Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1896-10-29
A Speech by Mr.. w. H. Harvey, the Author of
"Coin's Financial School" on the
"ReIation of Money to
Civilization"
AT SPRINGFIELD, ILL.
An Immense Audience at the Capital City of the State
Composed of Members Of All Political Parties,
Give Close Attention and the Result Is a
Marvellous Effect on the Audience.

Mr.. w. Isl. Harvey, author OF CONS FINANCIAL cnO
and National Executive Officer of the Order of The Pa
criots of America, addressed an overflow meeting of
$500 people in the State House at Springfield, Illinois.
on the 9th of September. Mr.. Harvey is not a politi-
clan, but treats political questions as questions of civil
cation. In the Order referred to, i'll qualifying as its
chief officer, he has taken an oath of Remuneration of po-
FIticaI office, for life, either by election or appointment.
His views are, therefore, presented to the people of the
United States from the rare position of Il man who las
voluntarily debarred himself from holding a political Of
flee, and who cannot use bis Order as a stepping stone to
political promotion.
He was received by the vast audience with great ap
plause, and spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,-I desire, before
beginning my speech proper. to pronounce some OF the
principles Gpon which republics are founded.
Among em are these:
1. Man promotes his own interest best by promoting
the common good.
2. 1t is safer to trust all the people than it is a part
of them. or any class of people, who may be Interested
in promoting their own interest.
3. Each class of people is c""f>antiy seeking to pro-
mote the interest Of Osc I'd with that class b.
comforting to"etho legislation. And, in
considering the IL ass they are governed
by motives more M II common Sood'
If left to them. w
T. When a conc of all the people is
ATTAINED those who uuSellan.. eSire to promote the
common good will outnumber those who are influenced
by selfish motives.
r That all laws should be based upon the principle
that every citizen has a right to the reward of his honest
energy. when not inconsistent with the common good.
And that the corner stone of a true republic is HUMAN
ATTY.
[ also desire to state some great truths.
One of them is this: Individual sehishness crystal,
,zed into laws of nations is the cause of the overthrow
Of REPUBLICS. and is the mother Of monarchy. When the
people OF a republic, by example and training, become
worshipers of mammon, all laws are made and construed
for the accumulation and protection of property. and
tbe principles of humanity are neglected. 1t is the cru
cIal period in the history of a republic. In the history of
the world no people or 4 republic have ever successfully
met and overthrown the spirit of selfshness. In The his
,orv of popular governments seltishness has manipu-
lated the law-makiug power and absorbed tie property
of the people into the hands of the few. Then came
distress and riots and the claim that the republic was Il
ranure-and then came monarchy.
Another great truth is this: No people, as Il whole.
has ever understood the effect of laws on civilization.
Let me illustrate what l mean in 4 simple way: Under
the feudal land laws of Europe the right WAS given the
owner TO settle his land on he oldest son. TO descend i'll
definitely from the oldest son to oldest son. Ii was call
cd the law Of "entail." Under that law. less than l per
cent. of the people became the owners of all the land,
and 90 per cent. Of the people became tenants, among
whom our forefatherS We're numbered. They, our fore
fathers. fled from those nations, where they had pro
tested in vain against those laws and provided in our
constitution against estate entail.
In this instance it can be readily seen how Iaw nodded
the ciyilizati ton of those people. For, there is no such
thing as an advanced or an advancing civilization. when
the masses Of the people are tenants and not the Own-
ers of homes. And, while we can understand how a
law. in that instance, nodded civilization, the people, Us
q whole, living under it did not understand its effect on
their civiliza ton, and protected and defended il.
The landlord controlled his favored butler. his favored
tenants, and employees. The merchant i'll the village. who
solicited his trade. and the lawyer who desired his Erac-
Sice, catered 10 his influence, and their political opinions
were. more or less, moulded 10y him. That vein in human
nature that worShipS great wealth, and comedies to it un-
usual wisdom, aided in protecting and defending the con
dition Of civilization promoted by the selfish Ia WIS OF Eu-
rope.
APPEALS TO REASON.
1 shall appeal to your reason. and not TO your preju-
dlces. Prejudices, whether religious or political, may
enslave n people. Reason Will emancipate them.
The people of Europe Were reduced to a condition of
tenantry-the few owning all the property-by laws they
did not understand. And tie object of my speech to-
day is to demonstrate that We, as a people, are being re-
duced to a condition of tenantry, as fatal to our civiHza-
eion as the feudal law of Europe was to that people.
Whether we can rise, intellectually, to grapple with the
condition that other people have failed to accomplish, is
not a question of our Intelligence. but a question OF
whether we have the time 10 spare from our business yo-
cations, where the ever pressing necessity of 4 living is a
constant demand on our energies; whether we can rise
above the influences that surround us, as it surrounded
che favored buffers, tenants, merchants lawyers and
others who sought favors from the aristocracy that
moulded their laws. |