The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1906-08-11
AMERICAN NATION AROUSED
The Clutches Of Gigantic Combines About
Its Throat.

Raise the cry Of mad dog in the
street and every citizen rusheS for a
gun, impelled by a common desire to
protect the community against the
dreaded hydrophobia. The least Of
fensive member of society is deeply
stirred with sense of his duty, and
unhesitasingly joins his fellows to kill
the wild bull that plungeS through
the streets to trample and gore and
mangle Let some terrible thing but
grasp your throat and seek to crush
out your life, how long would you re-
sent? ] TO consider the time when
many. OF the most powerful Of the
present murderouS combinations OF
capital against our proud boast of lib
erty, IL Is So. short as 10 shock SO
easily, imperceptibly, and by degrees;
so softly have these great combina-
tions been effected, and grown so
powerful that until almost but yes
terday the American Nation awaken
ed to find their clutches about its
throat, crushing out its business life,
it's guaranteed free competition, its
constitutional guarantee to every cit
izen of right to earn a livelihood,
provide for the wife OF his bosom and
the children whom he adores. From
the poorest and most unfortunate
man to the highest walks in life is
one boon SO rich that no man enjoys
it except to be a king. 1t is his right
to vote, his suffrage, his title to
American citizenship. With these
all powerful weapons ever since the
Bostonian Tea Party, he has been
able to stand upon the rampartS OF
liberty, hero uncOnquered and un-
conquerable, the enyied Of all the ma
tionS of the world, the highest type
of inspired citizenship, a free man,
and yet but yesterday in the mad
rush for wealth, the cloud OF CONNER
cialism has shaded the bright light
from his eyes. He has for a moment
forgotten the great sacrifice which
cost him his liberty, while Scheming
combinations have prepared to under
mine the fortress, and i'm its fall, to-
snatch from him the symbolical sword.
That powerful lobby at the United
States senate SO recently exposed to
-times-told tales of tainted and
corrupt methods. The realization that
in their greed and avarice vast mon-
eyed powers were not stopped at the
corruption of government itself, to at
tain their murderouS and criminal
ends; and this should be enough to
kindle the spark of patriotism in
every man. Some men become SO in
different in the possession Of thing,
no matter Of what value or what vast
power, that they forget its enjoyment
is not SO much personal affair as it,
is trust implicitly imposed by their
fellow-men.
The right to vote, while no man
may be forced to exercise his suffrage,
is at the same time trust SO sacred
that he who sits in silence and neg
lects it's use when any great crises
impends, is not only a traitor to his
trust but traitor to his fellow men
and his country. His suffrage is but
a loan, and it is his duty, not simply
his right, to exercise it. The citizen
who remains at home, Indifferent to
the call of his comrades and his cOun-
try is unworthy the name OF citizen,
nor should he be accorded the right to |
wear the badge of freedom. Any man
may be serf, but Americans are Cit
izens, and especially at this time
should every Southern citizen be alive
to his rights, when the formation of
the most dangerous and pernicious OF
all combinations is In process OF for
nation, ie: great trust which will
say to every planter how much he will
receive for his cotton, and to the |
how much he shall pay for
It, and back to the planter who furn-
ishes the staple, how much he shall |
pay for the same woven into cloth,
respect to demand or con-
and In violation OF every