The morning call., 1894-04-30
SOWING TIE WIND.

There are now number OF so-called
armies moving in the direction of Wash
ington. Their purpose is not to capture
the city by furce, but rather to convince
the lawmakers gathered there that there is
another power in the United States than
the money power. AS one of the leaders
has said. the purpose of the march upon
Washington is tC impress Congress. The
idea at one time prevailed that Congress
could be impressed from distance. Mon
ster petitions were prepared and carted to
the national capital as merchandise would
be. But when the novelty had worn off
Congress ceased to pay much attention TO
petitions. 1t was such an easy thing to put
ones name on roll OF paper that the
number of names attached to any one Pc
tition ceased TO have weight A good many
years ago some astute men discovered the
advantage OF actual presence among law
makers. The force seeking to impress
Congress then was not called an army; it
was called lobby. The lobby did not have
to beg it's way to the capital. The men,
bers of it slipped into the city quietly but
with arms in their pocket-books. They
were mild-mannered and persuasive. Their
purpose was not to threaten Congress
men, but to enlighten them. They i'm
pressed Congress with their views in
regard to some special measure under
con sideration. A gentleman named Hun
tington was at one time reputed to
be a kind Of commander-in-chet of one
of these well-organiZed Hobbies. No one
objected to his presence in Washington.
though be impressed Congress to such
an extent that himself and his three asso-
cates blossomed out few years later as
multi-millionaires, and their wealth has
since been traced by committee of Con-
gress to the projects Mr.. Huntington then
impressed upon the mind of Congress.
The present movement upon Washington
is not half so dangerous as that. If Con-
gress should issue S10O0OO,000 in non
interest bearing notes, which it certainly
will not do, and set the Industrial army at
work it would not do one-tenth the harm
to the country that the Congress of thirty
years ago did when it allowed itself to be
impressed by the money power as repre-
sented by the Hobbies. The legislation Of
the nation was then started In direction
which led TO maestrom. Hundreds Of
millions of the peoples money has been
voted into the pockets OF the sleek and oily
gentlemen who camped not near but with
in Washington - who took members of
Congress into their private reception
rooms and impressed them with the kind
of argument which they perceived would
have the greatest weight result OF this
kind OF legislation. which cannot be too
often used by way of Illustration, is the
brutal refusal of The Department Of Justice
to defend titles to land sold to poor men by
the Department of the Interior. The cor
poration which acquired title to floating
grant of land which was not located until
twenty years later is held in so much dread
by the Department OF Justice that the pur-
chasers Of land within the grant are denied
the ordinary redress of q defense of title
granted by Government.
Governments cannot do these things
with impunity. The fact that the form
of government is republican does not re-
lieve it of responsibility. If the govern
ment was despotic in form there might be
menace of war in this marching army,
but as it is, the whole purpose of the
movement will be accomplished when
Congress is so impressed as to do common
justice between classes of citizens.