The Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1896 Page: 6 of 16
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FEB. 20, 1896.
DAVID AID QOUATH.
As the second dark age began to
cast its shadow on the North Ameri-
can continent, there appeared in
this country two political forces,
which may be thus impersonated:
One was the giant of plutocracy,
whose mission it was to absorb the
substance of the masses, laying waste
the fair land of Columbia and to im-
poverish and enslave the American
people. This Goliath of plutocracy
did not collect tribute as did the pi-
rates of old, by the point of the sword
or of the edge of the cutlass, but by a
mode of warfare and subjugation, in-
spired by the king of the dominion of
Lucifer. He had lear *ed.that there
were other ways of robbing nations
and enslaving the people than by
Are and sword. He brought no ships
of war or armies of soldiers, but with
stealth landed upon the country and
began the practice of his methods
of corrupting the leaders and subso-
dizing the avenues of-public? thought.
This cost money, but much less than
would a war of invasion* Soon this
Goliath of plutocracy had his emis-
saries and in every organization from
the labor unions to the churches and
ecclesiastical councils. Congress
was soon within his grasp, and the
courts of last resort did its bidding.
The second person to appear was
the young David of J reform called
people's party. Young David sprang
from humble parents who earned
their bread according to divine in-
junction. He was conceived in Cin-
cinnati, born in St. Louis and christ-
ened at Omaha July 4,1892. The mis-
sion of young people's party was to
preserve the liberties and rights of
of the masses of the people, and he
soon challenged Goliath of pluto-
cracy to meet him in battle upon the
hustings. Goliath said: "You are a
brave young man, but you certainly
lack discretion; don't you see that my
sway is almost absolute? My min-
ions are as numerous as the sands of
the sea, and your common people are
forced to pay them for their servi-
vices. I reap the benefits and your
common people pay the expenses.
Everywhere you go you will encoun-
ter my apostles, in the economic or-
ganizations, in the schools and col-
leges, in the churches. I control
congress and your state legislatures.
I command and the courts obey.
Politics is but a play thing for me, a
foot ball. A politician is my most
obedient servant, he almost grovels
in the dust and craws upon his stom-
ach in the mud to gain my smile and
recognition. Yes, my young popu-
ulist friend, I also control your presi-
dent and dictate your national policy,
both foreign and domestic. I own
yourrailroads and hold mortgages on
all your land that I have not now a
title deed for. I will soon own the
earth, and then you and your common
people must pay me still farther
tribute or go. some other planet of
which I have not yet taken possess-
ion."
"I know your methods," replied
David, surnamed people's party. I
am aware that you are of the devil,
and that your deeds are dark, but the
same God that lived for Isaac and
Jacob lives for me and my common
people. . You fight with gold and I
charge my sling with pebbles of
•knowledge. You teach darkness,
give light. You tear down, I build
up. You dispense curses, I scatter
blessings. You rule by appealing to
the devil in man, I win by inspiring
the God elements in the. human be-
ing. Now, said little people's party,
I command you, in the name of the
common, honest yeomanry of this
land, whose homes you have dese-
crated, whose sons you have concert-
ed into criminals, and whose daugh-
ters you have debauched, and whose
parents you have buried in paupers
graves or pensioned upon charity; I
command you to quit this continent
and to never show your miserable,
cowardly carcass upon it again. Your
methods are that of a Judas, your
domain only maintained by the most
infamous methods. I command you
to surrender or challenge you to com-
bat. And it is said this David, the
people's party, met Goliath of pluto-
cracy on the hustings, where he over-
threw the giant, took his forces cap-
tive, and there was rejoicing even
unto a day of jubilee among the peo-
ple, for they were once more free,
and the Gpddess of Liberty went
abroad, and justice and equality did
her attendance. This, the most won-
derful victory of time, was achieved
in November, 1896.
STILL ANOTHER VICTIM.
Can such things be, and in a coun-
try where provisions are so abundant
that they won't pay the cost of pro-
duction. Something rotten, some-
thing wrong:
St. Joseph, Mo., Feb 4.—a man
named Miller, a German baker, was
picked up by the police this morning
in an alley in a starving condition,
and the doctors say he cannot live.
He had eaten nothing since last Fri-
day. He could get no work and was
too proud to beg. Miller was very
well dressed for a man in his walk of
life. He had on a good overcoat, and
wore a well-laundried shirt and col-
lar. The only papers found on the
person when he was searched at the
police station was a half-sheet of note
paper, upon which was written a pa-
thetic prayer in the German lan-
guage. The last sentence of the
prayer, translated into English, is:
"Not my will, but thine be done."
FLOWERS FOB PLUTOCRACY.
In a recent speech of Senator Vest
of Missouri, criticising Secretary of
Agriculture J. Sterling Morton for
his refusal to obey the law of congress
in distributing seeds to the farmers
of the west, the senator said:
"But let us look further at the
question of economy. He overlooked
other appropriations made for his de-
partment, but struck out the $130,000
appropriation for the farmers. I find
from the report of the secretary of
expenditures made in the agricultural
department for the year 1895, that
$23,537.90 was expended upon the con-
servatories and grounds of the agri-
cultural department. For 1897 we
find for the botanical garden $23,893,-
85; for the propagating garden for
1897 $9000; for the gardens of the agri-
cultural department in 1897, improv-
ing lawns, and for trees, water cans,
tubs, labor, etc., $22,000, an aggre-
gate of $57,093.75. For the fiscal
year 1897 we find for public parks in
Washington alone an estimate of $81,-
000, and an actual appropriation of
$49,500, making for these ornamental
and luxurious appendages of the gov-
ernment, an appropriation for that
year of $105,393.75.
Will some senator tell me what
human being fed by this expenditure?
