Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-08-13

THERE is nothing that is more un
worthy a citizen OF a free country
member of community which assert,
its capability OF self government
| than to have him declare his inability
20 think and act in all that pertains to
the welfare Of the nation. Yet it il
urged in some quarters that the finan-
cial question is too deep for the ordi.
nary citizen; that be should be content
to leave its settlement with those who
have assumed to themselves solely the
knowledge necessary to its rightful so-
luton: the bankers, the boards OF
trade, the chambers of commerce, the
option dealers. and the other tbusiness
men" whose peculiar function Is TO
trade in the life-blood of commerce.
Ia this connection we reproduce an ex-
tract from Gov Fishback's "A Far
mer's Story-a book that ought to be
ia the hands of every lover of his
country and his fellow man:
Sad, indeed, to our country, sad to
free institutions, sad to the hopes OF
mankind everywhere, will be the day
when the American people consent to
/ leave the control of their public affairs
to experts. All along the pathway of
history are strewn the wrecks of human
happiness, vicsims to this monstrous
doctrine.
There has never been despotism
founded upon the lost liberties of an
enslaved people which did not have It's
only support in this infamous doctrine.
''In India, for example, the great
toiling masses, who were called Sudras,
and who produced all the wealth OF
the country, were taught that they
were incapable OF governing and pro-
tecting themselves; that their God had
sent them ''experts" to protect and
govern them and that these experts
ruled by divine right. Accordingly
all public affairs were left to experts,
who, in India, were composed of mon
archs, nobility and clergy. These ex-
perts proceeded to rob them OF every
right. worth living for. They were
left only about one and half cents
worth of the proceeds OF their own
labor each day upon which to keep
body and soul together, while the bal
ance was divided between these God
given experts who lived amid gorgeous
splendor. That these Sudras might be
kept in ignorance of their rights and
in perpetual bondage to their s'experts"
they were hedged around with infa-
nous laws. 1t Sooder sat upon the
same seat with one of these experts,
he was ignominiously punished by
brand upon his buttocks. IL he were
caught listening to the reading of the
sacred scriptures, boiling oil was
poured into his ears. II he were
caught holding the scriptures his
tongue was cut out. He was forbidden
to acquire wealth, and even II his mas
ter set him free he was declared by law
still slave;, said the law, for of q
state which Is natural to him by whom
can he be divestedp
"In Egypt the same doctrines were
taught and those whose labor created
all the wealth of the country we're Civ
en- about one and one-half cents per
day of the proceeds of their toll, while
their experts who managed public af-
fairs revelled in lavish splendor upon
the balance. Even so late as the reign
of Louis XIV. of France, this same
doctrine prevailed in that fair country.
and France became nation of wealthy
and extravagant "experts" on top,
while the great masses Of her people
were paupers who were compelled to
sell their pots and kettles and other
cooking utensils and even their beds
from under them and to sleep on straw,
to meet the demands of the collectors
of the taxes upon which these sex
perts' revelled In mere than Oriental
splendor.
''It was not until our people were
thrown upon this continent. out OF the
reach of '.experts." with an ocean be-
tween them, and which, happily, was at
that time navigable by sailing vessels
alone, that they learned that they
could get along better without the aid
of s.experts " 1t was to this acciden-
tai absence of .'experts" that We owe
our free institutions. and IL ever we
lose them it will be when our people
consent to subscribe to this dangerous
doctrine OF leaving any part OF their
public affairs to the exclusive control
of experts.