Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-02-21
CHAPTER NIu.-(Continued)


he neared the Ryder residence, the
American people had but themselves
to blame for their present thralldom.
Forty years before Abraham Lincoln
had warned the country when at the
close of the war he saw that the race
for wealth was already making men
and women money-mad. In 1864 he
wrote these words:
"Yes, we may congratulate ourselves
that this cruel war is nearing Its
close, 1t has cost vast amount of
treasure and blood. The best blood
Of the flower of American youth has
been freely offered upon our country's
altar that the nation might live. 1t
has been indeed trying hour for the
Republic, but see in the near future
a crisis approaching that unneryes me
and causes me to tremble for the
safety of my country. AS result Of
the war, corporations have been en-
throned and an era of corruption in
high places will follow and the money
power of the country will endeavor to
prolong it's reign by working upon
the prejudices of the people until all
the wealth is aggregated in few
hands and the Republic is destroyed"
Truly prophetic these solemn words
were to-day. Forgetting the austere
simplicity of their forebears, a love
OF show and ostentation had become
the ruling passion OF the American peo-
pie. Money, money, money! was to-
day the only standard, the only god!
The whole nation, frenzied with a wild
lust for wealth, no matter how acquir-
ed, had tacitly acquiesced in all sorts
of turpitude, every description Of
moral depravity and so had fallen
an easy victim to the band of capital
istic adventurers who now virtually
ruled the land With the thieves in
power, the courts were powerless, the
decentralization was general and the
world was afforded the edifying
spectacle of an entire country given
upto an orgy of graft-treason in the
Senate in the Legislature
fraudulent elections, leaks in govern
ment reports, trickery in Wall
Street, illegal corners in coal, meat,
ice and other prime necessaries Of
life, the deadly horrors of the Beef
and Drug Trust; railroad conspira-
cies, Insurance scandals the wrecking
of savings banks, police dividing spoils
with pickpockets and sharing the
wages of prostitutes, magistrates
charged with blackmailing- a foul
stencil of social rottenness and decay!
What, thought Jefferson, would be
Still, he unused, one ray of hope
pierced the general gloom the com
mon sense, the vigor and the intelli
gnce Of the true American man and
woman, the love for a square deal
which was characteristic of the plain
people, the resistless force Of en-
lightened public opinion. The country
was merely passing through dark
phase in it's history, it was the era OF
the grafters. There would come q
reaction, the rascals would be exposed
and driven off. and the nation would
go on upward toward its high destiny
The country was fortunate, too, il
having a strong president, a man 81
high principles and undaunted courage
who had already shown his capacity
to deal with the critical situation
America was lucky with her presi
dents Picked out by the great pc
litical parties as mere figureheads
sometimes they deceived theil
sponsors, and showed themselve mer
and patriots Such president wa:
Theodore Roosevelt After beginning
vigorous warfare on the Trusts, at
tacking fearlessly the most rascally
of the band, the chief of the nation
had sounded the slogan of alarm II
regard to the mulit-millionaires TIL,
amassing of colossal fortunes, he hat
declared, must be stopped mai
might accumulate more than suffi
cient for his own needs and for thu
needs of his children, but the evi
practice Of perpetuating great ant
ever-increasing fortunes for genera
ton yet unborn was recognized as
peril to the State. To have had tn
courage to propose such a sweepin
and radical restrictive measure Il
this should alone, thought Jefferson
ensure for Theodore Roosevelt plac
among Americas greatest and wises
statesmen He and Americans of hi
calibre would eventually perform tn
titanic task of cleansing these Augea
stables, the muck and accumulate
filth of which was sapping the healt
and vitality Of the nation.
Jefferson turned abruptly and wen
up the wide steps of an imposin
white marble edifice, which took IL
the space of half city block, A fin
example of French Renaissance arch
lecture, with spire roofs, round turret
and mullioned windows dominatin
the neighbouring houses, this magn
ficent home of the plutocrat, with II
furnishings and art treasures, ha
cost John Burkett Ryder nearly tie
millions of dollars. 1t was one of tn
show places of the town, and whe
the rubber neck" wagons approache
the Ryder manson and the guide
through their megaphones, expatiate
In awe-stricken tones on it's extern
and hidden beauties, there was ge
eral craning of vertebrae among tt
seeing New York"-ers to catch
glimpse of the abode of the richie
man in the world.
Only few privileged ones we
ever permitted TO penetrate to Il
interior of this ten-million-doll
home, Ryder was not fond of Col