The great war of monarchy versus republicanism, of the sovereignty of one man or the few versus the sovereignty, equal rights and liberties of the people

Front matter

THE GREAT WAR

OF hu versus icanism.

OK

Chapter I. That There Is And Ever Has Been A Seemingly Irrepressible

AND PERPETUAL CONFLICT BETWEEN THESE TWO FORMS OR

SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT, AND THAT MONARCHY OR.

The sovereignly of one man or the few. in all past ages of the world has ever been successful in the contest, need not be affirmed, for all history testifies to the truth. But the question arises, how is it possible for one man or the few to subjugate and enslave opposing millions, undermine and destroy their form of government and set up monarchies or oligarchies in their stead ? As, for-instance. how can or will it ever be possible for one man or the few to destroy our government which nine-tenths of the Democratic and Republican millions constituting it desire to maintain and perpetuate, and passionately hating monarchy and all its principles and practices. Considering only the direct operation of opposing forces this would seem to be impossible; but that it is possible, however, cannot be doubted or questioned, because we know from history that all other Republics have been destroyed and monarchies erected on their ruins. It is, therefore, manifest that there must be some insidious processes or methods through which this is accomplished. not generally understood by the great masses of the people, or they would be guarded against and prevented. To explain and expose these methods, so that the people understanding them may be enabled to prohibit and restrain .their operation in the future, is the great object of the author in writing this little book. In this effort he will endeavor not to confuse or weary the minds of his readers by any tedious, abstruse or metaphysical disquisitions on the so-called science of government as usually practiced by the writers of ponderous volumes: but, by a plain statement of a few prominent truths, well attested by history, in connection with the fundamental principles which distinguish these two forms or systems of government, show wherein this controlling and enslaving power exists, how it is acquired and put in operation by one man or the few. and how to limit and restrain their operation in the future.

The first prominent truth we will call the attention of the reader is that in all civilized governments there are certain properties consisting of the land, the money and public highways of communication and commerce, that are recognized as governmental properties: that these properties embody all the elements of wealth and political power: and that they are universally found in the ownership and control of the sovereign or ruling person or class. So it is that in absolute monarchies these properties are recognized as sovereign properties belonging to the King, legally and popularly known as the King's land, the King's money, and the King's highways, and history demonstrates the fact that so long as the Kings are, or have been, permitted to monopolize the ownership and control of these properties they can and do exercise the power of absolute sovereignty. The fact is also well attested by history that whenever, by whatever means, monarchs have been deprived of the absolute ownership and control of these properties their sovereignty has been limited or destroyed, and universally passes into the hands of those who may have acquired them. So it is that in the limited monarchies now existing in Europe the ownership and control of these properties having been wrested from the Kings by their Dukes. Earls, Lords and Barons, they are no longer absolute sovereigns, and though nominally recognized as Kings, the} T are, in fact, but mere '•puppets* " or -'figure heads," constrained to execute the laws or decrees of the so-called nobles and favored classes who now monopolize them, or permit them to be executed in their names; while the great mass of the people being disinherited and deprived of their natural equal rights in these properties are as completely impoverished and enslaved under the governments of these aristocrats or oligarchs as formerly under their absolute sovereigns.

So inexorable is the power of a monopoly, of these properties which embody all the necessities of life and existence that it may be affirmed as a universal truth, without an exception in the history of nations, that whoever, (any one or class of citizens) by whatever means, whether by brute force with sword and spear, as usually practiced in the establishment of monarchies, or through the forms of unconstitutional laws as practiced by the legislators and public servants of the people in Republics, can or may acquire a recognized ownership and control of these properties, thoreby acquires the essential elements of sovereignty and the power of enslaving the people for their use in the support of life and existence. For, thus, holding, as it >were, the power of life and death through a monopoly of the means by which men live, their will becomes dominant over the will and actions of the people to the extent of their monopoly, and when centered in a single person his will becomes absolute as in absolute monarchies. Thus it is that one man is constrained to labor for another, often against his will, for a mere pittance scarcely sufficient to support life; and, also, enables one man to say to another. -(Jo. and he goeth: to another come, and he cometh; to another do this, and he doeth it." Yea. so inexorable is this power that it often constrains men to arm themselves in the service of traitors and aid them in overthrowing their governments. And thus Republics have often been destroyed.

Thus, we have, in a few brief sentences, exposed to view the fountains and sources of monarchy. — a monopoly of the land, the money, and public highways of communication and commerce — and the methods by which they are acquired are the insidious means through which the spirit of monarch}' prevails in undermining and destroying Republicanism. It is accomplished simply by wresting from the people by violence, or through the forms of law, their natural, equal rights in their lands, their money and public highways and enslaving them for their use. We now witness the effects of these methods in our government, and, unless soon arrested, must inevitably result in anarchy and a bloody revolution repeating the history of past ages. And we here affirm that, according to historical records and teachings, nearly all the bloody wars and revolutions in ancient and modern times, with nearly all the black budget of crimes that stain the records of humanity, have had their origin, directly or indirectly, in robberies of the people of their natural rights in these national or common properties, or in their efforts to recover them, or in struggles between the robbers themselves for the ownership and control, of them as a basis of sovereingty. and as a means of w r resting from the disinherted and industrial millions a great share of the products and profits of their daily labor for the use of these properties. It is plainly manifest, therefore that if the people in our government would secure their sovereignty and liberties they must resume the ownership, control and usufructs in their national or common properties, and by constitutional amendments forever limit and restrain their legislators and public servants from robbing them of them and transferring them to corporations and favored classes.

REPUBLICANISM— ITS PRINCIPLES.

Chapter II

Wise and good men in every age of the world observing the unholy ambition of men to rule over and enslave their fellow men; and that, a monopoly of the ownership and control of the land, the money and public highways of a country constitute the principal means by which they are enabled to accomplish their devilish purpose, have ever sought to construct a system or constitution of government that would prevent the acquisition of a monopoly of these properties by one man or the few. Hence Republics have been established, laying their foundations in the sovereignty of the people and their equal rights in these national or common properties. And, hence, also, our fathers boldly proclaiming the equal rights of all men. and revolting against the tyranny of Kings. Lords, Barons and other favored classes, holding monopolies of these properties and oppressing the people for their use. -ordained and established" our existing constitution of government, recognizing the will of the people, as therein expressed, as the supreme authority and their equal rights in these properties as common properties, and entrusting their administration and equal distribution among the people, and protection to their persons and property rights to legislators and other public servants to be selected by a majority of the people, and solemnl}' sworn to perform these duties. These constitute the fundamental principles of our government and the objects for which it was created. But, alas ! by not more definitely limiting and restraining the powers of our legislators and public servants in the administration and distribution of their common properties, they have, regardless of their oaths to support the constitution and to maintain the sovereigittry, equal rights and liberties of the people, robbed and plundered them of their equal rights in these properties and transferred them in vast amounts and unequal shares and benefits to corporations and favored classes, which now holding a monopoly of them, are impoverishing and enslaving the people for their use. precisely as do the Lords. Barons and other favored classes in monarchies. To restore to the disinherited millions their equal rights in these properties, and to restrain our treasonable legislators and public servants from hereafter plundering them of their equal rights therein by constitutional amendments, too strong to be broken, is the great political problem of the present and the future.

To suggest legal and peaceful measures by which this may be accomplished for the common benefit, and without doing any real injury to any class of our fellow citizens; to aid in restoring man to his allegiance to his great creator, and a recognition of a common brotherhood of equal rights in all that he has created for the common benefit, and in all the creations of their joint or co-operation power; to hasten the time when all men shall be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their labor under their own vine and fig tree, and none dare to molest or make them afraid; the time when the swords shall be beaten into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks: the time when the people shall wrest from Satan and his minions the kingdoms of the world and restore them to Him whose right it is to reign, and the time when the bloody dragon power of monarchy shall be forever chained is the great purpose of the author in writing this work.

Chapter III. Monarchy Its Orgin, Character And Methods Of Warfare

AGAINST REPUBLICANISM.

According to Biblical history the Satanic spirit of monarchy was implanted in man in the garden of Kden in partaking of the forbidden fruit in violation of the Divine command on the suggestion and temptation of Satan in the disguise of a serpent. "Eat (said the tempter) * :; - * and ye shall be as (iods'" — Kings law makers and rulers instead of God. The same tempter that took Christ into a high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, saying : -All these will I give you if you will fall down and worship me.'" if you will acknowledge me as your liege

Lord. We know not whether these records are literal or allegorical; nor is this knowledge necessary to our purpose; for we do know, both from Divine and profane history, that throughout all subsequent ages of the world, in the wretched and dreadful struggle for dominion, every man's hand has been against his brother; and that the would-be Monarch or King, taking advantage of all favorable opportunities, seems to be restrained by no oaths, no obligation of trusts, no sympathies of a common brotherhood, and no humanity, but in his mad ambition for wealth, power and dominion, he unhesitatingly seizes the sword or other implements of war and pursues his purpose through bloody battle fields and over the bodies of the slain; and having thus beaten down all resistance he seizes upon the land, the control of the money and public highways and calls them his sovereign properties, and proceeds to distribute them out among his confederate robber chieftains whom he dubs Dukes, Earls, Lords, Barons, &c., as rewards for their services in making him King;, and upon the condition of maintaining his sovereignty and assumed prerogative rights over these properties. And these so-called nobles and other favored persons or classes, being thus invested with a quasi ownership and control of these properties are enabled to wrest from the disinherited and enslaved millions a great share of the products and profits of then labor through rents for land, interest for money, and tribute on their commerce ever the so-called King's highways.

Such is the true picture of human Monarchy as exhibited in its violent or bloody character in all ages of the w^orld; and in this character was correctly photographed in the Apochalypse by the Divine Artist himself under the symbol of a "great red dragon.''

But these are not the only methods through which the Santanic spirit of. Monarchy succeeds in destroying Republican governments and the equal rights and liberties of the people. For, whenever or wherever in the history of the world the people have succeeded in organizing Republican governments, recognizing the sovereignty of the people and their equal rights in their national or Common properties, it sends forth its tools and emissaries in various disguises, and even as Satan disguised as a serpent invaded the garden of Eden to deceive and rob our first parents of their happy home, so these, too, sometimes even assuming the names of Democrats and Republicans, have invaded the domains of the people, and. having by false promises and deceitful pretenses, gained the confidence of the people and secured appointments as their legislators and public servants, and thus gained admission into their halls of legislation, then, utterly regardless of their promises and pledges to the people, and of their oaths to support their constitution and maintain their sovereignt}', equal rights and liberties, enter into combinations and conspiracies for robbing them of their common properties; and, under the plan, it may be, of "division and silence," transferring them to corporations and favored classes through the forms of so-called law. And these favored classes, being thus invested with the ownership and control of these properties, are enabled to wrest from the disinherited millions a great share of the products of their daily labor for the use of these properties, creating millionaires and impoverishing the mam T for the benefit of the few.

Thus the great fundamental principles of Republicanism, recognizing a common brotherhood of equal rights and an equal inheritance in their common properties being destnyyed, brother is soon arrayed against brother, and class against class, and eventually these unjust and treasonable laws, losing the respect of the oppressed and enslaved millions, combinations began to be formed to resist the power of their oppressors, generally ending in anarchy and violence. Then some military chieftain steps forth, supported by mercenary armies and proclaims or causes himself to be proclaimed King; and, so, the Republic is destroyed. This is a true statement of the methods through which the Satanic spirit of Monarch}' undermines and destroys Republicanism through the operation of treasonable and unconstitutional laws, and the establishment of Monarchies on their ruins. It was thus the great Republics of ancient Greece and Rome were destroyed; thus their great millionaires were created: and thus, when the disinherited, impoverished and enslaved millions, driven to desperation under the ever increasing exactions of the monopolistic classes, began to form associations to resist their tyranny ; then it was that these wealthy millionaires, in order to secure their spoils, hired mercenary armies to slaughter the people, destroy their Republics and set up Monarchies in their stead. This may be stated as the well known political highwa}* of the decline and fall of Republics.

And, alas ! how perfectly similar in all, save the bloody tragedy to be played in the future, perhaps, in an endeaver to secure the spoils, and perpetually enslave the people, have been the methods of their national public servants (and followed by their State legislatures to the extent of their jurisdiction) in plundering the people of their equal rights in their land, their money and public highways, and transferring them to co-porations and favored classes. their unconstitutional laws enacted for the purpose will ever stand until repealed, a black monument of their treason. Disregarding their oaths to support the Constitution, ordained and established by the fathers to secure the blessings of liberty to themselves and posterity forever, they have, without a shadow of constitutional authority, usurped the power of creating banking, railway and other corporations, and contrary to the fundamental principles of Republicanism, plundered the people of their national or common properties; and, after the manner of Kings in the feudal ages of the world in granting these properties to their feudal lords, have transferred them in vast amounts and unequal shares and benefits to tl ill igitimate, bastard corporations; and which, now holding a monopoly of them, are enabled to wrest from the disinherited laboring and producing millions a great share of the profits of their labor for their use, precisely as do the so-called nobles and favored clases in Monarchies. And we here and now affirm that no military chieftain or bloody Monarch in ancient or modern times with sword and spear, has ever robbed the people of any nation more successfully, and in few instances more extensively, than have our treasonable legislators and public servants through the forms of unconstitutional laws: and that, so far as robbery constitutes communism, we affirm that our legislators and public servants, with the receivers of the stolen properties, may claim pre-eminence over the Kings of the earth and their confederate robbers; and that, together, they constitute the worst communists that have ever prayed on the property rights of mankind. And we further affirm that any Congress or State legislature, whether disguised as Republicans. Democrats or otherwise, using such powers, do but exhibit themselves as a hydraheaded monarchical dragon power, restrained by no sense of justice, no obligation of trust, no regard for the equal rights of citizens, no sympathies of a common brotherhood, and no humanity; but. oblivious to all. set themselves up as supreme and plunder the people of their property rights as remorselessly as any Monarch in Christendom. And in these methods they might even claim to be peers with Saten himself in his methods in the garden of Eden, in seducing our first parents from their allegiance to God and usurping His rightful soverereignty over the children of His creation and the works of His hands.

