The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-03-08

| ernment Evils-AlsO Spoke at A.
| sembly Hall.
DR.. D. w. p. Bliss, of Chicago, presi
dent Of the Social Reform union, mad,
two addresses yesterday in st. Paul, TIL.
presentation at Christ church, in the
morning was an eloquent appeal to
church people to arouse to social ac-
ton. It was well received by the
large congregation gathered to hear
him. He took as his text Matt. xviii
10, Go We therefore and teach all ma
tions, baptizing them in the name OF
the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost" He said in brief:
The nineteenth century has been a
century of Christian missions, but be-
fore the twentieth century new prob
lens arise. It Is not enough to 20
into the heart of Africa and the ISL
ands of the sea. We must get into the
heart of Wall street and into congress
and precinct caucus. Not only the
African but the politician must obey
Christ, and the golden rule must be-
come the only rule for gold. In Amer
lea this is difficult. We have divorc-
ed state and church, and this is we'll:
but we have also divorced God and pol
itics and this Is not well. We have
drawn a circle around the ballot box
and said that in that circle God has no
place. We have written over the eau
Gus: Give up all religion. all ye that
enter here" We have given politics
over to the devil, and politics and pol
1ticians have eagerly gone to ruin. We
have in politics renounced God and
in His place elected Mark Hanna or a
Tammany boss. This must be chang
ed. We have no right to be Republi-
cans or Democrats, or Populists, or
aught else unless we can 20 with Christ
to our caucus and with our conscience
to the ballot. Jesus Christ must rule
In st. Paul politics and the republic of
the United States must become the
kigdom OF our Lord and of His Christ.
There is need enough of this in ma
tional politics.
OF the United States congress, Mr..
Bryce, in his American Common
wealth" though trying to minimize the
gravity of the situation, has to admit
that all legislation affecting corpora
lions and manufacturers is systemat-
cally managed, or at least Influenced by
corruption; that about per cent of
both houses of congress take direct |
money bribes; that from II to 20 per
,ent are pretty certainly open to cor
ruptfon, and much larger number |
inspected to be dishonest.
Twenty-eight years ago Charles Fran |
lis Adams wrote:
Public corruption is the foundation
N which corporations always depend
or their political power. It is
! new power for which our language
contains no name. We know what
lr1stocracy, autocracy, democracy are.
'ut we have no word for government
y moneyed corporations. The
influence OF corporations and of class
interests is steadily destroying that be-
ef In sfngleness of purpose which alone
nables representative government
D exist"
Today that moment has come. To-
ay we have no longer Lincoln's gov
Of the people. We have gov
Of money, for money, by mon
y, government of the railroads, for
ne railroads, by the railroads.
In municipal politics it is worse. Saws
ndrew D. White:
Without the slightest exaggeration
Q may assert that, with very few ex-
options, the city governments of the
nited States are the worst in Christ
ndom, the most expensive, the most
lefficient and the most corrupt. No
ne who has any considerable knowl-
lge OF our own country, and of other
'untries can deny this.
The city halls of these larger towns
e the acknowledged center of the vii
It corruption. They are absolutely
not merely to those who
We under their sway, but to the coun-
at large. Such cities, like the de-
'ying spots on ripe fruit, tend to cor
lpt the whole body polite"
What is the cause OF this? It Is
It in the private character of our peo-
e. II this be the cause and IL our
ties are worse than European cities.
en- onr people must be worse than
g peoples Of Europe. Now this is
nply not the fact. There is probably
It much difference between the gem
al moral tone Of Western Europe and