Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-04-06
MIR. Hilburn.

lbOTlul COlumuS VI ldSb WO0h . lSs
sue statement about land pur-
chase in Butler county, Mo-, of
5000, and you say you don't ap-
prove of these large holdings;
that if you had your way you
would limit them to 160 acres at
the most, and that 80 would be
better. For you say, ;'Not only is
the present system destructive of
soil-wealth, but of man-wealth-
of nearly all that goes to make a
citizen fit for liberty and self
COVE rnment."
True, Bro. AXE. quite true; but
what are we to do about it? Your
liberties and mine are tied up with
the liberties of these land tenants.
We can no more escape the thraI-
dom that the system is winding
about the very souls Of these our
brethren, than we can hope to avoid
the consequences of the careless
handling OF dynamite. And what
is true of land is also true of other
great wealth. Read what John P.
Altgeld said in a speech at Omaha,
January 7th, 1899:
"Look about you! Nearly all
of the wealth of this land is pass
ing into few hands and not one
OF these hands are favorable to
the freedom of the citizen. Every
great industrial, commercial, min
ing or transportation enterprise is
passing into the hands, first, OF
corporations, and then, by further
consolidation, into the hands of
trusts which thus have an absolute
monopoly-a monopoly which can
arbitrarily fix prices, fix wages,
and regulate output; a monopoly
which has no soul and whose
chief purpose is to plunder the
public. The monopolist and the
speculator prosper but masses
wither, Men of moderate fortun mes
and of fair incomes who were the
bulwark OF the republic are slowly
but surely being wiped out. We
are being reduced to two classes:
In the first stage, these will be
known as the very rich and the
moderately poor, and in the Sec
ond stage as the masters and the
slaves. We have esta blished a
monied aristocracy and are now
fastening yoke on posterity. A
standing army is to be enthr oned
and bayonet argument is to gov
ern. Republican institutions can no.
Iive amid such conditions" The ital-
les are mine.
Here is a twelve-year-old
prophecy fulfilled in every word
and line. "Ill fares the land to
fastening ills prey where wealth
accumulates and men decay" is
just as true DOW as in Goldsmith 8
time.
But why call attention to such
things, if there is no remedys
Let the people sleep! They will
know the house is on fire when
the roof falls in and isn't that soon
enough? Let US listen to another
one of Altgeld's speeches, or a
part of speech delivered at the
St. Andrew Society Banquet No
vember 30th, 1895:
"These new conditions are not
ephemeral, they are permanent in
Etheir character, First, because il
will not be possible to dissolve the
corporations and concentrations
of this country and reduce matters
to their former condition; and
second, because these great com
binations and concentrations in
themselves are beneficial. They
can cheaper production and in
many ways give to the world a
degree Of comfort and pleasure
that would not be possible under
former conditions. This is es-
pecially true as relates to trans
portation, telegraphing, etc. The
question is how to give the public
its share OF this benefit or, if this
cannot be done, then to protect
the public against extortion. If it
is true that the era of competition
is drawing to close, and that we
have entered upon new conditions
and that these are permanent, then
it is the business of government tc
recognize these conditions ano
legalize them. seeing to it, at the
same time, that the public is pro-
tected. A government that stands
with it's face toward the fact and
cannot adjust itself 20 the new
conditions that are constantly be-
ing evolved, is not suited to this
age"
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