
BY ...land"-as used BY Henry George