Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-06-12
POWER OF WEALTH.
HOW 1T is CRUELTY ENSLAV-
ING THE RACE.
But the Parent, Competition. VIII De
Overthrow to Make Room for CO.
operative Commonwealth - Plutocracy
Is on Its Last Legs.

A feature of the New York World of
Sunday, April rs, was page devoted to
symposium by nine prominent econom-
| ic agitators giving their views of the
nations ills, presenting at the head of
the page pictures in group of the writ
| ers. Senator Stewart wrote about free
silver and the goldbugs; Mrs. Mary E.
Lease advocated populism; Dennis
| Kearney, Of "sand-lot fame" played
upon the old anti-Chinese string; Jacob
S. Coxey talked good roads and non-in-
terest-bearing bonds; Lucien Sanial,
socialism; Samuel Gompers, trades
unionism; Senator PETER, more popu-
lism; Coin" Harvey, more silver. The
following broad survey of the indus
trial problem is from the pen of Eugene
V. Debs:
In answer to your interrogatory as
to what l consider to be 1.-The greatest
evil of the time, and what is the remedy
for the complaints of the disconnected
Masses" have to say, that agree en-
tirely with Senator Tillman in his ter
rife indictment of the money power in
the Sunday World of March l, and in
declaring that power to be the monu-
mental evil Of this age, in which all
others have their source and compared
to which all others dwarf to insignifi-
canoe. The widespread poverty, misery,
wretchedness, squalor, degradation,
vice and crime in all their mutifarious
forms, not emitting the venality, cor
ruption and rascality among what
perverted civilization is pleased to call
the upper classes" are directly or in
directly traceable to this money power.
This power, the outgrowth of aggre-
gated and centralized wealth ext,rted
from the producing masses by processes
no less reprehensible than those en-
ployed by Captain Kidd, Jesse James
and bill" Dalton on an incomparably
small scale, makes congress and legis-
latures, dictates national and state
legislation, appoints federal and state
judges, dominates and elects the presi-
dent of the United States and compels
all its spineless vassals to do its bid
ding.
This money power has reduced the
high Office of the president 10 q market
able commodity, the supreme court to a
nest of venality and the United States
congress to a den of treason. Only a
few days ago Prof. George D. Heron,
the eminent Christian scholar, declared
that Christ had no more reason to
scourge the money changers from the
temple at Jerusalem that the American
people have to clean out the United
States senate. This money power, ON
nipotent and omnipresent, has even en-
tered the church of Christ, touched the
robed minister at the altar. blotched
his soul and frozen his heart and sent
him forth traitor to his consecrated
vows. This power grows more and
more arrogant and despotic as it plum
lders, brushes and enslaves the people,
while It, builds its Notifications of the |
bones of its victims and it's palaces out /
of Hts piracies, until purple and fine
linen on the one side and rags and
wredchedness upon the other side define |
social conditions as mountain ranges !
or rivers define the boundaries of ma
tons palaces on the hills, with music
and dancing and the luxurjes of all
in the valleys, dark and
dismalJ where the victims of mans
to man" crouch and SILVER,
and where the only music is the dolor-
Gus Gong of the shirt" and the luxu-