Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-10-16

III OIQer 10 escape the wrath OF GOd ana win
Heaven? Christ came into the world to re-
deem it, but not by death upon the cross. The
crown of thorns, the scourgng, the insults and
mockery, and death by cruci6xlon, were not in
accord with the will of God but the work of
vile, brutal and wicked men.
Then why was Christ crowned with thorns
and cruci6ed? 1t was but few days before
that the whole city had bid Him welcome into
Jerusalem with shouts of joy. If we read a
few chap ers before the account of the crucifx-
ion, we shall see the reason. 1t was because
He had preached the fatherhood of God, the
universal brotherhood of man, denounced every
form of usury, legalized robbery and wrong;
dehed the money power, called the rich op-
pr+ssors of the poor lot of tombstones, bauti-
full TO the eye, but inwardly full of rottenness
camel to go through the eye of needle than
for rich man to enter heaven" He called
them den of vipers and lot of hypocrites,
and asked them this startling question: "How
can you escape the damnation of help" He
insulted the national bankers in the temple,
of being lot of thieves, and, with whip,
lashed the rascals severely, and in fiery wrath
drove them out into the street. No wonder
that we read that the money power and rich
aristocrats plotted for His death, bribed Judas
to betray Him, arrest Him, charged Him with
awful crimes Of treason against the govern
nent and blaspheiny against God. Upon these
charges Christ was condemned, crowned with
thorns and crucifed. He was murdered, not
by inhdels and heathens, but by the rich, ars-
tocratic church members of His day-the
priests and leaders in the church. 1t was those
who clamormed SO loudly for His blood and
cried out: "Away with Him Cruelty Him!
He is not fit to live!"
The same element in the church to-day would
cruelty Christ again should He return to earth
If not actually, yet they would cruelty Him
with vile words, denunciation, bitter epithets,
the boycott and prescription. Human nature
is the same as of old. The logical descendants
of Chrlst's murderers bring the same charges
against Bryan and the free-silver men and all
reformers as the Jews did against Christ. They
charge us with being traitors to the government
and blasphemous against God. They try to
stir up the ignorant rabble against Bryan, and
call loudly for his political death The truth
is that the past twenty-five years the money
power has "pressed down crown of thorns
upon the brow of labor, and crucifed it upon
cross of gold" AS result, vast mutitudes
have died of starvation, many committed sui
tO eli ~
cross of poverty, while many more have died
by inches, lacking food, medical care, pure air
and the common necessities of life. They died
upon the cross of gold with the crown of thorns
pressing down upon their brow Mr.. BRYAN
stated only the truth. His words were an in
spiration from Heaven. The Son of Man is
being crucifed to-day upon the cross of gold,
with the crown of thorns pressing down upon
His brow, in the person of His brothers, the
sons OF men.
Judas was bribed to betray Christ to death by
the money power. So multitudes believe that
Cleveland, Carlisle, Sherman and others have
been bribed by the gold-bugs, the Rothschilds
and Morqans and their allies to betray the peo-
pie into the hands of their enemies for cruci-
fixion.
AS Christ died upon the cross, the bloody
rabble mock and jeer and scoff, and insult Him
with drugged wine. So to-day, capital, which
has robbed labor of the fruit of its toll, stolen
the product of his labor, rolling in wealth,
while labor writhes in poverty and suffering,
offers the workingman few soup-bones, crusts