Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-11-07

The merchant makes the selling
price of his goods SO as to make
given per cent. He takes no account
of his labor now; the dollar is God so
far as doing business is concerned,
and per cent the law that governs the
case. On what grounds is he exempt
from Gods first law, 'in the sweat of
thy face" etc? On the ground that
money can grow and produce other
money by drawing interest The rail-
roads levy charges for freights and
fares high enough to cover all ex-
penses, and make the desired per cent
dividend. The railroad magnates, if
they work at all, it is not for wages,
but per cent The capitalist who runs
a foundry proceeds on the same line.
Wages are cut down to the starvation
point so that capital can draw its per
cent. The law governing commerce
all over the civilized world is Mammon
worship. Money is the god of COM
merce. We may sneer at it, or deny
it, but the fact remains
Now. the question up for settlement
is which shall rule the world, God or
Mammon? And it will not down.
The men who think they can make
the world wag on under the old reign
of Mammon worship as our blind So
called statesmen do are badly mis-
taken set of demagogues Mammon
worship is slavery. The world groans
and writhes underit. 1t is contrary to
the true impulses of the human heart.
Let some great calamity bcfall COM
munity, such as the Johnstown flood
or the great fires Of the northwest,
and the impulses of mans better
nature rise above the law of per cent,
and money and supplies are poured
out without stint True socialism as
serts itself in such emergencies. AThe
world is one great family.
AN injury to one is the con-
cern of ALL" The masses begin to
catch on" and understand this ques-
tion. What a laborer produces or
earns by labor belongs to him To
take it from him without giving him
an equivalent is to rob him. This is
exactly what per cent does. 1t ele-
Yates money above man.
Idon't want to even seem to oppose
the efforts of any true reformer. But
want to say in the spirit of love that
the advocates of single tax are very
much mistaken when they claim that
it is the remedy for all the questions
which vex and agitate society. No
system of reform can amount to very
much which admits usury into its
makeup. Mr.. George believes in
usury. He says he thinks that single
tax would rather increase the rate of
interest He thus proclaims himself
one of the high priests of Mammon.
Land monopoly, and every other mo-
nopoly, is the result or fruit of Nam
mon worship.
The Remedy.
How are we to obtain the remedy?
How is the world to be emancipated
from. the slavery of Mammon wor-
ship? What agency can accomplish
the work? The church ought to do
it. 1t is the God ordained agent to
do it. But it can not do it now be-
cause it will not The church belle yes
in interest or usury. 1t is making
spasmodic efforts to raise funds to
endow colleges, high schools. etc, so
as to feed and fatten them on usury
The church, preaching and teaching
as it now does. a false system of
Christianity. can never raise society
to any higher plane than it now oc.
cupies. 1t may benefit individuals,
but can never remove the system of
mammon worship that enslaves the
world. 1t don't tend in that diree.
tion. The present perverted system
of Christianity has been taught for
ages, and where are we at?"
A bad system in the hands of good
men (if such thing be possible) will
have the same effect as it would in tn e
hands of bad men. It will take as
many paupers to make millionaire
out ofa Christian Gf such a thing
could be done, but it can't as to make
one out of an atheist There is more
true Christianity in the labor organi-
cations, so far as civil government is
concerned, than there is in the church.
/ don't know of church that don't
believe in and practice interest tax
ing. don't know of labor plat
form, either national or state, that
don't condemn usury. The spirit OF
true Christianity so pervades society
everywhere that it overleaps all
creeds.
This war now raging between capl-
tai and labor is an ''irrepressible con.
fiict.' Here is the philosophy Of the
question: Labor works for wages;
capital works for per cent? In the
production of wealth the world recog-
nizes the law of justice that the
'1aborer is worthy of his hire that
his wages on one end Of the scales
must balance the product on the other
end.
But when we enter the domain OF
commerce or exchange this law o'
iustics and right this law Of God.