The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-02-16
COMING MONARCHY
A STUDIED PURPOSE TO DISCREDIT
FREE GOVERNMENT.
A Strong Article From the Philndel-
phia American. Edited by
Wharton Barker.

suit of foreclosure sales or the propert7
of debtors ruined by the fall in prices
and the ever increasing burden of their
debts, as the result of the wrecking of
many enterprises by railroad discrim.
1natiOn In favor of the favored few 50
that the railroad cliques may pick up
the wreckage and gather to themselves
the savings of many lifetime of earn
est effort and intelligent toll, the proud
possesors of this centralized wealth
grow increasingly arrogant in their
treatment OF their fellow men, more in
tolerant of those who put obstacles i:
the way of their exploiting mankind
more scornful of republican govern
ment. Avarice, indeed is shown to
be the breeder of arrogance. AS tie
wealth of the country becomes gathered
into fewer hands the avarice of ito
possessors seems to grow, and as their
avarice grows so grows their arro-
gance.
When we hear congress spoken of as
mlscnlef maker, as body without
patriotism and unfit to be trusted with
the direction of the policy of our coun-
try, when we are told that congress IS
doing what it can to disturb and di,;-
tress business, that the exercise of
arbitrary powers by the speaker of the
House of Representatives alone pre-
vents congress from doing grieyous in
jury to the interests of our people, that
Ill will be,ide the day that congress
may have its way and the will of the
people may be done,-when we hear air
This we'll may we ask: Why not a
monarchy? II the people through their
representatives in congress cannot be.
trusted with hand in their own GOV
eminent, if congress would do great
injury to our people, that is the people
DO grave injury to themselves if not
held IN check by the exercise of auto
cratic powers by Mr.. Reed, why would
1t not be better to abolish a congress
that cannot be trusted, that is a hind
rance to good government, not a help
and establish an absolute monarchy?
The traducers OF congress-. those
who decry the ability of the people to
rule themselves, are nothing better
than advocates of monarchy and. as
such, traitors to the Republic. Inc
men into whose hands grievously UNI
just and inequitable monetary and
transportation systems are RAPIDLY CEN
trailing the wealth of the country are
as class. imbued with that egotism
"hlcn teaches men to measure every
thing by self interest. And these men
nave built up interests that are antae-
onlstic to the interests of the comm;1n-
lty at large. Encouraged by a monetary
system conceived upon lines of extor-
ton, not of justice and fairness. by tine
operation of our transportation sv5-
TENS for the profit of the speculative
clques, not the equal benefit of all
users OF our railroads, these men have
pent their energies to gathering wealth.
not by industry, not by producing
'"N W PiOS ing UPON Tie luulS-
try OF others. They are protiters from
unWlse systems, they are the creation
OF Unjust systems of money and trans
portation, systems that should not he
tolerated by a just government.
But bent on further enriching them
selves as they have in the past by per-
petrating injustice towards their fellow
men, bent on perpetuating systems of
evil that lead to the down treading Of
the industrious and the Capitalization
OF wealth in the hands of the few. thew
lnstlnctively draw back from trusting
those whom they have wronged. So
in the people and in the representatives
OF the people they have, no trust. Thew
nave, indeed. been remarkably success
ful in binding congress in the nast to
wrongs perpetrated in the name of right
and justice, but the people and their
representatives they instinctivelv fear.
for the people they have grievously
"fonged And so we have congress
classed as unfit to take a hand in gov
eminent. When it meets the sneculo-
tive cliques tremble in the fear that it
Will take note of the gross injustices
perpetrated towards our people in the
interest of the cliques with the result
OF centralizing the wealth of the coun
try, the product of many hands, in the
hands of few, in the fear that it Will
40 Justice to a wronged people that
has been long delayed, that it will re-
fuse to longer uphold a monetary sys-
tenn that has resulted in the despoilment
OF debtors. or tolerate abuses In our
transportation systems that have re-
suited in the ruin of uncountable enter
prises, the wreck of uncountable for
tunes accumulated by honest toll.
And when congress gives the slightest
indication of moving in the interest of
the great multitude 1t is assailed and
traduced, traduced as unpatriotic, as be-
reft of wisdom, as working to unsettle
business. Thus we have congress now
traduced because the senate sees fit
to protest against the perpetuation of
the gold standard. because some men,
bers of the house rise up to express