The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-05-14
MORE ABOUT TRUSTS.
MAI. RAGLAND WRITES
AGAIN.
lie Supplements His Former Re-
marks and Quotes Eminent
Authority to Sustain His
Position.
HYCo, Va, April 20; 1891.

QedFOIeO 10 SuO" THAT VIC "CIC IOll-
fronted by condition, not theory;
that there was growing inequality in
the condition of the citizens of this re-
public that augured no good to society
or government; that trusts were HARM
full and ought to be suppressed Or kept
by law within safe and harmless
bounds.
There have been many epochs in
the history of the world, variously
styled as the primitive age, the dark
age, the age OF renaissance and the
modern and enlightened age. We
read, too, of the iron age, the golden
age, the poetic age, and the age of
chivalry. We live in the industrial
age, an age of development and utili-
tarianism above all others, and as
savants tell US, as par excellence, the
intensely egoistic or selfish age,
The ruling dominating principle in
the ages of the world, melting and
stimulating and governing mans &C
tivities, is the love of power, "the de.
sire of the individual to impose his
will, his personality, his views, his in
dividuality in the widest sense of the
word upon every one within the sphere
Of his existence" The consequence
of such achievement of dominance and
power in the individual means arrog-
ating to Understanding that belongs
to others, and Just in proportion to
the deprivation of independence in
others will be the usurpers increase
of power to first subjugate and reduce
others to subserviency, to be followed
afterward by oppression and spoilation.
On this principle originated the no
bilisy and aristocracy of the old world,
and on this same principle has been
built up plutocracy in this country.
The one nobility of blood, the other
a snobocracy of wealth and just as
the people found it necessary to cur
tail the assumption and power of the
nobility and ruling class Of the old
world, will they surely find it impera-
lively necessary to CrCumsCrlbe the
power and arrogance of money under
the control Of plutocrats in this re-
public. The safety, aye the salvation
of the republic demands it, and it is
only question of time, and to prove
efectual must be of short duration.
Come mo ut "a ran6 .
ing consequences OF the unbridled lust
for power through the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
of the wealth of this country into the
hands of few designing and unscrupu-
lous individuals of the character of one,
who, when demonstrated with in regard
to his policy being hurtful to the
people replied, "the people be damned. y
And this utterance of itself demon
strates cause for the low mutterng
thunder that is being heard from time
to time all over this land and liable to
burst forth like volcano and carry
destruction and death before it.-NerO
flddling while Rome was burning
ALL DANGER AHEAD.
The situation is evidently grave
one, when we see the ablest defender
of the existing economic condition in
this country, Mr.. Carnegie, finds it
necessary to write long apology on
wealth and the methods of the wealthy
in this republic. Mr.. Carnegie, it
must be remembered, is to some ex-
tent, scion of nobility, financially at
least if not by blood. a Scotchman
by birth, an American nobleman by
development, he views the question
only from one standpoint, and that
personal. He is. assuredly an able,
shrewd man, and has amassed a for
tune that would have endowed the
kings of old Scotia for generations
under the ancient dynastics of her
brave and chivalrous race. But an
able English humanitarian, DR.. Hughes,
styles MIR. Carnegie an anti-Chrlstian
phenomenon, social monstrosity, a
grave political peril. Thanks to un-
restricted competition and the tariff,
he has pocketed much more than his
equitable share of the joint product OF
labor and capital. If he thinks that
he has made this great pile, so to speak,
on his own bat let him set up business
on a solitary island and see how much
he can net annually without the CO.
operation of his 10000 men and the
ceaseless bounties of the vanishing
Republican majorities in Congress. !"
The toilere of this country send grateful
thanks to the noble hearted divine for
his brave true words, and to the Demo
cratic party that helped to make them
true!
Cardinal Gibbons, in his most able
and suggestive paper in the April
North american Revieao, "Wealth and
its Obligations" commenting on DR..
Hughes paper in the December Nine
tenth Century, irresponsible Wealth, ~
says: written and published a few
short weeks after the political upheaval
OF November last, (alluding to the
political cyclone that swept the Repub-
lican party from power, these words,
quoted above, ring out defantly from
the citadel of free trade" l need not
write of Cardinal Gibbons to American
readers; man of the highest attain
ments and tenderest human sympa-
thIes, and, although occupying the
most exalted position of his church in
America, he does not consider it be-
Meath his dignity to espouse the cause
OF the poor and oppressed, and does
1t with the zeal of a divine and the
ability of 4 statesman.
What has the Cardinal to say on the
subject of a high protective tariff
which, more than any other agency
has contributed to the formation Of
trusts, syndicates and monopolies 70,
robblng the people, to build up col.
iossal fortunes for their organizers
va col