| Show TENDENCY OF THE AGE Ill fare the land to hastening ills a prey Where wealth accumulates and men decay That the accumulation of wealth in tho United States during the last quarter of a century has been something remarkable goes without saying The progress has not been slow and gradual either but is bettor described as having gone forward by a series of leaps and bounds until Hoards beyond the misers wish abound And rich men flock from miles around So general indeed is the prosperity of the country so large the class that can now indulge in luxury which to men a century ago would have been esteemed princely that plain frugal people are looked upon with contempt Recidess prodigality is tho spirit of the times und those who refuse or arc unable to join in the mad stream which is rushing toGon only knows where 1 are sneered at as inferior people In the late general election throughout the states of the union we had recognized leaders ol a great political partya party which arrogates arro-gates to itself the title of the grand old L partywo had them flippantly deriding cheapness and economy within American I homes A cheap coat said they makes a cheap man a cheap dress makes a cheap woman the cry of cheapness is unAmerican cheap and nasty go together gether and this wholo system of cheap things is a dodge of poverty Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy may be good advice to a courtier to whom it was addressed and in a general way to buy the best is the cheapest but there are all sorts of conditions and circumstances which modify this truism I is also truo I that oft the apparel proclaims the man and then it a often does not indicate the character of the man though it may his circumstances circumstances too which he did not make and cannot alter Notwithstanding the vast accumulation of wealth within the time we have indicated indi-cated the majority of Americans are still I numbered among tho laboring classes and casses i cannot afford to indulge in the general extravagance ex-travagance of the times Men have to buy such coats for themselves and such dresses I for their wives as they can pay for and to have their more wealthy fellow citizens sneer at them because of these circumstances circum-stances is not a healthy sign in the life of the great republic It means that wealth is being esteemed more than men that appearance is looked for instead of character char-acter that as wealth accumulates men decay it startles every lover of his country coun-try and makes Him ask I our splendid government destined to walk in the footsteps foot-steps of so many others that have gone t decay and ruin under the burden of corrupting cor-rupting luxury 1 The history of tho world is before us where we may read the fate of ancient kingdoms empires and republics repub-lics and on every page of that history may be read the fact that wealth leading t corruption to luxurious living to pride to neglect of GOD to oppression of the poor has been more destructive t nations than war famine pestilence and treason all combined An English historian over fifty years ago in speaking of the contemptible con-temptible opinion that CIcEro and his contemporary con-temporary Romans entertained of Great Britain said From raileries of this kind on the barbarity bar-barity and misery of our island pne cannot help rellecting on the surprising fate and revolutions revolu-tions of kingdoms how Rome once the mistress mis-tress of the world the scat of art empire and glory now lies sunk in sloth ignorance and poverty enslaved by the most contemptible of tyrants superstition and religious imposture while this remote country anciently the jest and contempt of the polite Romans is become the happy scat of liberty plenty and letters nourishing in all the arts and refinements of civil life yet running perhaps the same course which Homo itself had run from virtuous in industry to wealth from wealth to luxury from luxury to Impatletfce of discipline and contempt con-tempt of morals till by total degeneracy and lack of virtue being grown ripe for destruction i fall a prey at last to some hardy oppressor and with the loss of liberty losing everything that i valuable sink gradually again Into its original barbarism With these considerations before us we need make no excuse for reverting to the tendencies of the times as manifested in the remarks of leaders in the Republican party during the late political campaign or for saying a word in defense of the plain people of the land In this growth of wealth in the hands of the few there is I danger to the institutions of our country It leads t class distinctions and conflicting interests t overbearing prido on the one hand and envy on tho other It means the destruction of fraternity equality and L union and with the destruction of those conditions falls everything worth preserving preserv-ing in American institutions But our words on this subject will be read chiefly in Utah and r her people 4 therefore wo address our remarks Utah so unfortunate in many things is most for lunate in this That whatever of wealth exists is more widely and more equally distributed among the people than in any other commonwealth in the union In the great bulk of her population there have been no class distinctions Up t within a very few years at least the richest were poor but the poorest lived in abundance abund-ance and if the people of Utah are wise they will do what they can t preserve that happy condition of their affairs for upon that depends the peace the prosperity pros-perity the happiness of her community Nor will the imputation that frugality is a badge of inferiority of meanness of spirit tempt them r indulge in the rockless extravagance ex-travagance of the times The character of the individuals in Utah has also been the character of their government gov-ernment its affairs have been economically econo-mically administered Tho number of officers of-ficers has been limited to the actual necessities neces-sities of the state and the salaries so light officeholding in Utah has been no sin ecure We have now in territory those who would change and are changing t the extent of their power this to us happy state of affairs They would greatly multiply mul-tiply the offices increase the salaries and thus create a profession tho profession of politics amongst us with a hoard of politicians ticians to prey upon the substance of the people Let us have none of it if it be in our power to prevent i aud let Utah in the future as in the past both as to individuals I indi-viduals and a government botp an example to her sister commonwealths in honesty industry and economy I such shall bo her course the time will come when she will not only equal her sisters but surpass them in wealth in power and above all in contentment |
