Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-09-14
...sHn,nrs..Anc,n.. ,sm

tention upon the startling crimes tina
are committed against liberty in lit
erty's name;" let him try to unmasl
the constituencies villains who ar
stealthily. deliberately planning tn
destruction of the republic; who ar
cunningly promoting every means tina
will enable them to supplant free in
situations with the whitening ours
of despotism; let any one ventur.
upon this task and he is at once tn
target of a mercilessly enfilading fire
He is assailed, assaulted and malignet
without limit and without end.
SPIRIT OF PERSECUTION.
1t is this malignant spirit which de
lights in brutal persecution, that a
the close of the war tortured the NOR
tai life out of the illustrious Horac,
Greeley and shot it's poisotad arrow
at the great Charles Sumner. 1t il
this spirit which last year DETAINED
and is now defaming, which then be
lied, and is now belying the noble
work of William ]. Bryan. This young
hero who is voluntarily consecratine
his splendid intellect, his transcend
ent powers to the service of the cause
of the common people as against thei1
oppressors; this young man whom
nature has SO richly equipped with ev'
cry noble and manly quality; this
tried and true patriot; this eloquent
defender of human liberty; this sec.
ond Andrew Jackson of the 10th cen
fury, is being mercilessly pursued by
the same fiendish spirit that has at all
times assailed every true reformer.
Let me ask you people how far from
the truth would be the declaration
that this spirit is but modified survi-
val of the brutal rutfianism which
nineteen centuries ago stoned the
prophets and found vent in the diabol-
ical cry, Cruelty him! Cruelty him!''
PERSECUTION OF EMINENT SCHO-
LARS.
The most alarming manifestation OF
the power of this prosecuting spirit,
we have witnessed recently. 1t has
invaded the seat of learning and has
there declared war upon the most sa-
cred of all human rights, the right OF
free speech. Eminent educators; men
who have devoted their life time to the
promotion of the cause of truth; who
have consecrated their splendid talents
to the holy cause of higher educa-
ton; men who have through the pow
er of meritorious action reached the
high posts of college professors and
presidents; even these emil
nent scholars are not secure against
the assaults of this spirit of intoler-
ance! Their names are being added
to the long list OF other notable vic
tins upon whose corpses this malevo-
lent spirit grows fat. AS I watch this
process of poisoning the very foun-
tains of learning; as I watch this
modern beast. the money power, ex-
tend it's dominion in all directions, at
now to add the school to it's
conquests by formulating what may
be taught and debating what must be
suppressed; as I behold the temple of
learning hallowed by the lapse Of time
and sanctifed by thousand glorious
desecrated with the ultima
tum of the modern money king, and
then note the stolid Indifference Of so
many of our people, then it is that I
am almost tempted to question the
soundness of the Jeffersonian pLilos-
ophy of government, am almost tempt
ted to ask, "Was not Hamilton right
after all when he declared in opposi-
ton to Jefferson that the masses Of
the people were incapable of self gov
The forced resignation OF President
Andrews of Brown university though
at present exciting little comment
may in the future be regarded as an
epoch making event, as much or more
so as the throwing of the tea into Bos-
ton harbor and later on the firing up
on of Fort Sumter. Neither the pur-
pose of the English king to continue
the expressions of the colonies nor the
animus of the armed enemy who fore
ed the capitulation of Fort Sumter
were as dangerous to human freedom
as the bold attempt to determine in
the counting house OF the multi-mil-
lionaire the line of demarkation be-
tween truth and error. The universe
ty is the citadel, the very repository Of
truth where freedom of opinion has
heretofore been deemed inviolable and
where the right of free speech has
been the crowned goddess. The at
tempt to make war upon this the most
sacred of all human institutions
should be decried by all men, should
be execrated by every lover OF our
race.
DANGER OF CORPORATE POWER.
It requires not specially keen in
tellect to perceive that struggle to
the death between the abuses and ex-
cesses of corporate power and the
rights of the common people is inevi-
table. 1t is simply another irrepres-
sible conflict. Not one that is to come
at some future time but one that is ac-
tually upon us. Let us take just one
glimpse at the situation. The nation
al banking corporations, the gold gam
blers, the bullion brokers whom
Thaddeus Stevens used to call the
thieves in the dens of Wall street; all
these vast interests have combined,
and are determined to fasten gold mo-
upon the country as a
permanent financial system. They are
further determined that the govern
ment shall forever surrender its SOW
ereign, constitutional right to provide
for the people paper currency. This
supreme function is to be usurped and
by the national banking
fraternity. Either initiation or con-
traction of the money supply may