Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-07-30
GRAFT upon the one hand. and the

crat, upon the one hand. and the
mental on the other; that can afflict
society with the two-fold curse oil
multi-millionaire and pauper-once
let these truths penetrate the popu.
lar understanding, the carnival Of the
thieving and gambling fraternity
would abruptly come to an inglorious
end.
The interesting question then is, is
it impossible to rouse the masses to a
real sense of the danger hanging
over them before this danger culmi-
mates in calamity and overwhelms
them. There are at the present many
indications of pc pular awakening.
Unless we set the people down as in
durable idiots, it will be impossible for
US to believe that they will much
longer continue to submit to the
wholesale confiscation of their earn
ings and the heartless spoliation of
their political Inheritance. The or inn
inal operations of the multi-million-
aire conspirators are growing so reck-
lessly bold, the effect of their opera
tions are SO far reaching and disas-
trous, that public attention is being
aroused as it never was before, and
unless our people are exempt from
the operations of the natural law that
governs elsewhere and are amenable
to another, the workings of which
we do not understand, public indig-
nation will follow, and the inevitable
outcome will be readjustment of
conditions where the Jeffersonian
doctrine of the political equality of
man will be assigned its rightful place
and the administration of Justice be
the moving, governing principle.
That class Legislation has now
reached the imminent danger point,
to maintain which will involve the
permanent degradation of the pro-
ducing classes, Is beyond all intelli-
gent dispute and yet, In their utter
madness, the beneficiaries of this
legislation are planning and demand
ing that the fields of their operations
be widened. With one accord they
are are asking such an extension of
license and power to plumber, that,
should all their demands be granted,
as the republican party now con-
templates, as it is, in fact, anxious to
grant, an imperialism of wealth will
rule this country, such as this world
never saw-an Imperialism without
conscience, destitute of mercy, riot
ing in the very debasement Of the
common people, reviving the damna-
BILE doctrine of despotism, enforcing
the cruelties of the Pharaohs-com-
pelling the people to make bricks
without straw.
Equality in the owning of property
is an ideal conclusion for which the
democratic party is now contepding.
The equality we demand is the equal
ity of all citizens before the law. 1t
is equity, not equality we plead for.
We freely concede the natural superb
ority of some men over others but we
will never concede that Rockefeller's
is %, 900 times more active than other
peoples brains.
Not content with controlling the
coal fields, the oil fields, the ore de-
posits, the timber supplies, the pre-.
vision market, the labor market, the
line, the telegraph and
telephone, to say nothing of the
illimitable value of municipal fran.
chises; not satisfied with owning the
executive, the judiciary, congress and
most of the state legislatures, and the
entire metropolitan press, these multi
millionaires have determined to
possess themselves of the vast addi.
tional power of controlling the
peoples finances. If they succeed
they will have completed their own
ership of the last thing upon earth
they will own the people themselves
The odious relationship Of master and
slave will then have been established
without the physical presence OF the
auction block. The program is tc
utterly destroy the use of silver Of
primary money-to make it artificial
ly scarce SO as to mark the price Of
labor and its products down. down
and to legislate the price OF gold up
up.
But the old democratic ship tina
has sailed upon SO many turbulen
waters, that has whirled and twisted
in so many furious eddies, that ha
triumphantly outridden all the storms
of over century; this historic Graf
under the temporary command of
treacherous captain was fecentl.
anchored in the mud holes OF republi
can landing places. But the patriots
crew refused to remain or obey. The.
unceremoniously threw the captain
overheard, thoroughly renovated tn
old ship, readjusted her machinery
and installed a new captain. He i'm
mediately weighed anchor, quit tn
foul waters of republican ports an,
today VIM. j. Bryan is navigating
the proud craft upon the blue water
Of the high seas. not according to TIL
rules formulated in Wall street, blu
with the aid Of en- old fashione,
Jeffersonian compass. Behold tn
old ship. how proudly, how magnif
Gently she rises. headed for the dec