The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-12-12
A CRITICAL PERIOD.

the perusal of all we'll thinking men:
Not day, not an hour, is to be
lost in the herculean task that lies
before us. In the next four years IS
involved the fate of the human race.
Mankind is now at the apex of the
present form Of civilization. We
are either to 60 back to an eternal
midnight, or We are to go forward
10 a higher plane of civilization. If
we lose in 1900 the chances of our
ultimate success are immeasui ably
reduced; despotism will be attempt
ed to be fastened upon us and a
standing army that will have no IN
terest in life except the pay received
from its masters will, if the attempt
succeeds, stand guard over the peo-
pie, while the latter are s'lawfully"
robbed by class whose agents will
hold the reins OF power.
And despotism fastened upon the
United States means the extinction
of human civilization in the world.
1t means that the United States will
he the crater of a human volcano,
aud crumbling civilization, that In
time, though thousand years may
elapse IN the interim, Will bring the
race that inhabits its soil to the con.
dition of Turkey and China. And
in time our race will join the prehis-
toric races that have Inhabited the
earth.
Organized selfshness is now IN
charge of the government; and sell
tishness is a consuming fire that
burns and destroys all that Is noble
and manly and all that hedges and
protects free institutions. Despot-
ism is lurking behind the trusts and
corporations in the United States.
The money power is strangling the
people, and through dire distress,
present and threatened, is making
the people involuntary slaves to obey
it's will. If it wins again at the end
of four years more, i, will hush the
voice of liberty and the decay of
civilization will have begun.
When the same influences that
are now at work drove the world in
to the Dark Ages at the time of the
TALL of the Roman Empire, there
was an escape valve in the black
forests 10 the north, where the bleed
ing and staggering remnants of a
liberty loving spirit found refuge.
Those who remained behind literally
fastened their teeth In each others
throats. Money lenders were hung
along the shores of the Mediterra-
mean Sea by Christians, and Chris
tians liz turn were tarred and burned
by the usurers. There was no safety
anywhere except temporarily be-
hind the stone walls of fortresscs.
Literature and all commerce came
to an end and the former was only
preserved IN the walled monasterles
of the monks.
The extinguished torch of civiliza-
tion was only relighted centuries
later by the refugees who escaped
into the uninhabited country to the
north, that gave to us the civiliza-
ton we have. And the struggle of
two thousand years ago is now upon
the people of the world.
But there is no place of refuge
now if we are defeated here in the
United States. The only place in
the world strong enough to make
the struggle, where free institutions
still exist, is here on the North
American continent. The circuit
of the world has been made; the
spirit of humanity has been pursued
by the spirit of selfshness around
the world; with the latter taking
from the former the profits of its
thrift and industry. If driven from
this last stronghold, there is no
place to which we can fly. The
Pacific ocean and China are at our
backs and we now face the common
enemy of mankind, making the last
struggle for the civilization of the
world.
What we face is an Evil Spirit
that has no respect for humanity,
and only seemingly treats with it,
while dividlngDthe property of the
earth among the devotees of that
Evil SPIRIT. 1t has desolated the
civilization of the past and the
human race is now at its mercy ex-
cept here IN the United States. 1t
is Serpent with its tail in India, it's
body in Europe and It's head now
raised in once proud America! It's
poisonous breath is now being in
hailed by our people, and its FRANCS
are fastened in our free institutions!
Its virus has entered the blood of
tens of thousands of our people who
are not responsible for what they
are doing!
The thirst for political Office, the
desire to accumulate useless wealth,
is a mania, the result of its posion.
Men thus afflicted should not be the
subject of our abuse. They are not
responsible for being what they are.