The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-06

me, give me liberty or give me death"
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
The Declaration of independence soon
followed. This memorable bill of griev-
ances, this formidable arraignment of the
mother country this proclamation of prin-
ciples, stands among the great state papers
without parallel in the history of govern
ments. TO this solemn compact the sign
ers pledged their lives, their fortunes and
their sacred honor. The solemn silence fol-
lowing the signing of this memorable docu-
ment was broken by the venerable divine,
John Witherspoon. who said: Il would
prefer my gray hairs to descend to the
grave by the hand of the executioner than
desert my country in this crisis" Frank
lin said: We must now hang together
or we shall hang separately" Seven long
years OF suffering, of danger, of privation,
OF death on the field of battle and on the
perlious march all the hardships and loss
incident to war, the devastation and sor-
row, tell of the cost Of liberty and the
price of this Independence day This great
Nation, with its marvellous achievements
with its illimitable possibilities, its unde-
yeioped resources is the pride of every
country, our home. do not care to glorify
the past 1t needs no enconlium I do
desire IN the light of this written history,
10 draw some lesson of duty.
Let not this day, sacred to liberty, be
meaningless holiday. Let it be glorious
with resolves that this sacred trust COM
united TO us shall have a new baptism of
loyalty and devotion from us. The dam
gers that threaten our perpetuity, peace
ana prosperity are not from abroad. If
foreign foe should assail our honor, or in
fringe upon our rights, or attempt to in
wade our domain, million freemen would
arise IN day to our national defense. The
bitter sectional strife that SO long menaced
this Union has passed away. The house
once divided against itself is now united
family. The irresponsible conflict be-
tween free and slave labor has passed
into history. Because former menaces that
threatened our permanency and prosperity
have passed away, it does not follow that
this country is entirely divorced from dan
ger: There are new and insidious foes
springing up to mar our peace, paralyze our
prosperity and endanger our safety. We
have witnessed with serious apprehension
and alarm the Selling of our great lines of
commerce and transportation, and the con-
sternation and terror, in some of our great
cities. caused by the uprising of impas-
stoned men. We have witnessed the calling
out OF national guards for the protection
of life and property, and the shedding of
blood seemed imminent. These conditions
which have arisen in this country, demand
triotic thought.
Let us dispassionately review some of
these dangers that are growing up under
the sanction of law. Our immigration laws
have not been sufficiently restrictive. We
have admitted to citizenship elements not
in harmony with our government or in
sympathy with our institutions. For many
years, under the contract labor system,
cheap labor has been imported to the det-
Workingmep.
CORPORATE GREED AND FRAN
CHISES.
Corporate greed secures from the people
valuable franchises, then abuses the priv
ileges and betrays the trust thus secured.
Gas plants water plants, street railways
and numerous other corporations initiate
their stock show large capitalization, and
upon this watered stock, demand the right
to make unjust charges in order to secure
fair earnings of the capital They have one
value upon which to earn profits, but a far
different value upon which to be taxed.
Mr.. MerriWether the labor commissioner
Of Missouri, upon this point, says st.
Louis street railways pay their stockhold-
erS diVidenedS upon $40 900, 900; to the public
they pay taxes upon 1870. The rental
9571, $40, should be $50 per year; but
the street railways are made to pay only
S4l 800 per year, or scarcely one-thrtieth
what they should pay ! have here speci-
fled one instance. This will suffice to illus
trate the general trend of the abuse of fran
chise privileges. Trusts are formed and al
lowed to use their large agregatiOnS of
wealth in arbitrarily controlling the prices
OF merchandise, much of which is indis-
pensable to human comfort and happiness.
Through the exercise of these unjust pow
ers they accumulate wealth which is often
used to corrupt legislation. The dominat-
ing influence of lobbyists in controlling
legislationsfs a menace to free government.
Labor is the creative power of wealth. 1t
has transformed wilderness into fruitful
fields and happy homes. 1t sOws and gath
erS into storehouseS that human wants may
be supplied 1t produces fiber and ia brio,
food and clothinS-in short supplies human
needs. Labor enters not the sanctity of
Legislative halls to demand it's rights, but
meekly waits. Aggregated wealth,
prompted by seihsh greed seeks to entrench
its powers behind the law as d defense of
greater gain. This country needs more pa
triotc statesmen, broad enough to com
prehend the needs of the hour and patriotic
enough to stand for the right. The spirit
of patriotism must be tested by something
more than meaningless sentimentalty.
There must be In the warp and wool, and
woven into the web of our being, a loyalty
to the country that will lead the indi-
f ba pub to f fo0d po selfish IN gain for
stances, seems to supplant principle and
self-interest to dominate the public veal
Men intrusted with making and enforcing
laws, instead of inquring at the bar of
conscience and seeking to promote public
good, too often feel the public pulse to see
what is popular and what is policy. The
enforcement of law is a necessity to the
perpetuity Of our government They who
encourage or sympathize with the resist
iawlessness. If not the active participants
in mob law. Among those whose sworn
duty 1T is TO enforce the law, there is too
much covering or cringing to popular de-
mand-pandering to policy forgetful of The
great law of right.
OF all the dangers that mar our peace
and threaten our safety, the element of
discomfort is one of the most potent This
growing element will create unsettled con-
ditions and result in frequent changes in
policy and party control. Whatever tends
to array class against class, or to engen-
der strife or stir up hate, or breed dis
content, | care not whether it is the elo-
quence of the demagogue or the enactment
OF unjust laws, both tend to revolution
LESSON OF INTERDEPENDENCE
The sentiment 1 would most earnestly
commend on this patriotic day the lesson
L would impress, is our interdependence
The industries, the professions, callings-
in brief, all the multiplied interests of this
great Nation are so interviewer, so mu-
tualy dependent, that the highest good to
the Nation must thrnnnh Ia