Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-04-25
THE CIVIL PRELIMINARY TO AN IN.
FAMOUS PLOT.
icon lmunicated-continued from l..t We.

Dirtn right for a mess Of pottage
craft y men have taken advantage of
the physical necessities of
OF their less artful brothers:
since that day too, hungry
men. have been selling the birth
right of their liberty for a mess of
pottage which barely enable them to
exc out miserable existence; from
the days of Esau to the present time
two classes of people have existed
upon this earth, the class who live
by honest labor, the other who live
off of honest labor. From earliest
times the one class have lived by
tilling the soil raising flocks and hides
delving in mines, working in wood,
brass and iron or deriving their sub
sii'tence from the waters over which
God had given them dominion, the
other class consisted of rowing ban
dts, who under chiefs or leaders sub
sisted by swooping down upon and
paundering the honest toilers; some
times strong band would take pos
session of a rich territory, subdue
its people and divide the spoils
among themselves. The chief be-
came king, the brigands nobility and
the conquered people, who only the
day before were happy possessors Of
homes, became the slaves of this
robber band who ruthlessly wrench
ed from them their homes and the
products Of their toll.
To-day the same two classes exist
as of old, not only in Europe but in
this America, which gave such glo-
rious promise of protection to its
tc'iling people. True, the robber
chiefs of our times have not, by
physical force, taken possession of
our toilers and the products of their
labor; they did not swoop down upon
these people with bayonets and bow
lie knives, they did not say to them,
we have conquered your country
and you are our slaves; ali, no. The
terms robber and brigands are too
harsh; civilization has advanced,
and these terms are obnoxious to
the refined intelligence of the age.
The civilized brigandage of to-day
is ashamed Of It's ancestry, but its
appetite for plumber is no less raven
Gus and daring. Modern brigand
age is carried on under more eupho-
NOUS titles. Instead Of "robber-king
and brigand chief" we have to-day
the money king, the coal king, the
cattle king, the railroad magnate, the
telegraph monopolist and the lum-
Der baron. Instead of spoils and
plumbers we have interest, dividends,
rents and revenues. The system of
American government as instituted
by our fathers afforded little, if any
opportunity for robbery ana oppres-
sion. Having successfully repealed
their enemies across the water their
power was established and the civil
lied world stood in awe Of the young
republic. Not crowned head of
Europe aspired to clip the wings of
the young American eagle, and for
four score years the proud bird soar
ed defantly through the American
heavens or lowered above the sacred
temple of our liberties. But alas, in
an evil hour the tempter came, the
guardians were betrayed and the very
sanctuary of our liberties became the
charnel-house Of American freedom
and the market place of American
honor.
Thirty years ago the American
laborer was a prospective lord. He
saw before within his ranch home
Of plenty for his family and an old
age Of comfort for himself. The
bright picture before him inspired
industry, economy and sobriety and
the labOrer was a peaceful, sober,
respected citizen. The condition Of
the American people less than half
a century ago is graphically portray
ed by Charles Dickens who visiting
in this country in 1842 wrote from
| Boston to a friend in London:
There is not a man in this town mol
in this state who has not a blazing
fire and meat every day for dinner,
nor would a flaming sword in the
air attract more, attention than g
beggar in the& eets." But to-day
what is the outlook for the wage
worker of this country? He sees be.
fore him only toll, unremitting, half
requited toll. Hope dies in his bosom,
dependency takes possession of his
heart, and unless sustained by g
strong faith and a giant will he
breaks beneath the weight Of opres.
sion, seeks3relief in suicide. a grave
or worse still, attempts to drown
his grief in the Intoxicating
cup and finally drifts into the greaI
army Of inebriates.
We are now led te the nnost;on