The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-07-11
THE FUTURE STATE.
BY B. LACK.
I I'M I I.
CHAPTER w. PART !.

money" the most cunninglv devised tran
ever invented by the devil to destroy hu-
man happiness and spread misery desola-
ton and death.
This trap was always concealed by false
hopes, and baited with the gittering lures
OF wealth without toll. place and power
without merit the qualification of ostenta-
ton and pride. supplemented with the
promises to relieve want, sickness and mis-
fortune IN order to catch those whom mis-
fortune had left with a few dollars worth
OF property that could be mortgaged so
That 1t could be held long enough to strip
them OF the last dollar, and then turn them
loose TO commit suicide die in poverty
and wretchedness, continually pierced with
the memory of blighted hopes
But how was it with the devils partner
the usurer? With the spoils of his victims
ne possessed wealth without toll, place and
power without merit, and gratified his love
OF alton and PRIDE and was among
men what the vulture is among birds
without the vultures virtue. While I'M
clean and filthy the vulture is benefit to
the living by removing the dead and de-
cayed, but the usurer while outwardly clean
was moral leper and left in his path
misery and poverty, Wretchedness, DEATH
the wrecks of his pundered fellowmen
Inc cunning usurer, like the landlord
called to his assistance the aid of the gov
eminent, church, and those having the
representation for learning The usurer
made by the legislature to protect usury
enlisted the church in his services by rent
H.g hlgh-prlced pew, and paying a good
sized fee for marriage, christening and
death services. The church in gratitude for
'neir share of the plumber of the people
showed the difference between God-de-
rounced usury which all condemn, and
Christian interest, the child of the "Politi-
cal Economist" The political Economist:
IN consideration of the college endowments
and the stipend going to the chair Of so
call science" evolved a law of interest
and soWed by his wonderful command of
scientific sophistry how it differed from
usury that for the loaner of money with
out production on his part to consume the
products of others was to stimulate manu-
facture and contribute to the aggregate of
rational wealth and that the wheels Of
government and national prosperity only
moved by the amount of industrial oil the
uSurer IN the name of capital spread on
the machinery Of the production; to con-
sumo the accumulation of fat on the ribs
OF labor was to keep it in good training for
production Ito fill other peoples pockets)
When the Insurer had set his trap and
spread his lures TO the astonished gaze of
his intended victims The touched the but
tom and the government did the rest
The victim being caught the government
forthwith sent officers to enforce the law
and give "Shylock," that nominated in the
bona, while the prey was in the trap
the power to strip him Of the fruits of his
labor, for which he had never received any
equivalent from the usurer sometimes as
much as one hundred and twenty dollars
IN interest was paid for the use of 500 for
one year, on the security of chattel mort
gage, and then a foreclosure made the
property sell for less than the face of the
mortgage and a debt left for unpaid inter
est and costs so that if ever the poor fell
low should attempt to save again the usurer
might still have him in his trap-operated
by law and in the name of "iberty.''
the divine GODDESS, in whose effigy we stand.
ne might reduce him to perpetual slavery
inns state of boosted equality before the
law existed in this country of which this
statute in which we stand was supposed to
De an emblem Liberty Eniightening the
World
Oh. satire of satires. What wonder that
clVillzatlon was strangled and wiped from
the face of the earth
1nls vile practice was carried to such an
extent, protected by law, when l was a
BOY, that in the state of Minnesota A moor
woman VINO mad borrowed a small sum of
money from money Shark''-as we called
them-after paying three times the face of
the note in interest had her goods seized
and sold. The shark was proven to have
forged and altered the amounts on the
PACK CT the note, which was great
crime; for by the practice of it. the poor
might purchance rob the rich-it was no
crime for the rich to rob the poor-but the
governor of the state, being in the bust
ness of usury himself, saw how illogical
ana dangerous it was to punish people for
what he himself did, so at the end of a
few months when the people had forgot
ten the case he used his prerogative of
executive power and released the prisoner
10 continue his system of plumber. with
the significant advise: Not to be caught
at it again.
But the churches of every denomination
founded on the bible and Christianitv. ia
more the fact that Moses taught Thou
shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother:
usury of money. usury of vituals usurv of
anything that is lent upon usury." or that
the founder of the Christian religion. with
scourge in hand drove the usurers out of
the temple excaiming. I'VE have made it
den of thieves" But the Christian minis
tiers found excuses for the rich usurers in
the pews who contributed to make up their
tat salaries: and in hope of riches that
clog on Christian life; that according to
CHRIST prevented entrance to heaven-some
tunes on the sly-practiced usury them
selves.
And those literary harlots that write
shrewd BOOKS to show how stealing may
be made respectable by law; wrote learned
works, dropping the odious word usury and
called it interest showing how it was a
reward for obstinance, risk and a lot of
other false pretenses when in fact the only
abstenanace practiced by the usurer was
abstaining from eating dinner honestly
earned by his own labor and the only risk
run was dying of gluttony and wine billing,
The real abstenance was practiced by the
person in the trap, whose fam
lily and himself went improperly
clothed and fed in a vain
effort to get out of the snare before being
still further bled by sheriff fees, court fees,
attorneys fees, insurance, etc. What was
the risk to the usurer when before the
money was loaned on buildings or perisha-
BILE things, which could be DESTROYED by
accident, the borrowers had to take out an
insurance policy and assign it to the usurer
as collatera security before his finger
touched cent Then the colleges took hold
Of this msnamed law of interest-should be
called second law of robbery-and called it
science; teaching it to those rich enough
to go tc college, so that in the fullness of
time. when the sires had shortened their
DAYS with luxury and found common fate
with those they robbed, the son might fol-
low in this trade Of the devil, protected.by
law, religion, and learning, covered with
the thinnest possible coat of college white
wash called science Of political economy
Owen was astonished at the truth and
bitterness Of the words, for there were
none in the manner or voice Of the strang-
er; the voice was as low, soft and musical
as ever with only emphasis or variation OF
tone enough to convey the meaning. The
stranger seemed as though the spirit Of
truth had become incarnate for the purpose
of addressing him for some special pur
pose. Continuing the stranger said: Look
forth over the broad universe; dig to the
innermost recesseS Of the earth, and see if