The advocate., 1894-04-25

nOnleSCeaO, winch perseverance IN CnaC
legislative policy made it impossible
for him to pay when it was due. He
had been guilty of no wilful default; he
was the helpless victim of general con-
dltions deliberately brought about by
wholesale corruption of congress and
the legislature of his state. Heartless,
pitiless, greedy wealth had deliber-
ately plotted his ruin. He could not
pay his mortgage; his government had
made payment impossible. Yet his home
is to be torn from him. The law treats
him as harshly as if he were criminal
whose heinOus deeds had shown him
unfit to live among men. What hand
had you, my old veteran, in wreaking
the ruin you see? Listen! Some men
whose hearts have been touched by such
scenes, whose indignation has been
aroused at such atrocities perpetrated
in the name of justice, have urged that
the law should be so changed that no
man could be thus driven from his
home while general conditions made
payment of debts impossible. They
have cOntended that it would be but
just that the consequences of a public
calamity should be shared by mort
gagees, and not be borne alone by un-
fortunate mortgagOrs. They have said,
"Let the mortgages on the homes of
Sam CotterellS remain in force; let no
man lose dollar of these mortgage
debts; but stay for a while the rapac-
ious hand that would drive out the un-
happy householdS-Stay it till those
responsible for this general distress
shall have caused that distress to cease.
Men with warm heartS-many of them
old soldiers-have proposed this hu-
name policy; and would it not be just
policy, too? How have you greeted
these men-this proposal? Scheming
Wretches, through their suborned ora
tors and newspapers, have cried, ere
pudiationl These calamity howlers are
running the credit of the state! Stand
up for Kansas To retain the good
opinion of Eastern Shylocks you were
asked to ruin the homes and blight the
lives of the Kansas Cotterells; and oh,
the shame of it! thousands of old SOL
diers have said by their votes, "We
consent! Throw the Cotterells out! Let
us win the applause of the benefcent
usurerS, no matter for the fate of our
comrades" Within two years l have
seen a mob assemble at the capitol of
Kansas and threaten with death these
humane men whose only crime was
that they sought control Of the state
government in order to protect Kansas
homes; and among the members of
that mob were men who wore the
badge of the Grand Army of the Re-
public! Their feeling of comradeship
for the veterans living in mortgaged
homes should have made the soldiers
of Kansas rally long ago to protect
these victims OF usury, instead of mob
bing others who were seeking to do this
patriotic deed Cast no stones at that
sheriff, my old veteran. Down on your
knees, rather, and pray heavens for
giVeness of your yet greater sin. Bet
ter still, bring forth fruits meet for
repentance by hencefOrth joining the
calamity hoWlers'' you have hitherto
ignorantly denounced while 10000
homes have been desOlate. Say what
you will of the Peoples party, is it not
to-day the only hope of the poor9 Or
ganized greed has seized the name and
the machinery of the once noble repub-
lican party, and having expelled its
soul, now deceives the people with
Satan in an angels guise. With its in
terest, profits and dividends it robs you
of the just value of your labor, and
then, to keep you still, gives back
tithe in the form of pension! What
trickl But let us return to Sam Cot
terell's affairs.
When DR.. Darlington returned to
Golden that night, he learned that the
sheriff had made arrangements to go
with his deputies and eyict Cotterell
the day after the morrow. The next
don tho nnnAnr nnnnlnund ON nffnrnnn