Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-07-15

under q partnership In one sense tnls
| movement was beneficial: IT tended TO
| cheaper production and In many ways in
| creased the convenience OF the public, and
I believe that II is yet destined 20 be
blessing to the world. But it brought with
| It unforeseen evils. for which the world
had made no preparation
First The process OF crushing out. or
consolidating. was carried 50 far that In
| time many Of the most important industries
| were controlled by trusts and all COM
petition was destroyed A few individuals
sitting In q rear room could arbitrarily dx
the price of labor. or raw material on the
one hand, and the price Of their products
on the other. They could crush on the one
hand and extort on the other.
Second So-caIled Christian gentlemen
eagerly accepted from agents large sums
rupt means, when they themselves. In
their individual business. would have hes
itated to use those means
| Third Money means power, and men
controlling vast sums became impatient OF
the restraint of the laws. and began to
rule over them in some cases. and to evade
them in others
Fourth It was found that the shortest
road to great wealth was through govern
mental aid. and accordingly many great
trusts and the moneyed interests made II
| their business to influence government ma
tional, state and municipal, in order TO
escape their share of public burdens. and
to get advantages and privileges thai
would make fortunes 1t rarely happens
that private individual has enough IN
terest in any matter to either corrupt
legislature or to obtain control OF all
branches of the government The uni
versal corruption that is to-day destroying
our country comes from the concentration
of capital, and the alarming aspect Is tha1
1t is practiced by men who talk patriotism
and who stand high in the alton
Of the public 1t is idle to talk about ouri-
flying the government so long as men OF
influence and position OFFER vast sums TO
Lao oeF %4a hon
BRIDE and you Will end corruption
I'VE must devise some way of remov-
ing overwhelming temptations on the one
hand and of distributing among all men
the benefits and advantages flowing from
the process Of concentration. As power
tslever limits itself. we must find method
of curbing it.
LET it be understood, the American peo-
pie are broad and generous. They envy
no man the fruits of superior EFFORT or good
fortune. They heartily applaud the
achievements of genius, and in this broad
land to-day there is nowhere a voice raised
against the man who has honestly acquired
a competence: there is no voice raised
! against the corporations that conf1ne tcem-
selves to legitimate business and legitimate
methods The complaint is against monop-
oily: against fortunes that have been cor
ruptly made. and are now used TO further
plumber the public and to destroy free in
situations The protest is against laws
/ which enrich some at the expense of 9TH
ital but the criminal use Of il. 1t IS not
wealth, but the abuse of it. that is work
ing our destruction
Look at the situation Lobbyists and
corruptionIsts sit in high places and are
| counted the great men of the land. Instead
| of the government controlling the corpora
! lions, the corporations run the government
Greed makes the laws, and labor carries
the burden. We hear of assessors being
bribed, city councils being owned. legisla-
lures being bought, while congress reg
listers the will of millionaires. Men reach
| the white house through the portals OF
| banks, and the higher judgships on certtn-
cate from the corporations
I'm no country and in no age have the
higher courts been on the side of the peo-
. pie or of liberty. They are everywhere the
exponents and defenders of that force
which for the time being dominates the
; land.
Need of American Manhood.
You ask: What shall we do?' My
friends, no mortal can tell you long In ad-
, vance. The exigencies must be met as they
rise The great purpose is to restore the
basic principles of the fathers and to re-
verse the present destructive policies. to
meet the new needs of the times; to eno
the corrupt reign of the dollar, and to sub
| stitute the voice of the citizen; to have the
. | government control the corporations. IN
. | stead CT having the corporations run the
government; to restore a financial system
, under which the world had prospered, and
which viii not paralyze America for the
! benef1t Of England: to prevent the federal
, | courts from becoming mere conveniences
, for concentrated wealth; to do justice 10
. the hand that tolls; to end monopones,
whether of money, land, products or priv
nege. In short, the purpose is to maintain
| free government among men, ana make
farther progress possible
) THE first thing necessary Is to assert
: our manhood; to have convictions, and
dare to maintain them Double-headed
platforms, and colorless men, are the in
strumentS by which the abuses OF the time
are made possible.
I'm 1776 the fathers said: We do not
! know just what the government may have
; to do, but whatever is necessary to achieve
{ Independence win be done we 90 not
: know whether there will be battle OF
. Bunker Hill. or of Yorktown, but we VIII
> either fill the graves of the conquered. or
! live the lives of freemen.'
r I'm 1860 the northern patriots said: we
: do not know whether the government viii
issue paper money or enact tariff laws,
but whatever is necessary will be done.
) We do not know whether there viii be
r Bull Run. Vicksburg. Gettysburg or an
; Appomattox, but we will maintain this re-
: public or sleep In southern graves
To-day If asked whether the govern
= ment will take the railroads or establish
referendum, say you do not know, but
| that every step which may become neceS-
, sary to save free government, and to re-
, store happiness In this land, viii be taken;
, say that If necessary to do so, the govern
2 ment will not only take the railroads., Out
s every monopoly. and concentration OF prop
erty which interferes with either the rights
/ or the welfare of the people.
For a century representative govern
ment was a success: 1t represented the peo-
: pie But new conditions have arisen. con-
: centrated capital offers temptations too
great for the average representiye to
resist-whether in the senate or city coun-
cil-and we are regularly betrayed Some
= men in both parties seek office hoping to be
hill Either the mower TO sell us must
: be taken away or the temptations must be
: removed; either have all important mat
: tiers submitted to the people, or have the
government take all railroads and monop-
= olies and thus force the briber out OF en-
ployment-
Definition of Democracy.
IT saw. our country must be rescued by
! the democrats. But be not deceived. Lob
, hy-ists and corruptionists who debauch leg
islatures, or pollute the stream OF JUS
tice are not democrats. So-called cad
ers who use their position in their party
to assist corporations IN getting an unfalr
advantage over the public, are not demo-
: Gratis. Men who are ready to soil their
fingers and sell the birthright OF their
children for the sake of personal gain are
! not democrats The word democrat is
one of the most inspiring in the language:
I II in as broad as humanity. and no man
Ia worthy OF 1t who has no higher purpose
5 than to get q personal advantage Of1ces
must be filled, and IL Is better to nave them
! filed by men Of conviction and character
r than by men who have neither. But unless
there is a higher aim and purpose, unless
: there is a great principle to support, there