Dear reader, we know these are hard sayings, but the}* are simple truths, well attested by the legislative history of our country. Much of it. perhaps, has been done in ignorance, not securing the ultimate results. We state them thus plainly that those who may have ignoranth* aided in these great crimes may realize their enormity. and purchance. render aid in averting the consequences of their great errors; but. chiefly, that the people, clearly comprehending the methods by which the tools and emissaries of Monarchy are undermining and destroying our government and reducing them to vassalage and slavery to corporations and favored classes, may be stimulated to unite their voices in the election of public servants who will repeal these robber laws and restore these properties to the people. And, inasmuch as their treasonable public servants pretend to claim constitutional authority for thus plundering them of these properties, to show the absolute necessity of so amending their constitutions as to forever prohibit and restrain them from robbing them of these properties in the future.

Chapter IV

OUR CONSTITUTION DOES NOT DELEGATE SUCH AUTHORITY. BUT NEEDS

AMENDMENTS MORE CLEALY DEFINING AND LIMITING THE

POWERS DELEGATED.

If there is any political truth more clearly demonstrated by history than any other, it is that no man nor set of men. can be entrusted with discretionary power (which is sovereign power) in the administration and distribution of the land, the money and public highways of a country, which embody the principal elements of all wealth, sovereignty and political power in all nations. Kings seize and appropriate them for the perpetuation of their power and the enslavement of the people for their use. Aristocrats or Obligarcs seize and appropriate them for like purposes. And our own public servants, entrusted with them, under the most solemn obligations to distribute them among the people in equal shares or benefits, and to protect them in their use, have, in violation of their oaths and trusts transferred them in vast amounts and unequal shares and benefits to individuals and corporations, which, now holding monopolies of them, are enslaving the disinherited industrial and producing classes for their use, precisely as in Monarchies or Oligarchies. And this shows the absolute necessity of more clearly defining and limiting their powers in the administration and distribution of these properties, as demanded in the sovereign people's platform and the constitutional amendment hereinafter set forth.

But we most emphatically deny that our Constitution as it exists. when properly interpreted, gives any authority for the usurpations and perversions of the powers as exercised by our public servants : and this we propose to show as briefly as possible.

For the purpose of this exposition we will here present the several provisions of the Constitution delegating powers to Congress respecting these properties, and then proceed to give them a rational interpretation consistent with the intent and purposes for which the powers were delegated, and expose the methods by which they have been abused, perverted and prostituted.

Part of section VIII. of article I. delegates power to Congress —

'•To coin money, regulate the value thereof and of foreign coins."

Another clause of the same section and article delegates power to Congress —

•*To borrow money on the credit of the United States."

And section 3 of article IV. declares :

" The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory and other properties belonging to the United States" — to the people constituting the Grovernment of the United States, of course.

As the creation of corporations is closely identified with the ques tion of constitutionality, being the principal receivers and beneficiaries of the properties which we allege to have been wrested from the people and transferred to them without constitutional authority, we will first consider the constitutionality of these acts. But, really, then' is nothing to consider ; tor we aver that there is not a word or sentence in the whole Constitution that, by any rational inference or implication, can be construed to make such a grant of power. We therefore feel justified in declaring that all acts of Congress creating corporations, of any class or character, are gross usurpations of power not delegated, involving absolute perjury. But, besides that, there is no grant of such power, directly or indirectlv ; we are also advised b\ the history of the proceedings of the convention that framed our

Constitution, that when a proposition was made to delegate power to create corporations for national purposes it was largely voted down. This fact is conclusive that no such power was delegated, nor intended to be delegated. And yet a Supreme Court of the United States, while reciting this fact, have decided that Congress has the power to do so. Comment is unnecessary.

: In relation to the meaning and intent of the powers delegated "To coin money;" " To borrow money," " To dispose of the territory," &c, which we have recited, it is universally admitted by all jurists and learned men that where any doubt arises as to the true meaning of any provision of law, it must be interpreted in harmony with the intention of the lawgiver and the purpose had in view. In these cases there can be no doubt of the intention and purposes of the lawgiver — the States and people — in making these grants of power, viz.. that of maintaining the sovereignty, equal rights and liberties of the people forever, as against the tyranny of Kings, Aristocrats and favored classes holding monopolies of these properties and enslaving the people for their use.

» As these principles of interpretation are admitted, we will proceed to examine the true meaning of these several grants of power. And first, the power .'* to dispose of * * * the territory and other properties," &c. inasmuch as this is claimed by our legislators and public servants, and the receivers of these properties, as authority for transferring the ownership and control of them to such corporations and favored classes. Is this manner of the disposition of these properties consistent with the intention and purposes for which this grant of power was made by the founders of our government? Everyman of common sense will at once perceive that it is not. But does the literal meaning of the word "dispose." or the term "to dispose of," authorize such use of this power? We aver that it does not, and will refer the reader to Mr. Webster's unabridged dictionary for the proof. Mr. Webster gives the meaning of the word " dispose." as a verb — equivalent to the term "to dispose of " — as follows :

1st. To distribute and put in place; to arrange; to put in order.

2d. To regulate; to fix; to adjust; to order; to determine.

3d. TO deal out; to assign to; to bestow for an object or purpose.

4th. To give a tendency to (relating to the mind).

5th. " To bargain; to make terms."

This last is the only definition that could be interpreted to mean a power ,to sell or alienate these properties, but this meaning Mr. Webster declares to be '-obsolete." All these meanings, and especially the first and leading, indicates a partition or distribution according to some recognized rule ; and when it is considered that by the fundamental principles of our government these properties belong to the people as common properties,, there can be no question that the power ■■to dispose of the territory and other properties " was intended simply as a power in trust to divide and distribute them among the people according to their sovereign, inherent and equal rights therein, as inrdicated.both by the. literal meaning of the terms of the grant and the purposes for which the grants were made. The abuse of this power by Congress is simply treason — a robbery of the people of their sovereign properties ; undermining and destroying their equal rights,, sovereign t}~ and liberties, and reducing them to vassalage and slavery to corporations and favored classes.

To make this more manifest, if possible, let us suppose that our public servants in Congress, in their assumed or usurped discretionary power, were to create a corporation composed of the Queen of Great Britain, the Czar of Russia, the Emperor of Germany and the Pope of Rome, and transfer to them the ownership and control of the land, the money and public highwaj^s of the people of our government. Would not the people soon discover the act to be high treason, and hang them as high as Haman ? And yet they have as much power to do this as they have to transfer the control and usufructs of these properties to our existing banking, railway and telegraphic corporations.

While we think we have refuted all claims to constitutional authority in relation to these acts, yet these tools and emissaries of Monarch}* — these usurpers of the sovereign prerogatives and properties of the people — are never without some argument, however groundless, to deceive and hold the people in slavery. And hence they assume that these several grants of power invests Congress with the whole sovereign power of the people over these properties, and that their public servants in Congress may constitutionally exercise all the power over them commonly exercised by other sovereigns, subject to no limitations save their own discretion. This argument is very often used, only slightly modified, and is substantially the argument of the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Juliard vs. Greenman, decided in 1884. In that decision even the provisions of the tenth amendment declaring that " the powers not delegated to the United States (to Congress) by this Constitution * * * are reserved to the people," is swept away in one short sentence. And instead of deciding that the power to give legal tender functions to paper was inherent in the power to make or coin money, decided it upon this monstrous assumption of discretionary power, as exercised by other sovereigns! And, to illustrate this monstrous dogma, traveling out of the record and the question raised in the case, while admitting that when a proposition was made to the convention which framed our Constitution, to delegate power to Congress to create corporations for national purposes was refused and largely voted down, yet endorsed former decisions of the court that Congress had the power. And so the public servants of the people, panoplied with the concurrence of our highest courts and executive officers, with the instincts and characteristics of the dragon power of Monarchy, rob and plunder the people of their common or sovereign properties as remorselessly as any Monarch in Christendom. Such decisions must be reversed by the sovereign people ; and if they hope or desire to main tain their sovereignty, equal rights and liberties, they must resume the ownership and control of their common properties and their equal rights therein, and effectually limit and restrain their legislators and public servants from robbing them of them.

Chapter V. Our Public Lands

A NATIONAL OR COMMON PROPERTY BELONGING TO THE SOVEREIGN PEO- PLE IN EQUAL SHARES AND BENEFITS BY THE CREATION AND GIFT OF GOD. BY RIGHT OF SOVEREIGNTY AND THE FUNDA- MENTAL PRINCIPLES OF OUR GOVERNMENT.