The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-01-15
TURN ON THE LIGHT.
A CLERGYMAN TAKES THE SIDE OF
THE PEOPLE-ALL HONOR TO

THE PEOPLE-ALL HONOR TO
HIM.
Editor of Representative:
Recently the writer overheard a gentle
man pray for return to Republican
control of the government, and connected
with his remark was the statement that
then we shall have good times" Now
the writer is not politician but as plain
IMAM Of the world it was impossible to
miss this chance for enlightening dull,
dark mind. I asked the gentleman how
the compliance with his desire could better
things-judging from the history of the
past-having had many years Of Republi-
can rule and the country going to the dogs
all the time. Cleveland, as poor unfor-
tunate, only dropping into the presiden-
tial chair al the inopportune time in which
no power short of divine intervention
could possibly have saved the ship of state
from striking the snag that has sprung
the leak and flooded our properties with
some devi-lution so that dollar wheat is
now begging a market at so per cent off.
The fact is, Republican party or Demo-
cratic party or any other party organized
solidly and whipped into lines. within
which shrewd, unprincipled politicians
aim to corral the masses and through
the country If they can. But any polit-
1cal party that organizes on the Doodle
plan, once acting upon the hellish princi-
Piles Of its sold-in-the-market leaders, can
not give the people relief.
Back in the stormy days Of the rebellion
Lincoln warned the American people of
approaching danger through the scheming
Of the purchaSable politician and the
greed of unhoy commercialism-and as
students we thought Lincoln prophet
But. let us remark in passing that Lincoln
only spake what he then knew of the pol
itician and professed patriot who sold gold
to the nation (out of patriotism) ito help
out He who struggled as the nations
leader was bounded by politicians who
were ready to sap the nations life-blood
and his discerning eye beheld within the
moneyed patriots other motives than pat
riotism when they purchased the nations
bonds.
The Lincoln utterance affords us some
thing of text from which to proceed
in little sermonizing on political leader
ships and assumed patriotism.
If men possessing monied power were
disposed to use that power to crafty
their greed at the expense Of class legs-
lation favorable to their capitalism, and
were legislation purchasable, the deal
once accomplished the purchasers Of such
favordtism, having less interest in the
common welfare than in their grasping
commercialism, would soon have to be
classed among those who have no party
preference, whose chief aim indeed could
only be Ito maintain the self-interests in
volved'' and SO per consequence this
monied class would only study to maintain
In power that party whose leadership
gave clearest assurance of maintaining the
4 interest Of such financial classes The
clear case Is the Wall street interest in
both Republican and Democratic parties.
Another case Is the sugar trust-in Dem
ocratic states the trust supports Demo-
Gratis, in Republican states it supported
: the Republicans. So the Standard Oil Co.,
the railroad interests, and so forth, ad
infinitum, ad nauseum.
Then it becomes clear that "the powers
that be" are the monied powers of COM
mercialism maintaining in great readiness
campaign funds to lavish upon conven-
tons to nominate the men of their choos-
ing, and later to elect those surest to look
after their interests.
= Now it does seem reasonable to believe
that when a man accepts money to have
. himself nominated and elected that he
would most likely stand by his patron If
a preacher hires OUT as a rich mans
chaplain, knowing before hand the pur-
pose of the chaplain and the principles
of the employer his mouth is filled before
It opens in prayer or prophecy and this
q without any further hint from the en-
ployer than the contract made to secure
his If n college ACCEPTS stolen money in