Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-07-12
ChAUTAUQUA
SESSION
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of the lecturer, and at the close
of his address attested their ap-
prevail by hearty rounds of ap-
plause. The doctor in opening
said he had come before his aud
fence to discuss some of the
great questions of the day. He
intended to discuss them thor
oughly, regardless of where the
blame might fall. Throughout
history men have come before
the people with messages and
prophecies. He posed not as a
prophet, but as one whose say
ings might, in time, become pro-
phetic.
In this age the rights of the
masses are the playthings of the
classes. Discomfort stands at the
base of every great movement.
Today a wave of emotion is pass
ing over the great popular heart.
The real reason for unrest and
discomfort in this country arises
from the fact that men are un-
equal before the law. If WASH
ington or Jefferson were
to run for the most
mental Office in some locali-
ties today, the speaker maintain
de, he could not be elected. From
the first days of history mass
has hated class. Equality and
contentment can only some to a
free and enlightened people.
The speaker then dwelt on the
last century Of the Roman Re-
public. Strong men then, he
said, did just as they do now !;
they bent in obeisance to obtain
favors. He said that from a
democracy Rome passed to a
plutocracy. He predicted that
America was rapidly doing the
same.
The modern causes for unrest
and discomfort are envy and
jealousy, mistrust, antagonism
and materialism. If the best
educated and more enlightened
class experience at times pangs
of envy and jealousy, how much
more do the less educated exepr-
fence it.
Today the people of the Unit
ed States mistrust the law, be-
cause it so often miscarries and
justice is thwarted. They do
not understand it and on every
hand they see magnate and cor
poration laughing at it. The
man who steals to add to his
wealth is not only unpublished
but applauded, while he who
steals to appease a gnawing ap-
petite is railroaded to a peniten-
tiary. Antagonist of labor to
capital is another cause for dis
content. The differences bet
ween capital and labor nine
times out of ten grow out of
dense ignorance.
Specifically, the speaker said.
our country appears prosperous,
but when the sun is shining
brightest the shadows are the
blacklist. There is graft and dis
honesty in many of our insur-
ance companies, banks, building
and loan associations, ballots
and the whole political frame
work of our government.
The doctor then spoke in a
more optimistic tone and said
that there was yet time to cut
out and eradicate the diseased
part of our government. Just
as long as the Office holder re-
mains in touch with the people
he maintained, just so long will
he prove trustworthy to his call
ing. The way to cure public
evil is not by smoothing it over,
but by exposing it.
Nine tenths of the arrable
land of the country is at present
controlled by one-tenth of the
population, and he said that it is
predicted by our leading econ.
ornists that in ten years time the
Il entire wealth of the country will
be controlled by $4,000 men.
&. We have trusts and combina.
tons today; tomorrow we will
havea combination Of the allied
81 trusts and Industries.
He then spoke of the immense
good church members do and the
important part they play in the
civil communities. Did a church
member realize that if he votec
b DIS his conscience dictated hi
could put every corrupt and dis
honest office holder out of office
HE would play a much more i'm.
81 E,ortart part in the welfare Of
orr government than he does