The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-08-20

a dozen states that will send to the
senate a man without the capacity Of
gaining wealth. 1t is the same with
the house, which, l should say, has
gone into the hands of a receiver. It
Is SO that we don't even
get q report from the re-
ceiver as to the assets. Oh, how
far the Ship of State has drifted from
Its mornings! See how the represen-
tatives Of the nation have surrendered
the rights Of the people to one Thomas
Bracket Reed, of Maine. l venture to
say when truth gets a hearing it will
be put down as the most shameful sur
render Of the rights of the American
people eve known.
The leaders are shrewd-the
shrewdest of the land. They put a
mar like Reed ahead after every cleo
tlon, or place in the white house a man
IKE Mckinley, who can be nodded at
VIII. am not a pessimist, although
my rambllngs may lead you to think so.
we have for 100 years studied to ac-
qulre wealth. Now we enter upon the
new struggle-that of it's distribution.
mere was a time, only thirty years
ago., When there was a thirst for wealth.
Cotton was king and slavery ruled.
Alter riots it was actually discovered
M day that there were twenty-five
goou men. 1t was a Sodom and a Go
moran. John Brown, with twenty
GOOD men, went to Harper's Ferry, and
before the end was in view the Stars
and Stripes meant something. A million
men were sacrificed for a principle that
gave the black slave his liberty. May
the time come for us when twenty-five
good men will go to Harper's Ferry or
some other place and fight for the
liberty of the white slave.
Let us demonstrate that the Declar-
alton of independence did mean some
thlng-that it meant reward for toll of
labor, and not that the results of min
ers' hard work should go into the pock-
cts OF Mark Hama or any other pluto
crat. l refer you to the last campaign
when they wanted to set aside Flag
day, n Mark Hanna, the patriot citi-
zen, was to be made. the banner bearer
OF the occasion. The sole purpose of
the agitation vas to bolster up the
Republican policy. The purpose of
Mark Hanna's flag is to cover up the
dirt of the Republican party.
Il hope the day will COM when that
flag will mean something-equality of
opportunity. I believe in the American
people. l have another hope born of the
TACT that $500, 900 people put up in Chi
cago as a standard bearer a young and
a poor man.. Everywhere he went
spontaneous enthusiasm sprang up.
born of a desire to obtain liberty of the
masses. That was the grandest thing
seen in thirty years:
The people in the great cities ask
why they pay such enormous sums to
live in garrets, while some men own
vast lots of unimproved land. Whv
40 not the people own the land them
serves? These are the questions that
agitate the peoples minds. We have
seen only the border of the promised
land, without having had even a taste
of the fruit.
hope the day will come when we
a tell the glories of our land with
out lying about them.
NOW my remedies for these evils.
don't believe a high tariff will emnlov
more labor. I don't believe that gold
monometallism will right things. I
don't believe that there is a combine
not projected by law I don't believe
that people will receive full fruition of
the principles of Jefferson's declaration
until the people own the land We
live without land If you deprive
man of it and it's results you make him
an abject slave To remedy the evils
you must destroy land monompolv.
Let the United States senate not forget
to attack land monopoly. If you love
you must hate it. Some peo-
pie tell me to practice what 1 preach.
but l must travel in the line that offers
the least resistance. Such a resolution.
II introduced by me in the house.
would not be given a chance.
II believe in free silver and Bryan.
and believe that in rallying around
the banner we should instill the idea
that land monopoly must go. CAD
plause.)
ITO sum up we have made wonder
full progress and along with it there
has been a very rapid concentration of
wealth. We see that half our homes
are In need. We see now a quarter Of
a million men going on a strike be-
cause they can't live on starvation
wages. So I thought this a good dav