The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-08-20


est work OF the children o. men.
/ touch upon these features Of
our social and polite al life, not
because they are unknown To
You, but because we cannot hope
for snccess till every producer
in the land is acquainted with
tha shortcomings of that sys-
tenn which has forced him in a
position but u shade removed
from that occupied by the Gre
clan heiot OF old. Education,
the power To think, the capaci-
~ to draw a conclusion from a
premise, are the practical les
sons that should be taught the
hard worked, ,ll-paid aud uu-
fortunate lnenbers of this great
Order. The ballot with which
this man is armed is a terrible
engine of destruction as we'll as
the only nope which, at the pre-
sent time MAKES life worth liv-
ing. In the hands OF the igno-
rant the lives and liberties OF
citizens are endangered, but in
the hands OF the enlightened it
is the destroyer of oligarchy,
the preserver and bulwark of
our freedom, and the nations
peace and happiness. Until q
larger element in a republic is
honest and enlightened it is a
republic only in name. Men
who have no honor to uphold
are entrusted with the power
and responsibilities of the most
dignitied Offices. They have
nothing to recommend them
| save their worldly possess ions.
These they have wrung from the
producers and these do they
lavisbIy expend in the passage
Of laws which still further arm
them with tho power OF bind
ing the laborer han1 and foot
Matters grow from bad to worse
and at last we awake to realize
that the monster we have crea-
ated is oligarchy, oligarchy in
its most terrible form.
Our lawmakers for years past
have been losing sight of the
main point which is that a re-
public is a form of government
wherein the laws are made look
ing to the welfare of majority
Of its citizens. If this be true
there is one government inaptly
called a republic. The MAORI
ty of the citizens OF the States
are agriculturists, and the tariff
! which seems to be the supreme
law Of the land protects only
the manufacturer. If We were
exclusively manufacturing peo-
there would be justice in exist
ing conditions, but since only
one man, we may say, out of five
thousand is a manufacturer, a
very little consideration will
show that four thousand nine
hundred and ninety-nine are
taxed for the benefit of the one
Pursuing this principle to its
greatest extreme you should find
the wealth Of the country CEN
tered in the hands of few
and such is actually the case. I
repeat that eighty per cent. Of
the entire wealth of the country
is either controlled Or owned by
combinations numbering more
than 81, 900 souls. Does not this
State Of affair." smack nightly
of the teudal system of the mid
die ages? One Of the greatest
men Ameri'a ever produced,
A Abraham Lincoln, saw this pic.
ture when he said: "You can
fool all the people part of the
time, a part OF the people all
the time, but you can't fool all
the people all the time" He
used these words in condemna-
ton Of the trusts and combines
which were already establishing
themselves and which he fore
saw would surely sap the life
blood Of the republic. He is not
yet wholly a prophet, for he pre-
dicted the downfall of the State
if such cancerous growth were
allowed to exist. Time may yet
prove him a prophet indeed.
Since the very foundation of
society it has been the province
of the bread-eaters tn solve the
political and social problems Of
the day. It seems, however,
that they are now powerless in
the face Of the complications
growing out OF their own ineff-
cheney. That prerogative now
falls to you, the bread-winners,
in whose tact, Judgment and
moderation I have the most i'm
plicit confidence.
In conclusion, then, I beg
leave to express to you my sim
cere thanks and appreciation for
the honor and courtesy which
have ever been bestowed upon |
my by you all, individually and |
severally, both AS private citi-
zen and and in my official capac-
ity. With best wishes, then,
and with we'll grounded hopes
for the future success Of the AL
lance, with heartfelt sympathy |
for the worthy struggling men
and Wn1nan Uh0GQ ehnn11or,