The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-11-22
OUR ROYAL ROBBERS
THE USES AND THE ABUSES OF
GOVERNMENT.
Our Government Has Degenera:ed Into y
M"nsrchy-A Dtsp"tism OF Corporate
USurp,inn Revolution Either Through
the Ballot or by Force is Coming.
Said the inspired pen of the Amt
\ Republic in Theory.

lcau IthoIlitlpu
Society III every state is :. blessing. but Coy
eminent. III its Gt I state !, a necessary
evil III its worst stat. Utplerttbe one,
FOR Wien suffer. nr OK :,n>e TO tne same
mi>eries by Government. which We lnl. 1T
eApect Ill L country without Government. our
calamity Is heightened nf the reflection that
We furnish the means 10y which we suffer, The
INABILITY OF moral virtue to govern eOlletE,
ANA to protect lneu III their natural rights.
renders Government necessary. hence the lu..
design ana end OF ,,over,lineItS il the free
dom and security o1 eotiet!. Tie true l;tea OF
Government IS drawn IRON Il l,rln lple III ma
ture. Viz. the more simple 'nins Is the less
liza bic Is II To be disor,:ered aud the easier
paired, WteiI .>''rt.t."u.
All powers exercised by the Gov
eminent over IA people, must have an
origin some beginning. 1t must be
either delegated or assumed. There
are 40 other sources. All delegated
power is trust, and all assumed power
is usurpation. Time does not alter
tie nature of either. The monarchlal
Governments Of he old world. estab
lished in the dark or middle ages.
were organized by robbery.
These powers were nsurped, and At
forwards sustained nv armed force.
The roya! houses" of Europe refer to
rohl'er castles. aud the ancestors of
ROYAL families We're rnbbtr chiefs.
Tyranny aud the sword suspended the
exercise and enjoyment of natural
rights and Esurped power to enforce
wrongs. An, t!at their usurped pow
er might he pcrp.tuated in their pros
perity. they provided that the owner
ship of estates and h. sce,,tor of pow
CT should be hereditary. The sole OBJ
iert of this form of Government WAS to
Il -. L.
and their heirs forever. to live in regal
luxury and spicndor upon the labor of
the tOilino many who were forced to
submit TO the bondage for the sake of
existence.
How were the peorl. robbed? At
that PERIOD the earth, and what IT
produced was tue principal source OF
wealth. Tie wealth OF the earth con-
sisted of bread, meat, wines. skin and
wool or fur for clothing. and minerals
for tools and ornaments. The earth
ticn was the only source OF wealth.
When a rohbcr chief. with his armed
ban: suldued Il counirN, he divided
the soil among his chl,ftains accord
ing t" grade, re>ervinG to himself the
largest share. WITH the soil went the
toiiers, who We're obliged to give the
fat of the land 20 the LORD or baron,
for the sake of existence and protect
ion against smaller robbers.
BY monopoliZing the means of life,
the mobility. as these boss robbers
were styled, controlled labor, and by
controlling and monopoliZing natures
resources and the forces of production,
the mass OF the people became reduced
to q condition of abject and absolute
slavery. In this condition generation
after generation came and went, and
for posteritv there WAS no hope, for
the powers which bound them were
hereditary.
In formulating the Government Of
tins Republic, our fathers designed to
provide against the perpetlation Of
vast estates. and the hereditary sue
cession of power. by ignoring the law
of |rimogeniture. :.nd the choice of
all public servants through universal
suffrage. For ihrce quarters of a
century this system pre- vailed with
satisfactory results, until Il new ele-
ment cane 20 the trout in the form of
Il corporate nobility, with full fiedSeI
power of prlmoreni'nre and the I'M
mortality of hereditary succession.
This corporate mobility. this royal
family of perpetual HE. has seized all
the powers and privileges ever usurped
by the imperial chiefs and bandits of
Europe; and they are now exercising
them Tor the same purposes and with
equal impunitv. Through their mo-
nopoly OF vast landed estates, they are
driving al small farmers into the
ranks OF tenancy. Manufacturing
mining. transI ortation, exchange in
fact all the resources of wealt.. and
uallv monopolizeI bv the corporation
kings Is the soil and the means Of life
ever were 10y tie feUlAl lords and bar
oIs Of the harbarlc ages.
Nicholas and Alexander NAV die or
he as>asSinated, bat a despot always
occupies the Russian throne. George,
William or Victoria NAV die or be- be-
headed. lut Prince Of Wales is an
Immortal parsonage. Gould, Hunt
ington aud Eockaftiltr may perish,
bur the Western Union. the Union Pa
c!.ic ANA the Standard Oil Companies
viii 1--we forever. 1t Is not Gould,
andeghiit. Huutin -ton. kothscllii IS
and DreXel. Morgan X Go. vino rule
the country. but the corporations
which tuey Temporarily represent.
These constitute a perpetual dynasty
and their wealth ana their power in
crease with their age.
Ne iiatter ourselves that We are n
nation Of freeraen. aud tliat our Gov
erunent Is a republic. i re uhiican
government Is one whlc!l l. established!
+ and con >.uc.e,i for tile public interest.
Government by king may be a re-
public ii conducted icr the public
good, ana representative sovern12enl
hay he Il desp0tisrn II conducted foi
tie henei. 81 tLe hereditary class
Ours is not republic 50 long a. i. Is
conducted by ANA FOR corporate inter
ests. 1t is ,!es potisn. as destructive
to the nights ami interests OF the
masses as were tEcs, Of the teuda
/ ages.
aEs7F @assse aasssaasgEa