CHAPTER V. FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN FINANCIAL AFFAIRS.

The most potent influences in the world are those which are secret, or at least unobserved. Caloric, magnetism, and electricity, pervade the whole physical creation, and that perpetually and actively, without attracting the attention of the common observer. In the moral and political. world, it is the same. Fraud, bribery, and corruption are for ever at their dirty work, in high places as well as low,’ while the mass of mankind pursue their daily toil, without noticing the secret agencies which are working out misery and distress for the industrial classes.

In our own country, notwithstanding the interest which every man takes in politics, this is peculiarly the case. It is the study of political leaders to divert the attention of the people from the interests of industry, or to lead them in the wrong direction by fraud and imposture. It is true that in this country every man, who can read at all, reads the newspapers; but every man does not inquire whose, pay the newspaper is in. We are often reminded that one of the greatest blessings a country can enjoy is a free press. But it is not the business of the newspapers to inform us that the greatest curse a country can suffer is a venal press. We are occasionally told that this or that newspaper has been bought up; and consequently transferred its allegiance from one political party to another. But we are never informed that a great leading press in a great commercial city has been bought by British gold, to advocate the cause of British industry against American industry. That is one of the secret influences at work in our system — one among many. It is one of those hidden causes, whose effects. are apparent enough; but those are always charged to the folly and extravagance of the American people, not to the secret foreign influences which really produce them.

Why are our mechanics and traders now paying three, four, and five per cent, a month for the use of money?

“Because you let your wives and daughters wear silk gowns,” says Scroggs.

Not so, Scroggs, it is because we suffer England to rule our financial affairs when, if we were the true Americans we ought to be, we might rule them ourselves. Foreign influence, and not. American extravagance is the cause of our present distress. Those who suffer most do not permit their wives and daughters to wear silk gowns, but they bring the distress on themselves much more certainly and effectually by voting for those who are under foreign influence.

In the middle ages, the aristocracy of Europe ruled the people by main force. The masses were unarmed serfs; the barons wore iron armor and owned all the land, except what was owned by the Roman Catholic church, which church was in close alliance with the aristocracy. In the present age, the people are too intelligent to be ruled in this coarse fashion; and the aristocracy of Europe, especially that of England, rules by money. Fraud and corruption have taken the place of force.

As Americans we would not interfere with this system, if it were only applied to Europe, but most unfortunately for us, it is also applied to this country.

London boasts herself — and truly too — the great commercial and financial centre of the world. To reach this point foreign countries have been conquered, cheated, bribed and corrupted to an extent which has no parallel in history. To make London the commercial and financial centre of the world, the British aristocracy have conquered, oppressed, and nearly ruined India, attacked and ravaged a portion of China, cheated and ruined Portugal and Turkey, and by force and fraud annexed and colonized other countries to such an extent that the sun never sets upon her empire. This country, England has twice attempted without success to conquer and reduce to slavery, as she has India. She can never accomplish this. The age of force is past with her. Imbecility directs her armies and navies, as we see by the events of the present war against Russia. England has ceased to be a great military power, because her inveterate system of corruption has utterly demoralized her military force, by giving all the leading offices to stupid aristocrats, and refusing promotion to merit in the rank and file. Lord Raglan is their Napoleon.

But England does not wish to conquer us. She only wishes to rule us by the secret influence of money.

“To rule you,” says Scroggs, “what nonsense! we have nothing to do with your politics.”

You are mistaken, Scroggs. You have a great deal to do with our politics, and have always meddled with our political affairs, as you do with those of all other nations. But your ultimate object is not so much to direct our political career, as to cheat us out of our money, and this you are doing every day. You wish London to be always, as it is unfortunately for us, at present, our financial ruler. If we were true to ourselves we could emancipate ourselves from this thraldom at once. But hitherto foreign influence has been too strong for us, because it was secret. We propose to unmask it before the people, and then it will end. The American people can do any thing which they think it worth while to attempt. When they were only three millions strong, they beat you in an eight years’ war, rather than submit to a trumpery two penny tax on tea. Much more easily will they beat you now, when they come to understand the true nature of the contest. As soon as it becomes apparent to the native born American people, that the true cause of the present distress of the country and the utter prostration of its industrial interests, is foreign influence, they will set the matter right. When it is understood that the American workmen cannot get work, because the interests of British workmen, or rather the interests of the aristocracy, who make British workmen their slaves, are chiefly consulted by the law makers of this country, then new laws will be made, a new system — the American system — will prevail. You, Scroggs, will have to pack up your trumpery pattern- books and go back to Manchester; we shall manufacture our own cloth, hardware, and iron rails; business will revive; London will cease to be our financial ruler; and money will cease to be three per cent, a month. We shall then have beaten England for the third time and it is to be hoped we shall get rid of her infernal influence for ever.

All this you say, Scroggs, is mere declamation.

Granted. So it is — mere declamation. We like to declaim sometimes. All Americans do, ever since Patrick Henry bearded the king’s minions in the Virginia legislature, in old colony times. But we are prepared to back up our declamation with a few facts.

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