Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-02-18
AN ADDRESS
BY the Executive Committee of the Ma
tiOnaI Citizens Alliance.


ton of Independence; when they framed
that truly wonderful and inspired in
strument, the Constitution of the United
States, they gave to the world what
would have been to-day, had their in
tentions been carried out, the best gov
ernment that man has ever seen. They
doubtless went as far as it was possible
for mortal men to go with the light
which God at that time had given them:
they saw as far as it was possible
for human wisdom and foresight at
that time to foresee. And there can be
no question raised at this day that
would impeach the assertion, that the
document was intended to protect every
individual in those rights that had been
SO ably defined in the Declaration of
independence, upon which it had been
framed, viz: THAT we hold these
truths to be self evident; that all men
are created equal; that they are en-
doVed with certain inalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty and
tie pursuit of happiness. And had
these grand truths been as sacredly
guarded by their posterity as they were
earnestly fought for by the fathers,
their children might to-day by enjoying
the fullness of the fruits for which they
bled. But unfortunately for the pres
ent generation such has not been the
case.
When this Government was formed it
was composed of but little over 8, 900, 600
ofpeople, stretching along thirteen hun
dred miles of sea-coast, and extending
into the country in the fartherest point
not to exceed three hundred miles.
Since that time we have extended this
area until it is three thousand miles one
way from ocean to ocean and two thou
sand the other, extending from the great
lakes to the gulf. We have multiplied the
population twenty fold. AT that time
there were no special privileges granted
by the Government save those of the
toll roads. Since that day we have
multiplied these special privileges q
thousand fold, in the form of railroads
representing thousands of different cor
porations, comprising something like
100000 miles of improved highways,
with an aggregate capital in stocks and
bonds of upward of $1,000, 900, 900, and
Poor's Railway Manual, which is
standard authority, places the fictitious
portions of this at fully one-third. And
every one of these corporations receives
its power to exist from the fountain
of government our legislative bodies.
Then come the thousands of cities
and towns, deriving their powers to ex-
1st from the same fountain head of
government, our legislative bodies,
State and National Following them
are the thousands and thousands of
street railways, gas and water works
companies, each deriving its power to
live by statute law enacted by some
legislative body. Again, there are
the great insurance companies of the
land with combined capital of 81, S15,-
900, 600, and risks to the amount of $1O,-
24S, 900, 900.
Then last, but not by any means
least, are the great banking interests of
the country with a capital of $977, ,OOO,-
600. One of these, the special pet of the
Government, the National Banking in
terest, derives its very existence from a
special privilege in the form of
franchise, that with cap
ital never to exceed $3.50, 600, 900,
has in twenty-four years paid
its stockholders upward of s., 900, 900, 900
in dividends, has at the present time
Surplus of S1s7, 292, 469.97, and other un-
divided profits amounting to $66, 3O2, :
639.02. This franchise alone has been
worth mofe to the stockholders of these
banks during the twenty-four years
that they have held it than the total
National debt at the close of our last
war;
Every one of these corporate powers
that we have herein enumerated re-
ceives its power to exist and live from
the fountain head of government, and
every one of them is constantly looking
to their mother, the State, for in
creased powers at her hands to despoil
the people of their inheritance, until
the State has herself become weak
and is begging and entreating to
be let alone. Our legislators have by
statute laws given these corporations
upward of 200, ,00O,O 900 acres of land;
they have loaned them the Government
credit to the extent of nearly S10O, ,000,-
900 more They have farmed out to
them the privilege Of common carriers,
by which they have extorted from the
people thousands of millions of dollars
in the form of excessive rates of freights
in order that they might be able to reap
large returns upon fictitious bonds and
stocks. They have farmed out to bank
ing corporations the governmental func-
ton of issuing money, anA by which
they have by vicious methods caused
the stringency in the money market
that has strewn the pathway of
161, 1872 business men with financial
wrecks to the amount of S3, 3,919,-
394, S24 during the last quarter of
a century. And by the eame process
the great loan and trust companies have
been compelled to fcreclose the mort
cages upon our land-holders to the ex-
tent of several billions more during that
period of time, until our Nation is fast
approaching that state of things which
Rome experienced on the eve of her
downfall, when the land of the people
had been taken from them by usurers,
and her tillers of the soil were COM
PEELED to leave the country and congre-
gate in the city. and while her seven
hills were bedecked with the palaces of
the rich, thousands upon thousands of
| her toilers were sleeping on the streets
at night, with nothing but the broad
canopy of heaven for a shelter
These gigantic corporations are con-
stantly gnawing at every tissue of the
Government. They are sucking the
blood from the every pore. Their
mailed hand is thrust into every con-
vention of the two predominating po-
litical parties. They fashion the party
platforms. They dictate the issues that
shall be discussed by their party orators
i -
dictate who shall be Speaker of the
House OF Representatives They com-
mand who shall ne the chairIneA of the
committees in our legislative hslls.
They make and unmake Presidents and
Cabinets. They elect and appoint
judges, and if the reports of the daily
press are to be relied upon, they aee
ROVE gacf,effu ysaoi1iux. g. = -