The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-11-24
HISTORY REPEATs.
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drawn from history. The French re-
voIution and the reign of terror was
caused by the extravaganza of the mob
les, the corruption of the court of |
Louis XVI. France, in 1883 contained |
the largest landed estates and the most |
heartless landlords of Europe. The |
people were disheartened, homeless |
and starving. The revolution followed
with its reign of terror. Out of the
smoke and carnage came the republic |
in 1892. What were the causes of this
political upheava1? The poverty and
distress of the people, the depressed
condition of the national finances and
taxation.
Out of the confusion and political
changes following the French revolu-
ton came the coup de etat and empire
of Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1904 After
Napoleon's brief and meteoric career of
about . years he was banished to St.
Helena and died in 1921. After brief
reign of the restored Bourbons, Louis
XVIII and Charles X, which lasted
about 10 years the people again rebel
led, sacked the Tuileries, and placed
Louis Philippi, the citizen king upon
the throne, in $780, This king endeav-
ored to prevent reform banquet given
in honor of Washington's birthday
Feb. %, 1913, but an instruction drove
him from France. Louis Napoleon was
elected first president in 1848, but in
1851 by coup de etat was declared
emperor. He remained upon the throne
until the Franco-Prussian war in 1870.
France made rapid strides under the
empire of Napoleon III mainly through
his policy of internal improvements.
Commerce, manufactures and the arts
we're fostered, money was plenty and
business good
Out of the Franco-Prussian war came
the French republic It paid off in 10
years the huge indemnity to Prussia of
f15,OOO,OOO,OOO in gold and is today the
most prosperous nation of Europe if
not of the world. Why was this? The
issue of large amount of paper money
in French assignats, the coinage of
large amounts of silver, the adopting
of double standard, both gold and
silver being coined and freely circulat-
ed. The French people have come
safely out of all their financial and po-
litical turmoil and strife, happy, free
and prosperous people.
Take English history in the reign of
Charles I, prior to the commonwealth.
What we're the causes of his downfall?
Excessive taxation in order to carry on
an unjust war with Spain. He imposed
a high protective tariff. He executed
his exactions by means of the court
of the Star Chamber. The people were
impoverished and oppressed. The En-
glish revolution followed between the
king and nobility on one hand and par
lament and the common people on the
other. The king was defeated and be-
headed in 1649 and the English COM
monwealth was established. The career
of the commonwealth under Cromwell
was prosperous, and the achievement
of the English people we're brilliant on
land and sea.
What was the matter with George III
and the colonists? Taxation without
representation. It was tariff and the
money question, besides his other arbi-
: trary acts.
It will be seen that many of the trag-
: ic acts upon the theatre of the worlds
history have sprung from the impover-
ishment of the people, and that in this
drama, money and taxation have play
ed a very important part.
What was the war of the rebellion all
about? Money in slaves. Preceding
it by about 80 years was the resistance
of the tariff by the qualification act
Later there was the controversies
about the national bank charter"
Later still the opposition to the extern
sion of slavery. -
To summarize-money, taxation, the
privileged few against the many, were
the conditions precedent to the war, of
sections" Do not these conditions
exist today, and is not their existence
a menace of the peace of the republic?