Will some senator point out to me
what table of any poor man has been
made comfortable by reason of this
expenditure oí $105,000? Where does
this tax money of the people go under
the immediate eye of the secretary
of agriculture? ¡It goes to purchasing
orchids, lillie8 of the valley, giant
palms and exotics that grace the
banquets and receptions of the pres-
ident and cabinet officers in this city.
But if we undertake to give a few
papers of seeds to some poor farmer
who has dragged through a long
winter and is barely able to furnish
the necessaries of life to the family
depending upon him, liberty lies
bleeding in the streets, apd the sec-
retary of agricultu-ie calls "To arms!
to arms! Congress is throwing away
the people's money and ruining the
country."
OLD PARTY SOLID,
Letcher county, Kentucky is the
only connty save Martin where there
was not a populist vote cast in the
recent election in that state for gov-
ernor. It is unnecessary to explain
how this should be, farther than to
read the following from a St. Louis
paper:
"In Letcher county," says Captain
Drake, "there is a stretch of country
about fifteen miles square, where the
ignorance of the natives is astonish-
ing. In the winter of '94 I had occa-
sion to travel through this country,
being on the lookout for moonshiners.
Riding along one afternoon I chanced
to stop in a blacksmith shop—the
only one for miles around—to have a
thrown shoe replaced. The black-
smith who fitted the shoe, I learned
later, was the intellectual giant of
that section. His fame among his
fellows was due to the fact that he
could read and took a weekly news-
paper. As he hammered away at the
horseshoe a lanky specimen of the
mountain type rode up, and after
greeting us with 'evening' secured his
horse and took a seat upon a broken
plowshare in the shop. After sitting
in silence for some minutes chewing
a ponderous quid of tobacco, spitting
at intervals and eyeing me all the
while, he offered the question;
"Sam, have vour paper cum y it?"
"Come yisterday," replied Sam.
"Is them fellers still up to con-
gress?"
"Yes."
"What hev they er dun this trip?"
After a few moment's hesitation,
and then with a wink over his shoul-
der at me, Sam responded:
"Why, Irv, they durn fools hes
made tew more months ter ther year,
and them tew is winter months."
"By durn!" ejaculated Irv, "En me
an' Hirum is a both short er fooder,
tew."
A VICTIM OF PLPT00RA0Y.
One of the many victimo of the
conditions plutocracy has forced upon
the country, who committed suicide
recently in St. Louis, wrote his moth-
er the following letter. Bead it and
then go and shout for sound money
and goldbuggery:
"My Dear Mother, Father, Sister,
Brother, Carroll and Little Chlovine:
A last farewell. I hope you will not
grieve about me. It has been hard
for me to keep soul and body togeth-
er for the past week, and rather than
ask any one for anything to eat, I
would rather die and end this terrible
gpawing at my stomach. I have had
nothing for two days,, this being the
third, ánd I cannot stand it much
longer. I have walked from one end
of St. Ix>uis to the other for some-
thing to do, did not care what it was,
but in vain. My dear mother, you are
the last one that I think of, and I
hope and pray that you will forgive
me for this rash act that I am about
to commit, and that you will not go
to any expense to recover my body, as
I well know that you have not got it
to spend. Mother, I left home think-
ing maybe I could get something to
do here and help you along and keep
you from working so hard, which I
know you do. Should my body be re-
covered, let it he buried where it is
found, as I don't want any expense
attached to it. Should my body be
sent home anyway, let the funeral be
strictly private. Mother, I imagined
last night that I had little Chlovine
in my lap in the kitchen drinking cof-
fee and you getting supper. Oh,moth-
er, you cannot imagine my feelings
when I awoke and found it to be only
a dream. I could not help the tears
coursing down my face, as they are
doing now. I am almost blind and so
nervous that I can hardly see how to
write this, my last letter, so will
close, with much love to all. Tell
brother to take warning by this, and
take good care of you. I haven't a
stamp to put on this letter, but I hope
some kind friend will find it and put
one on. I say goodbye, goodbye, with
much love and many kisses; goodbye,
the last. I pray before I die.
"HARRY."
FREE SILVER AHD PROTECTION.
The following declaration of prin-
ciples signed by sixteen senators was
recently sent to all of the leading
eastern manufacturers.
"Whereas, the difference of ex-
change between silver standard coun
tries and gold standard countries is
equivalent to a bounty of 100 per cent
on the products of the silver standard
countries; and,
"Whereas, the cost of production in
the old world, and particularly in
China and Japan, is less than pro-
ducts can be produced or manufac-
tured in this country by American
labor, without reducing our farmers,
miners, mechanics, manufacturers
and industrial workers to the level of
Chinese coolies; therefore, be it
"Resolved, that we are in favor of
rescuing the people of the United
States from such impending danger
by removing the difference of ex-
change between gold standard coun-
tries and silver standard countries by
the only method possible, which is the
free and unlimited coinage of silver
at the ratio of 16 to 1 by the inde-
pendent action of the United States,
and we are in favor of a tariff which
shall be sufficient to equalize the cost
of production in the United States
and in European and Asiatic coun-
tries, and that the protection inci-
dent to such tariff shall be equally
distributed in every section of the
United States, and between the vari-
ous products and industries of each
state.
H. M. Teller, R. F. Pettigrew,
F. E. Warren, Fred T. DuBois,
Lee Mantle, H. C. Hansbrough,
G. L. Shoup, T. H. Carter,
J. C. Pritchard, Geo. C. Perkins,
Ed. O. Woicott, J. D. Cameron,
John H. Mitchell, C. D. Clark,
Frank J. Cannon, Arthur Brown."
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from this time on.
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Park, Milton. The Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 20, 1896, newspaper, February 20, 1896; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth185647/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .