The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-09
THE PATH OF SAFETY.
DIR. TALMAGE DISCUSSES OUR Ma
TIONAL LIFE.

The Dangers Of Monopoly. Nihiiism
and Infdelfty Pointed
tranity the Pillar OF the Nations
Strength and Perpetuity.
Copyright, Louis KIopsch, 1899
II this discourse DR.. Talmage speaks
of some of the perils that threaten our
American institutions and points out
the path Of safety; text, Isaiah xii, 4,
"Thy land shall be married"
AS the greater includes the less, so
does the circle Of future joy around our
entire world include the epicycle of our
own republic. Bold, exhilarant, unique,
divine imagery of the text. AT the close
Of a week in which for three days our
national capital was a pageant, and all
that grand review and hammered pro-
cession n national anthems could do
celebrated peace, it may not be inapt
to anticipate the time when the Prince
of Peace and the Heir of Universal Do
minion shall take possession OF this ma
ton and thy land shall be married
In discussing the final destiny OF this
nation, it makes all the difference in
the world whether we are on the way
to a funeral or a wedding. The Bible
leaves no doubt on this subject. In pull
pits and on platforms and in places OF
public c%oncourse I hear so many of the
mufhed drums of evil prophecy sound
ed, as though we were on the way to
national interment, and beside ThebeS
and Babylon and Tyre in the cemetery
of dead nations our republic was to be
entombed, that I W sh you to under
stand it is not to be obsequies, but nup-
tials; not mausoleum, but carpeted al
tar; not cypress, but orange blossoms;
not requiem, but wedding march, for
"thy land shall be married"
I propose to name some of the suit
ors who are claiming the hand of this
republic. This land is so fair, so beau
tiful, so affluent that it has many suit
Ors and it will depend much upon o
advice whether this or that shall be ac-
copied or rejected. In the first place, /
remark: There is a greedy, all grasping
monster who comes in as sutton seeking
he HAND Of this republic, and that
monster is known by the name of mo-
nopoly. His scepter is made out of the
iron or the rail track and the wire of
t~elegraphy. He does everything for his
own advantage and for the robbery Of
the people
Things went on from bad to worse
until in the three legislatures of New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
for a long lime monopoly decided every
thing. If monopoly favor a law, it
passes; if monopoly opposes a law it is
rejected. Monopoly stands in the rail-
road depot putting into his pockets in
one yea 5000, 600, 900 in excess of all
reasonable charges for services. Mo-
nopoly holds in his one han the steam
power of locomotion and in the other
the electricity of swift communication.
Monopoly has the republican party in
one pocket and the democratic party
in the other pocket. Monopoly decides
nominations and e~lections-city cleo
tons, state elections, national elections.
With brides he secures the votes Of
legislators, giving them free passes,
giving appointments to needy relatives
to lucrative position, employing them
as attorneys if they are lawyers, carry
ing their goods Is per cent. less If they
are merchants, and If he find a case
very stubborn as well as very impor-
tant puts down before him the hard
cash of bribery.
NOT EASILY OVERTHROW.
But monopoly is not so easily caught
now as when during the term of Mr..
Buchanan the legislative committee in
one of our states explored and exposed
the manner in which a certain railway
company had obtained a donation of
public land. 1t was found out hat Is
of the senators of hat state received
SITS, 900 among them, 80 members of
the lower house of that state received
between $4,000 and &c. 900 each, the
governor of that state received $50, 900,
his clerk received $4,000, the lieutenant
governor received SIC, 900, all the clerks
of the legislature received $4,000 each,
while $50, 900 were divided among the
lobby agents. That thing on a larger or
smaller scale is all the time going on in
some of the states in the union, but it
is not so laundering as it used to be,
n therefore not so easily exposed or
arrested. / tell you that the overshad-
owing curse of the United States today
is monopoly. He puts his hand upon ev-
cry bushel of wheat, upon every sack Of
salt, upon every ton of coal, and every
man, woman and child in the United
States feels the touch of that moneyed
despotism. I rejoice hat in "a states Of
the union already anti-monopoly
leagues have been established. God
speed them in the work of liberation.
I have nothing to say against capital
lists. A man has a right to all the mon
ey he can make honestly-I hav moth
ing to say against corporations as
such; without them no great enterprise
would be possible, but what I do say
is that the same principles are to be
applied to capitalists n to corpora
tionS that are applied to the poorest
man and the plainest laborer. What is
wrong for me is wrong for great cor
porations. If 1 take from you your
property without any adequate COM
.~pensation, I am a thief, and if a rail-
way damages the property of the peo-
pie without making any adequate COM
pensation, that is a gigantic theft.
What is wrong on a small scale is
wrong on a large scale. Monopoly in
England has ground hundreds of thou
sands of her best people into semis-
tration and in Ireland has driven mul-
titudinous tenants almost to madness
and in the United States proposes to
take the wealth of 60, 900, 900 or 20, 00O,-
900 of people and put it in a few silken
wallets.
Monopoly, brazen faced, iron finger
ed, vultured hearted monopoly offers
ais hand to this republic. He stretches
it out over the lakes and up h great
railroads n over the telegraph poles
of the continent and saws, Here is nv