The San Francisco call., 1895-08-01
VIEWS OF A SOCIALIST,
Rev. G. w. Henning Regards
the United States as a
Fallen Nation.
Lecture at the Third Congregational
Church on Impending Evils
and Dangers.

Rev. g. w. Henning delivered the first
of series of lectures on socialist themes
at the Third Congregational Church on
Tuesday evening, under the auspices of
the Institute of Applied Christianity.
Mr.. Henning opened his lecture by
quoting from one of Abraham Lincoln's
last addresses these words which he said
were truly prophetic:
AS q result OF the war, corporations have
been enthroned, and an era OF corruption in
high places will follow and the money power
of the country viii endeayor to prolong it's
reign by working on the prejudices of the
people until all wealth is aggregated in a few
hands and the Republic is destroyed.
The speaker said:
This is or was representative government.
The theory is that the people are sovereign and
exercise the functions of government through
their chosen representatives, but has it not
turned out in fact that ii is q representative
government in this sense only, that it is Of, by
and for the representatives and not OF, by ar y
for the people? Indeed, who feels that IT,
people are represented in any department OF
government, State or National? Whence arise
the issues upon which we vote? How much do
political platforms express the real issues in
conflict or the real convictions of their trainers
Who plans our campaigns? Who makes the
nominations Of delegates and candidates? Is
it necessary to answer? AS TO results in the
much 90 they express the sentiment OF the
people? Ii they do, then indeed is our Nation
fallen.
Recall if you please the general if not quite
universal corruption OF our municipal govern
ments. Reports are not merely vaporings of
antagonistic parties whose inspiration is not
purity but plumber We rely upon results OF
Investigations of Lexow committees and civil
courts. The press is purdened with the mass
of matter which iustifes the alarming utter
ance OF the recent Municipal Reform Conven-
= IL. Tkn.~f tsne nf
siderable size between New York and San Fran
cisco agreed that the cities represented were
ruled by the worst elements.
Shall we look into our State Legislature to
find illustrations of fair representation? Take
the California Legislature OF 1898, tor example.
What frauds were uncovered in the contested
election cases. Remember the great number
OF attaches employed, the number OF bills dupli-
Gated. the DAYS wasted in jangling over frivol-
Gus measures, the general loot OF the treas
ury through extravagant appropriations, and
finally the villainous scheme revealed by Sem
ator Biggy in which sixteen members were as
sociated to stand together for plunder TO the
amount of $4,000 apiece. The sessions OF 81,
'S9, '57 and backward into the early history OF
the State furnish an almost unbroken record
OF ill-conceived and never-punished extrava-
ganee, jobbery and bribery.
The Congressional Record OF the past thirty
years is g record OF plunder and special legisla-
ton.
The speaker read an extract in point
w
"Debauchery in Congress-" Mr.. Henning
said he could fill volume with citations
from the statutes showing the legal ina
bilities OF the poor by reason OF their pow
erty, and referred to the "costliness of liti-
cation, the truculency of officers and the
venality of jurors" He expressed the
opinion that even the Supreme Court lies
open 20 the charge of paTtisanship. The
speaker deplored "the decreasing proper
ton of marriages and the increasing disin
clination to child d-bearing and the alarm
ing increase of divorces" Mr.. Henning
quoted statistics to show that 841l per cent
of the citizens of the United States. in
cluding mortgagors, are tenants. He con-
tinued:
In June 1890 there were 29s. $50 mortgages
aggregating S243, 146 1876 and covering
area of 20, $50, ,795 acres in Kansas. In Illinois
there were 297 ,247 mortgages. amounting TO
1884 ,299 $50 and per capita debt of $106.
He gave similar statistics in regard to
Massachusetts,, Connecticut, Rhode Island
and Wisconsin, and said such computa-
tions in the Southern States told the story
of the establishment of landlordism of the
feudal type.
In closing the speaker said:
1t is not asserted that all are utterly corrupt
and gone out of the way, but through the ac-
tion of the Government the highest intelli-
gence, the purest morality and the truest con-
science are perverted and subjuRated by the
worst. The lesson of history is that Provi-
dence deals with social and political organ
isms as wholes. The righteous minority goes
down with the unrighteous majority. This Ma
ton too recently waded through sea OF blood
to have forgotten 1t. The redness of the hori-
Zon toward which we travel may be the retiec-
ton of another sea beyond. And still the peo-
pie slumberl
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