Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-10-23
THE BALLOT.

the viva voce manner of voting. 1t show
ed distrust. apprehension, fear of the en-
ployer by the employed. 1t was an un-
healthy sign. IL was a manifestation OF
the decline I'm that spirit of true Democ-
racy which was the breath of life for our
government in its earlier stages. II was
the incipiency of the plague-spot OF party
trickery and coercion so patent in these
later times.
No observing man OF intelligence can
fail to see that this country Is on the
very crest of a crisis; no dispassionate
viewer Of the whole field Of American
politics to-day can fail to fear that the
result OF our national elections, few
days hence. may determine the question
of the capacity of this people for a
further continuance Of the principles ana
methods of government transmitted
through each succeeding generation since
the first President and the first Congress
of the United States were installed as the
exponents Of the will of free and IN
dependent people.
A VIOLENT SHOCK.
Our unfortunate war between the
States gave a violent shock to our system
of government But, with the war at an
end. with the Union restored, and the
Constitution at last construed beyond APP
neal. there ought TO have been promptly
a rebaptism Of the whole country IN the
spirit as well as in the faith of the
fathers. In the North the war developed
i'm individuals that passion for monetary
power which Is now showing itself so
threateningly 10 real liberty in the
courses Of corporations. 1t afforded, too
the opportunity for initiating that sys-
TEN OF subtle inesse in the wider reaches
OF finance-that insidious science of ap-
proaches by parallels, now Illustrating
itself i'm such a decentralization Of the
very citadel Of our liberties, as at least
to seem to have forced the Treasury
Department at Washington into the care
and keeping of great banking-houses IN
London and New York. In the South the
opposite effect ensued from the war.
with phenomenal exceptions, all the
people of all the seeding States were
in arms. There was no opportunity for
money-making on any such scale as
was common in the North There was
no opportunity for the money-changer
to creep into the temple. and. in the name
OF good and Of God, ply his arts of
avarice and greed, with the glamour OF
gold to aid him in binding and binding
the victims of his Vaccinations. The
present times are hereditary. They have
come along in logical sequence after the
war times.
LIBERTY'S VOTARIES.
Tho appeal OF liberty now is to her own
sincere votaries, all OF them everywhere
within the boundaries OF our great
American Union. Whether they live in
the North or in the South. in the East
or I'm the West, the true men, the men
who. in their hearts, are true TO the
old principles Of the old government, are
the men upon whom the Democratic
party Of to-day is leaning.
The momentCus question OF the hour IS:
Shall the money monarchs rule in this
country; or shall the people rule? The
separation Of the American Colonies from
the Mother Country was a protest in
thunder tones against the barbaric mas
terry of man by man. The establish
ment of this republican government was
q denial, not only Of the divine right Of
kings. but of the arrogated right of the
few to lord 1t over the many. II was
a sublime assertion Of the glorious Chris
tian truth of business and fair dealing
among men, regardless OF financial as
well as physical power.
Plutocracy and Democracy are facing
each other to-day as they were never
seen to do I'm this country before. It
is a bad omen for the republic. 1t is
q bad sign for the quietude and the peace
and prosperity Of the country.
GOOD MEN MISPLACED.
Among those on the plutocratc side are
some of the best men in this land. They
are simply deceving themselves by false
reasoning from falser premises They
are conjuring up evils where no evil is
either designed or desired. They are
jumping al conclusions in which their
imaginations and their prejudices. more
than their better judgments, are their
guides. They are doing grieyous injustice
10 themselves
In this struggle between the masses
and the milliOuares, between the pro-
ducers and the money dealers, It VOID
seem strange 10 see our railroa1s ar
raging themselves 50 earnestly against
the farmers the miners, and other crea-
tors OF the real riches Of the country.
on which riches these railroads so largely
depend. Is it that the railroads are in
the clutches OF the money mongers who
hold their bonds? Is il that they are
already enslaved and dare not Gisobey
their masters commands? If so. il is
sad: for very large proportions of the
mental power. Of the moral worth, of the
nerve and enterprise and energy Of this
country are to be found among our rail-
road men. 1t is sad, | say to see great
corporations enslayed, and II is sadier
still. to see them forced, against their
own interests, into a cruel exercise OF
their authority in a merciless movement
for the enslavement of the people. The
best friends of corporations are those who
intelligently appreciate them, and, stand
ing by them when they are right, are
equally ready to call them down when
they are wrong. The worst enemies OF
corporations are the audaciOus dema-
gogues and their dupes, and the money
lenders who are now holding them by
their throats. | commiserate the corpora
ton that. I'm this contest between pro-
ducers and money changers is driven,
against its interests and judgment, into
this fight on the side of the plutocrat
striking at the welfare OF the people.
Still more to be commIserated are the
men I'm the service Of the corporations
coercing them into submission to It's
wishes when they go 10 the polls with a
ballot. which ought TO be the ballot OF a
free american citizen. expressing his pre-
ference between public men and measures
In which he has as dear an interest O.,
any othe>-vOJer In the land.
WHERE WE STAND.
To such men as are favonng the god
standard because they are possessors OF
gold, or because they are borrowers M
the mercy OF creditors whom they dare
not offend. II Il idle 10 make entreaiy
They are beyond recall. To such men as
believe. with General Palmer. that "a
righteous monarchy would perhaps bS