The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-07-30

JULY 80, 1903.
that makes the rich richer and the poor
poorer. It is the laws which deny
equality of privilege and are direct
contradiction of the elemental princi-
pie, equal rights to all, special priyi-
ieges to none"
Take for instance the case OF Car
negie. Could he have accumulated two
hundred million dollars in thirty years
without the aid of a law which restrict
ed competition in his line Of business,
but at the same time allowed him to
buy his labor on the worlds market /?
The same conditions exist today. We
still have protective tariff which allows
the manufacturer to rob his fellow cit
liens, but we have yet to hear Of tariff
being placed on foreign labor. 1t can
not be denied that the tariff favors q
few, placing upon the many burdens
which they should not bear. The wage
Garner must sell his labor on the worlds
market, but in buying the necessities
of life he is limited to the American
market. The miner owning his own
home pays taxes on almost its full val
ue. The coal company on land worth
$4,000 per acre pays on an assessed val
uation of four dollars. Where is the
equality before the law?
The good of the people should be the
first law Of our country, and all laws
should harmonize with the God-given
right to buy the necessities of life
wherever they are cheapest. This priv
ilege is given to the manufacturer,
then why not to the laboring man2
Favoritism breeds monopoly, and as
q result we have new feudalism, in
which power is transmitted, not by ties
Of kinship, but by bequest; In which
vassalags is secured. not By an oath Of
allegiance, but by dependency. The
privileged few are today more power
| ful In moIding the destinies OF others
than the feudsl lords ever were. When
there was scarcity of coal the people
turned to oil as substitute and there
by created grand opportunity, but for
one man only. He raised the price Of
Oil andput the screws on to the extent
OF about six million dollars, illustrating
the fact that our laws do not prevent
La few men from coming dollars out of
the dire necessities Of the people.
/ When any one man is privileged to
infiict torture and suffering upon his
fellows, then equality ceases and there
is something wrong with our system of
government. A few men banded to-
gether for selfish purpose have by
their actions said to the American peo-
pie, eve will freeze you into con-
: sciousness OF our power; we will make
you remember that we lawfully hold
the power Of life and DEATH" And still
we prate of human equality.
Yet, with such conditions staring us
in the face, we howl about liberty; but
is it the liberty intended by those who
, wrested freedom from royal tyrant
We all call it civilization, but is 1t civ
!, ilization as intended by the creator
No, because 1900 years ago true civil
, cation was defined in these words
, , sBear ye one another's burden, let eacl
!. esteem his neighbor's right as his own
. Whatsoever ye would that men shonlt
> > do to you, do We even so unto them"
We stand aghast at the many tales o
j crime and the record of poverty, bu
: fail to see the provoking causes, tn
4 inequalities of law, privilege and op
: portunity. The great evil lies in tn
. power of the few and the helplessnes
!. of the many. The maker of the uni
{, verse never intended that the individ
j ual should have monopoly of any
4 thing, or that any man should contro
S the natural resources Of the earth. II
+ intended these things for all r en- 70
Il he intended equality.
a. Looking backward l think we ma
sol justly feel great pride in our onwar
le march. We are the most enlightene
people on the face of the globe. W
n see the slave made free and the plea'
al ure of royalty subverted to q people
b. will. Democracy as signalized by Ii
r American revolution is recognized tt
10 world over; but standing out in tt
y forefront of present day history we 81