Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-06-13
PETERS War On Civilization.

Ii the COXoylCeS TO WnOm senator
PETER made speech the other day
| were intelligent enough to understand
the force of what he said to them they
must have felt that their programme
of getting a liberal income without
work was confronted with insup ,rable
obstacles. The Kansas Senator explain
ed she failure of Congress to act on the
various bills he had introduced for tax
ing from people who have and giving
to people who have not by saying that
the Tariff bill was in the way, the
churches were in the way. the newspa-
pers were against it, and the money
power, with its headquarters in Wall
street, was in the way. The Tariff bill
is temporary obstacle; some time or
other it will be out of the way. The
other obstacles are permanent. To Mr..
PETER they probably present them
selves as various forms of evil. His
hearers recognized them rightly enough
as their enemies, but probably had not
intelligence enough to appreciate the
significance of this enmity.
The churches represent Il very wide
spread, tenacious and powerful opin-
ion. They represent most of the con-
servatism of the community and large
portion of its conscience. They differ
-
points. If they are substantially all
agreed, as Mr.. PETER says, in opposition
to his projects, he has embarked on
long war, and it is not worth while for
the Coxeyites to tarry in Washington
in the hope of seeing and celebrating
his victory.
The newspapers represent tn lutalil
gence of the cob munity, its prcgres-
siveness, and its radica!ism. Every
shade of rational opinion is represent
ed among them, every new departure
that does not lead straight TO ruin has
some champions among them, every
porty influence and Interest and ambi
ton has some of them under its con-
troll. If Mr.. PETER can lump the news
papers together and say that they OPP
pose him, he will fiud that his cam
paign of education will have to start
soon and reach every hamlet and stay
long in the field before he has support
ers enough to make the consideration
of his bills by Congress worth while.
The money power which Mr.. PETER
says is against him is the right of pri-
vate property; it is the difference be-
tween civilization and barbarism, and
the main difference between man aud
the lower animals. Mr.. PETER has in
deed undertaken great task if he has
started out to overturn civilization and
to make the possession of property de-
pendant upon the wishes of mass meet
ings of those who have not. If money
is to be loaned OF terms fixed by the
borrower, the first and severest suffer
ers will not be the possessors of wealth,
but those who have occasion to borrow
it. If the returns of every investor are
to depend upon such a body as the
Kansas Legislature, the farmer may
haul his stuff to market himself; those
whom Mr.. PETER dencunces as the enc
mics will not provide his country with
railroads.
In advising his hearers how to pro-
ceed, the Kansas Senator said: "Some
men YOU must sit down with and con-
vert tt! cir reason; others must be reach
ed by warming their hearts, while there
are others still that you must take by
the throat and intimidate." The Sena-
tors listeners, who constitute the
strugglers, the malingerers and the
camp followers of the real Industrial
Army, that is the army of those who
are Industrious, will do well to confine
their efforts at conversion to the reason
and the hearts of the people of the
United States. Just so sure as they
NEEDLE with threats they will find
themselves in the hands of the sheriffs,
the militia and the regular troops. If
they do not let throats alone they will
be locked up, dubbed or shot to death
as the occasion may require. That
public sentiment which is represented
by the churches, the newspapers and
the money power Is quite willing to
have its reason and its heart appealed
to, but it is very fastidious about it's
throat.-N Y Journal of Commerce.