The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-11-15
THE SLAVE POWER
40 and
THE MONEY POWER.

I'VE ask all our subscribers to care
fully read this remarkable article.
1t is from the November number of
that great Boston magazine "The
Arena" 1t is a clear and cOgent
statement of facts Of great import
ance to all voters. After you have
read it circulate the paper among
your neighbOrS-even among those
who are bitterly h stile to populist
opinions. The truth must have
weight with all fair minds. We
have written to Mr.. B. O. Flower,
editor Of the Arena for permission
to republish the article and he has
kindly consented,
1t will be continued from week to
week until finiShed.-ED. REP.
BY c. W. CRAM, M. D.
That the present condition of our
country, industrially and politically,
is decidedly alarming, all good citi-
zens must admit. And they must
desire as clearly as possible to un-
derstan the difficulties in the way
between us and general diffusion
of happiness and prosperity. To
achieve this purpose we must think
for ourselves, and study the cold
facts of impartial political history.
Subsidized editors or other inter-
ested persons should not be allowed
to warp or shape our opinions or
prejudice our views.
Zone man may aver one thing, and
another another" said Lord Coke,
"but the proof Of the verify is the
record" With this great truth in
view, propose looking backward for
as close a view of the political his
tory of our republic as the limits of
this article will allow. We will ap-
peal to the record for guidance.
During the administration of
President Jackson, two questions of
grave import were presented for ad-
justment, and the directness and
vigor with which he decided them
attracted much attention. These
were the notification and bank
questions. And they were incidents
of the slave power and the money
power, to which I will now call at
tention.
AS early in the colonial history of
our country as the year 1919, slaves
were landed at Jamestown, Va.
Subsequently others were landed
there, and at other ports, by British
slave traders. The colonists, in
many instances, opposed this intro
duction of slaves, and passed laws to
prevent it. But in the time Of
Queen Anne, Parliament reversed
the colonial laws, and opened every
American port to slave merchants,
and the slave trade thereby received
strong stimulus. Oglethorpe for
awhile appears to have succeeded in
keeping slaves out of Georgia.; but
upon his departure all barriers were
broken down, and Georgia became
a slave colony.
In the constitutional convention
there was strong desire to liberate
all the slaves. To uphold and prop
agate a system of servitude was alb
horrent to the noble men who we're
framing new government and ded-
icating it to freedom. Yet the
poverty Of the planters was such at
the close Of the war that abolition
Of slavery seemed impracticable.
However, they decided that it must
ultimately be abolished, and to ex-
pedite this cOnsummation they pro-
vided for the extinction of the Amer
lean slave trade.
Then the new ship of state was
launched, with a supposed cargo of
equal rights for all men. Washing
ton was in command, and the young
republic started out to find a better
and broader way for human progress.
In contamination of this design,
Virginia not only voted to accept the
constitution, but prohibited the i'm
portation of slaves. And in 1887,
when congress organized the North
west Territory, the vote to prohibit
| slavery was unanimous.
| But here a marked hiatus inter-
vened, followed by the desire to in
fuse new life into the vile institu-
ton. This disposition of slavery to
recuperate seems to have been stimuli
| taneOus with the establishment of
the first national bank in 1871. This
moneyed institution opened nation
al purse, and gave a strong impulse
to speculation and ownership Of
black la Dor was the only monopoly
outside of bank interest; it appeared
to offer to the capitalist the most lu-
crative way of investment. So slav-
cry, that had been ebbing it's life
away, felt the spur of the speculat-
i've tendency the bank had aroused,
and stoutly mounted upon the flow of
the tide. From that time the cupid
ity of the planter frightened it's hold
on an institution that gave him the
| T.: