The broad ax. [volume], December 21, 1895, Image 1

About The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??

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Vol. I.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, DECEMBER 21, 1895.
No. 17.
CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS.
Bzfokk another issue of this pa
per the festive Christmas day will
: have come and gone. This day, set
apart for the celebration of the
(birth of Jesus Christ, has become a
lay of varied observance among
sur people; some wise, but a major-
are otherwise. What may be
jper and what may be improper
do on this day is not for us to
letermine. One thing seems evi-
ient: that is, if the day ever had
any sacredness or religious signifi
'cance, it has about become obsolete,
'and nowadays the Jew, the heathen,
. the infidel, the free thinker, the
Unitarian, as well as the Christian,
all treat the day as the proper occa
sion for an exuberant flow of spirit
and social excess. Gift making has
grown to be almost a passion, and
those who give and those who re
ceive are kept in a state of nervous
excitement during this season of
the year. With others it becomes
a day of eating and drinking, and
the glutton and drunkard vie with
each other in celebrating the day in
true Bacchanalian style. The thea
ter, the ball room and the banquet
hall will be crowded at this time,
far more so than at any other time
in the year. Extravagance in dress
and living is indulged in at Christ
mas time without stint or limit.
With a few charity is thought of
and is bestowed upon the needy,
but with many it is an afterthought,
by way of donating the broken food
and crumbs of a Christian feast to
the widow and orphan the day
after. Some will go to church to
pray and others to show their new
cloak or bonnet; but few, we ima
gine, are extremely pious during
merry Christmas, or think of the
real significance of the day.
It is said a child was born under
an Asiatic sun, nearly nineteen cen
turies ago, who became a great re
former and taught the "golden
rule;" the -'fatherhood of God" and
the "brotherhood of men." He
lost his life in his efforts to im
prove the conditions of his fellow
man, and around the traditions of
his teaching have arisen a great
system of religion, which has
branched eft: into many creeds and
varieties of forms of worship. The
so-called followers and believers of
Christ, each represeating their pe
culiar sect are everat -warfare with
others, seeking; to buM up their
own creed by tearing down those
who differ with them.
And thus the .world goesoa'ia
apparent madness adfiaooairton
cy; and Christmas; ,aad its attead
aat vagaries wfll eosae.aod go a it
has in the past for years to come.
These reflections are not intended
to be critical, bur merely a plain
statement of things as they really
seem. We will . doubtless eat our
turkey and indulge in many foibles,
the same as the rest of our readers,
to whom we wish a "Merry Christmas."
WILL THEY DARE DO IT.
The Republican party has again
regained control of the legislative
branch of the government. There
was no good, sound reason why
that party should have won at the
last election,as its onlydistinc live fea
ture is ahigh protective tariff,a policy
which was overwhelmingly rebuked
by the people at the election of
1892. There is but one explana
tion, and that is, that the people
were dissatisfied and wanted "any
thing for a change." They have
been oscillating, about every four
years ever since silver was demone
tized, as it were, "seeking rest but
finding none"
As we have stated, the Republi
can party stands for a high prolec
tive tariff,VLu6i that doctrine is about
the. only public question upon
which that partv is outspoken. On
nearly every other issue they are
straddlers, dodgers or shirkers.
They have now control of the
legislative functions of the country,
and it remains to be seen whether
or not they will have the courage to
formulate a bill revising the sched
ules of duties on imports, and raise
the same so high, as to drive out
all foreign competitors, on such
articles as they desire to protect.
This theory has been their pride
and boast for years, and now they
have an opportunity to "make their
vaunting true." The logic of events
will almost compel them to take
this course, and then the tariff issue
will again come before the American
neoole for their decision. There is.
another reason why the tariff ques
tion will again be brought to the
front, and that is, it would be a
very convenient way of ending the
financial question, which is now the
burning issue of the hour in the
South and West, and an issue upon
which the Republicans as a party,
are in full accord with the "gold
bug" element of the eastern Dem
ocrats; and which- both classes
would gladly accept an opportunity
to .throttle, by bringing the tariff
issue to the frost as the only issue
to be settled at this time.
