Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1895-10-22
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22ND, 1895.
THE BARBKRIC SWAY
Of the M0ney Power as Pictured By
Debs. A Great Struggle Ahead.

From Chicago Evening Press.
In European and Asiatic coun-
tries conditions relating to differ
ent classes of people excite little
concern as compared with the
United States: Here the most
impoverished as we'll as the most
afauent have the ballot. Here
all are sovereign citizens and eli
g1ble to the highest official STA
lions in the government. In Eu-
ropean and Asiatic governments
such rights and privileges are
unknown; the one or two excep-
tons to the: rule, need not be
mentioned, since they do not, in
the liberty of their citizens, par
allel the rights and prerogatives
conferred by our constitution
and laws.
In referring to the essential
difference in conditions it is pro-
per to observe that in the one
case centuries of despotism have
created acquiesence. The rich
rule and are content; the poor
obey and. their obedience has
been so long and so cruelty en-
forced that like "dumb driven
cattle" they submit. In the
United States we have, by consti-
tuition and laws, the reverse Of
such conditions. Here we start
ed out upon what was deemed an
eternal truth, that "an men are
created equal We discarded
titles and inherited prerogatives.
All were clothed with divine right
to rule. At the polls the poor
and rich met on a level. Here we
swept away everything resem-
bling caste. The pomp, and
pride and arrogance of a titled
nobility a1d aristocracy we ta-
hood. In a word, we started out
with a nation of free men. More
than 100years have elapsed since
we began teaching the doctrine
of equality before the law. These
lessons have been woven into the
fiber of American thought, into
our laws and literature, into our
national songs and anthems. The
fathers fought and bled for the
truths they embody and multi
piled thousands have died for
them. Here, and only here, every
man counts one and no man
counts more than one.
Are We Losing Our BirthriGht.:
The questions arise, are we in
sensibly drifting toward condi-
tions which exist in less favored
lands? Are we relaxing our hold
upon our birthrights )? Are we
using our dearly bought rights
and prerogatives in way that
shall eventually wrest them from
our grasp? Is American liberty
in peril? What is the condition
of the rich and what is the condi-
ton of the poor? Without exag.
GRAFTON, in words of truth and So
berness, what is the trend of af-
fairs? The rich are growing
richer. Fortunes mount sky
ward. We have produced an
aristocracy Of wealth requiring
extravagant speech to describe.
Our millionaires are counted by
thousands. They constitute a
money power which has develop
ed barbaric sway. It has grasp
ed every source of production
and every means Of transporta-
ton. It controls the ballot and
dictates Legislation. It blotches
federal and state statutes. It de-
bauches judges and Jurors. It
brides congress men, senators
and state legislators, and to build
higher it's mountains of wealth it
turns footpad on all thehighways
of labor and .robs:s those who toll
and live by wages: Such are
conditions: on the one hand. No
one denies it whose opinion is not
debauched. .,#..s .=..1 PM >s: #.5.s. s..
What are the conditions Of the
poor in the United States? I
challenge the record for a denial
Of the averment that in no land
beneath the skies are condi tions
more deplorable, and President
Cleveland, in his message to
congress, declared that these
condi tions are the result Of CON
gressional legislation. = Here
the poor are bee coming poorer.
Here squalor and degradation
are spread out over a continent
1of food prod ducts in fabulo us
:abnndance and in sight.o burst
ing granaries men, women and
children starye. hat is to be
seen more narrowing III Europe
or the land Of the Orient
Crisis Il Near s. Hand. 5
Can these cond itions be perpet-