The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-11-01
DOWNFALL OF ANCIENT Ma
TIONS.
A SynsOpsis of Speech Delivered by
Invitation to the Eupeptic Springs
Alliance Sept. 1st, 1892, by DR.,
Jno. F. Foard, of Olin, N. c.

Invitation to the Eupeptic Springs
Alliance Sept. Ist, 1892, by DR.,
Jno. F. Foard, of olin, N. c.
LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND BRETHREN
We learn from sacred and profane
history of the birth, progress, wealth
and power of the many ancient nations
that once existed IN earth. but now
destroyed. Egypt, Chaldea, Persia,
Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Judea are
few of the great nations that arose,
fiourished and died from the same
causes, .. e., concentrated wealth,
power, luxury, lasciviousness, official
greed and oppression, which began in
cOvetOusness and ended in idolatry
and utter ruin. In all these countries
the masses or laboring people were
gradually, but rapidly reduced to alb
jecG slavery and want in the same ratio
that the wealth and power were con
centrated in the hands of the few. And
many observing people now believe
that England, France, Germany Spain,
United States of America, and other
modern nations are on the same down
ward inclined plane to ruin, and from
the same cause that produced the de
cay and death of the once great nations
of ancient times; and nothing but the
over ruling providences of the AL
mighty God can prevent the awful
catastrophe Our fOrefathers who set
tied this country, won their independ-
ence and established this republic, were
refugees from the tyranny and oppres
siOn of the old countries beyond the
Atlantic, Pevolted because of unjust
taxation, suffered the hardships of a
hInnHyy 1snvyn11IViry1 J5n1a rod nEN1
yet by the aid of merciful God and
their patriotic wills, they succeeded,
gained independence and left to their
pOs5eri5y the best government known
to the civilized world Yet In a little
over a century the greed of gain has
caused the usurers and money changers
(the class that Christ whipped out of
the temple in Jerusalem) of the mother
country, England, to manipulate our
finances and fasten their talOns into
the vItals of our nation, drain us of
our products and wealth by and
through cur legal representatives or
servants until we are In a condition of
servitude far worse than the African
slavery which the same people fastened
upon us and helped to release at such
great cost of blood and treasury to us
and profit to themselves. Our fore
fathers OF 1776 had not the hundredth
part of an excuse to TebeA and strike
for freedom that we have to. day. One
after anCthOr of tha nOsG unjust and
oppressive laws known to free people
have been enacted by our representa-
tives and instigated by the money
power of Europe, which have increased
our mlllionaires in thirty years from
two to many thousands, made million
of trampS, "a class unknown to us prior
to the late war; filled our land with
prisons. asylums, aims houses and dens
of iniquity which cannot accommodate
the tens of thousands of once happy
and prosperous people now applying
for admission, and reduced a vast ma
jOrity of our 64 600, 900 of people from
afHuence and plenty to abject want or
hard struggle for daily bread
The first and most of those iniquitOus
laws were passed by the Repu olican
party during and soon after the civil
war, which turned the old Wings OF
the South almost en- n1GSSe into the
Democratic party, which party has
been promising the people for twen y
five years to repeal those laws. 'Bu5, y
say they, 1--WE have not had the
power" 1t is true they have not ac-
Quired all the pOweP< but had they
faithfully used the power bestowed
upon them and convinced the people
that they honestly intended TO reform
the abuses put in force by the Repub
licans, more power would have been
given the Democratic leaders, and to
dav we would be free and prosperous
people or nation. Instead of that, how
ever, other and later and more infa
Il 1nTZo hnOV0 VNnnCn1 and old
ones made more oppressive until money
has become so scarce, the prices OF our
products 80 unremuneratlve, la lOr sc
depressed and disorganized as to de
prive millions of once thrifty people OF
homes and all other property, send
thousands to aims houses, asylums,
prisons, houses of i'll fame and prema
ture graves. and to day we are threa t
ened with a monarchial government
and abiect and perpetual slavery, II
will not do for our trusted Democratic
leaders to say they "could do nothing
to prevent or alter the present state OF
things" They have elected the Presl
dent vice Suffered themselves to be
cheated out of one) obtained the Senate
once and the Lower House several
times with good working majOritles
Yet with all this they have stood by
| with hands off or aided in cutting
down our circulating medium from
| over $50 per head of our entire popula
| tion by burning and otherwise destroy
ing our paper money, demOnetlzine
q currency that had been in active cir
culation and most efficient for a hun
dred years. increased the value of gold,
changed the contracts as to the bonds
| by which they are doubled In value
and to be paid. principal and interest
in gold the favored currency (and they
held by the gold gamblers of New York
and London) and perpeF sting this
bonded and gold debt. winch is so pay
for our cotton, wheat and other eX
ports instead of the legitimate exchange
-,-.,a.-c,t AhcA al .,,1c.ht