We had hoped the question of
tariff was settled, at least for. a
time, bat if itk to be obtruded in
to oar politjcsagtia, we are ready
to meet our political foes, and again
drive them into the woods with the
same old weapons. We cannot be
lieve the intelligent voters will ever
favor the injustice and inequali
ties of a system of protection which
benefits a few at the cost of the
many. If protection to all was the
result of a high tariff, then we
would all favor it; but protection
means favors for a few, and which
favors are paid for by the middle
classes and the poor people. A
few manufacturers want the law
fixed so that the American con
sumer will be forced to buy from
them. So it is the poor American,
at last, of whom the manufacturer
is afraid, and from whom he wants
protection. But this is perhaps
threshing over old straw, as we did
not intend, when we commenced
this article, to discuss the tariff
Question. We are not afraid of
the results oE this issue, as the ar
gument, the justice and the law are
on our side, and we believe the
great American people will settle
this question correctly, and to their
own best interests'.
The Republicans, in the mean
time, with their great majority will,
as usual, blunder into extremes and
excesses, which will be the means
of their "biting the dust" at the
election of 1896, if the present mi
nority in Congress pursues an en
lightened and patriotic course, and
stands boldly for the cause of the
people as against the gold nabobs
and the money power. The party
which advocates free silver, will be
the victors next year. Mark our
words.
The declination of Mr. Reed, oc
casioned a change in the program,
and Representative Benton McMil
lin of Tennessee, is said to have been
substituted. This sudden jump
from Maine to Tennessee is not
fully explained by tue promoters of
the .entertainment, who insist that
it is thoroughly non-partisan in its
character. Air. McMilhn is an
nounced to address himself to the
subject, 'Lynch Law and its.
Remedy "Exchange.
The foregoing is a true repre
sentation of the hollow pretenses
of this blue-blooded Yankee from
Maine. Reed is a demagogue
politician and typical New England
braggart. Our colored friends at
Washington are not the first to be
deceived by these Republican Peck
sniffs. The most natural and ap
propriate ending of this Washing
ton episode, was the turning of the
colored folks to a true hearted
southern man to fill the'vacancy.
The Democrats and the Southern
people are the negro's oesc friends
in time of need; they feel an interest
in their welfare beyond that of
getting their votes by false
promises.
REED AND THE NEGROES.
"One of the honors that awaited
Mr. Thomas Brackett Reed upon
his arrival in Washington, was an
invitation to be principal guest at a
reception and supper given by some
of the leading colored men in the
district. Elaborate programs were
distributed among the colored pop
ulation of this city, announcing
that ex-Speaker T. B. Reed would
be present at the reception, and he
was assigned to speak on the sub
ject, 'Has the commander-in-chief
of the army and navy the right to
protect an American citizen, at
home and abroad, with the army
and navy of the United States?'
"The pastors of several of the
colored churches were announced
as the committee of arrangements,
and the preparations went merrily
forward. The chairman of thei
local committee, after some corres-.
pondence with Mr., Reed, was
obliged to report that the distin-,
guiabed man from Maine: declined
the honor, oa the ground that it
would be esabarsssiag to him in
his pretest position to address him
self to the subject selected for him.
What fools we American, mortals
be. A most brutal contest between
twenty-two men, who kick, strike
and crush each other, under the
name of football, and which results
in coating themselves with dirt, in
flowing blood, broken benes, a
crushed body and often in death,
is applauded and patronized, by
refined ladies reverend clergy
men, learned professors and the
officers of the law. While a boxing
match, far less dangerous to life
or limb, and far more bene
ficial as an exercise, and fully as
ennobling to good morals, will
cause the governor of a state to
call out the militia, and the preach
ers to rant in their pulpits over the
demoralized condition of society.
What a set of inconsistent be
ings we are. Verily, we can swal
low a camel and choke on a gnat.
The words of the Scottish bard
have a singular aptness when he
said:
Ob, wad some power thegiftie gie as.
To see oaraels as others see us I
It would free moay & blander free us,
And foolish notion.
I believe in one God and ao
more; I believe in the equality of
man, and I believe that religious
duties consist in doing justice, lov
ing mercy, endeavoring to make
our fellow creatures happy.
Thomas JPeixe.
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