Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1905-04-21

the state may have my cattle shot, or my fam
lily imprisoned within rigid lines of quarantine.
My life, my liberty, my property-I hold them
subject to the will of the state, to be given up
life and liberty and property-whenever the
salvation of the state demands it. Thus the
civilian gives his property to the state when
she calls upon him with her tax laws. Thus
soldier and sailor give their service and their
blood when public duty demands.
''Ihe man who is not willing to live by this
rule in good fath-this rule which requires
special Interest to yield to general interests
not tit to live III auv civilized community
"By the exercise of the law OF eminent do.
main, puplc utilities have been taken away
from the people. By the same law they must
be restored to the people The same method
which was good enough TO assess the property
VIXEN the private corporation wanted it is good
enough to assess it when th~ people demand
its return. Some of these public franchises
may have been paid for--some were given
away by those who were brbed--but no mat
ter how private corporations got the property,
the title is now i'll them, and the property must
be honestly assessed and paid for--that being
the penalty which the commu lity must pay
ior having elected thieves to rule over it.
81 am not here to debate the question of
what political party deserves the credit for the
Chicago triumph. The victory at Chicago was
victory of plinciple--a victory of the people.
The man who is not willing to sink party pride
and prejudice in the cause of this principle is
not the patriot demanded by the duties of the
hour.
"To redeem New York, to liberate public
property from the clu chcs Of the private cor
porations, l am ready to step into the RANKS
under the leadership of any honeset man who
is devoted to the principles.
"Men of New York! Chicago has set the ex-
ample-let us rise, and follow in her footsteps
Let lis throw off the yoke which rascals have
put upon US. Let US break the chains which
fetter US, hand and foot. The whole country
resounds with cheers for Chicago, and the whole
country now looks toward New York. This
fight will require manhood. Haven't you got
it? 1t will demand courage. Haven't you
got it?
''The heroes Of 1776 had nothing at stake
more important than that which is now in
volved. The Civil war between the states was
waged for no issues more Important.
ut is question of self.governinent, of self
preservation, of personal and political Liberty.
To hundreds of thousands it is question of
bread aud meat To millions now living and
to millions unborn, it is question of being
freemen and slaves.
GA great New Yorker once proclaimed on the
eve of the struggle Involving vital principles:
'There is an irrepressible conflict between
freedom and slavery.
ga yet greater man. who came, like Judge
Dunno from the state Of Illinois, declared THIS
UNION CANNOT CONTINUE TO EXIsr HALE FREE
AND HALF SLAVE
"Squarely and fairly, you face issues of
equal magnitude. II in your veins there runs
the blood OF the men of 1860, you, also, will
say:
tBetween commercial freedom and slavery
the conflict is irrepressibe." "You also, will
say, this Union cannot continue to exist less
than half industrially free, more than half in.
dustrially slave.
s'Take your choice-choose your ground. l,
tor one, declare that would rather not be alive
at all than to drag out the prolonged humilia-
ton of the slave.--a slave to the soulless cor
porations and the heartless billonaire.
''If you want to maintain liberty, you have
got to pay the price. You know what that is,
don't you?
eternal vigilance and the readiness to fight
and die for your right"