The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-02-12
A GLOOMY VIEW,
But God May Come to the Rescue of His Peopel.

But God May Come to the Rescue Of His Peopel.
Editor Representative:
More than twenty years ago you were
sending the notes of warning to the peo-
pie through the anti Monopolist,'' that
now appear in the columns of the Repre-
sentative, with this difference, that the
placid political skies of those times lulled
the unthinking into false security from
which they are now awakening to see
the political sky lowering with the dark
and portentous clouds of verifcation of
your prophecies that none are so blind as
not to see.
II the friends of humanity could have
been united % years ago reform might
have been possible, but it is everlastingly
too late now. DR.. Johnson has clearly
shown that the security of our country
has safely rested in the great crises of
the past upon the patriotism of the mid
die or producing classes of our people,
This has proven true in all the great con-
f1icts of the past, both civil and military,
but what is the condition and numbers of
this part of our people now? All will
agree that in order to cast a free ballot
the voter himself must be free, and by
this | mean he must be the owner of
home and reasonably free from debt, but
the last census shows that less than one
third of our people are now so situated,
and even if it were possible to unite all
OF these we would still be in hopeless
minority. Debt has enslaved us as a ma
ton, and the shackles of this slavery will
never be removed by an army of patri-
Ots as were the shackles of the black
slave, because, as Mr.. Ripley has pointed
out, the great body of our people, both
creditors and debtors, are plunged in
IN 80 sr1
worship of MammOn from which no hui
man warning will awaken them. If you
and the patriotic contributors to your
paper represented the great mass of our
people the pathway would be clear be-
fore us; but we all know that these I'M
selfish men and those who act with them
are but handful compared to the whole.
| admire your pluck and courage and
that of all other friends of reform in con-
tinuing the unequal conflict, and that
your work is not without its influence is
shown by the fact that the power of pub
lie opinion has brought lucid intervals
even to the minds of the President and
John Sherman, for some of the recent
acts and utterances of both of these men
are certainly calculated to give pleasure
to every lover of his country. But these
and other good influences will have but
temporary effect and the CLEANS of
sunshine they cause in the political sky
will but serve to deepen the darkness of
the pail of clouds soon to engulf us. With
sorrow believe that this result is newt
able; human selfishness and greed has
nearly destroyed the temple of liberty,
so that Caesars Column" is bound to be
built, and that too at much earlier date
than you fixed in the story
None the less it is the duty of every
friend of humanity to hold aloft with I'M
faltering hands the beacon light of po-
litical and religious truth, until God in
his own good time and way shall bring
salvation to his people, as he surely will
VIM. Webb.
Sterling Center, Mimi