The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-16

(John Clark Ridpath in January Arena. }
Debt is the only begotten and dearly
| beloved son of war; the offspring is
more dangerous and more cruel than the
progenitor.
The total bonded indebtedness arising
out of civil and International conflicts
eating away day ard night at the
vitals of the great leading powers of the
worlds already about $4,000, 100000
Reflect for an hour upon the appalling
aggregate; consider the pressure of this
intolerable incubus; try to estimate the
horror of this hell; weigh the woe and
anguish of them who rest under it and
then-despair and die
Twenty thousand millions of dollars:
Statesmen, philanthropists, pholoso-
piers, preachers, journalists, mouth
pieces OF civilization, one and all Of
you, how do you like the exhibit? Does
it not suffice? Who is going to pay the
| account? The people. Who, without
lifting hand or turning in their downy
beds, will gather this infamous harvest
during all the twentieth century? The
plutccracy.
It has been the immemorial policy of
the money power to foment wars among
the nations, to egg on the conflict un-
til both parties pass under the shadow
NJ iTonondipo hon %O
the prodigious debt of both with a pail
full of gold, to raise the debt to par, to
| invent patriotic proclamations for pre-
serving the national honor, and finally
to hire the presses and pulpits of two
continents to glorify the crime
And now comes marvellous revolu-
tion. The war debt gamblers of the
world have suddenly and silently
changed their game They are no longer
the fomenters of war. Each and several
they have turned about and become the
champions of order and pacification
The Baron Rothschild, philanthropist
and benefactor, has joined the Society
of Friends! The Morgan syndicate, fol-
lowing his example, has enlisted under
the banner of the peace society! Lom-
bard street and Wall street have opened
headquarters for the dissemination of
the principles of the gospel and the
stock exchange has become the chief
auxiliary of the Salvation Army! This
turn in human affairs is not only Won
derful-it is miraculous.
The powerful conversion Of the chief
plutocrats of two continents to the prin-
ciples of William Penn, is an event not
to be passed without a note of admira-
ton. 1t is only once in awhile that the
malevolent powers Of this world get
conscience in them and so fall in love
with the human race. Such thing Is
we'll calculated to excite suspicion It
requires at least to be explained.
Hitherto the money autocracy of the
world has always been anxious for war.
1t was by war indeed that the money
power came into being, and by that
agency it has mounted to the throne of
ChO AollO1o. DdtIlO Ado UCCu " tuc plu.
tocratic empire the one beautiful and
inspiring fact in history. War has al
ways demanded resources War has to
be supported with what orators call
1.-The sinews' of war. War must be fed
and supplied and strengthened at an ex-
penditure that would be appalling to
the human imagination if it were not
SO glorious. Hence when war begins
borrowing begins. The bond office is es-
tablished, and for Shylock the bond
office is the open gate into the boule-
wards Of Elysium
1t is by this method that the great
war debts of the world have been Great
ed. They have been created for the
benefit Of plutocracy at the expense of
the toiling millions. To this extent the
scheme of war has harmonized perfectly
with the purpose Of Shylock. The war
god and the god of gold have been
pair Of noble brothers. Their dominion
has been extended and confirmed until
at last every great nation Of the earth
owns their sway. That the god of gold
should here at the close of the nine
teenth century suddenly dissolve his
partnership with the god of war and
join the Society of Friends is, we re-
peat, thing so marvellous as to arouse
even a philosopher from his reverie
Albeit it is a good thing to belong to
the Society of Friends If one is sincere
in his acceptance of the sermon on the
mount.
But why should Shylock become a
man of peace? The reason is not far to
seek. The reason is that the great game
cf making war for the benefit of ma
Jioral and international bondholders
las come to it's last play. The scheme
is exhausted. Not another card can be
cast without danger to the plutocratic
.amblers who have so long gathered the
>arvests of the world with the bloody
sickle Of war. The process Of making