The Invisible Empire by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jul 8, 1913

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 26.

The Invisible Empire

By Editor

A FAVORITE theme of the late historian John Clark Ridpath was the invisible empire of wealth. His trenchant pen could describe most graphically and vividly the power that money sways. This invisible empire applies to no particular country, it carries no particular responsibilities, but simply holds the world in its grasp. Kings and emperors make war or refrain from making war at its decree. Business is made prosperous or we have hard times according as this invisible empire may elect.

The tariff battle, which is the principal item in our present congress, is a striking illustration of what this empire is doing. It maintains a very expensive lobby at Washington. It is seeking to intimidate the lawmakers and create sentiment by corrupting the public press. This condition of things has become so pronounced that President Wilson has felt it necessary to issue a public statement upon the subject, which is as follows:

"I think that the public ought to know the extraordinary exertions being made by the lobby in Washington to gain recognition for certain alterations of the tariff bill. Washington has seldom seen so numerous, so industrious, or so insidious a lobby. The newspapers are being filled with paid advertisements calculated to mislead the judgment of public men not only, but also the public opinion of the country itself. There is every evidence that money without limit is being spent to sustain this lobby, and to create an appearance of a pressure of public opinion antagonistic to some of the chief items of the tariff bill.

"It is of serious interest to the country that the people at large should have no lobby and be voiceless in these matters, while great bodies of astute men seek to create an artificial opinion and to overcome the interests of the public for their private profit. It is thoroly worth the while of the people of this country to take knowledge of this matter. Only public opinion can check and destroy it.

"The government in all its branches ought to be relieved from this intolerable burden and this constant interruption to the calm progress of debate. I know that in this I am speaking for the members of the two houses, who would rejoice as much as I would to be released from this unbearable situation."

This paper takes no sides whatever in politics because our work is along an altogether different line, but we have heard of no one, no matter how different his political views may be from that of Mr. Wilson's, who has ever arisen to say anything against his integrity and strict uprightness. All believe that Mr. Wilson is honest in what he is doing, and therefore in making the foregoing utterances we must allow that President Wilson honestly believes that he has ground for making such statements. Recent investigations in Congress seem clearly to demonstrate their truth. We should give due weight to his utterances when he says that "the newspapers are being filled with paid advertisements calculated to mislead the judgment of public men" and that "great bodies of astute men seek to create an artificial opinion and to overcome the interests of the public for their private profit."

Things of this character show the determined battle that concentrated wealth is waging. It is entrenched in the very vitals of our nation; it holds the great arteries of transportation, of commerce, of manufacture, of agriculture, and all our industries in general. It scruples at nothing. It pays able writers to give forth editorials as well as news items to create false impressions and to intimidate. It does not stop to consider the storm that it is creating, for it is a knowledge of what this great money power is doing that gives the semblance of justice to the work of the agitators in socialistic and labor circles, who are working to create sentiment that will overthrow the powerful plutocrats.

The voice of socialism is growing stronger and stronger and it is heard with a constantly deepening interest. The voice of the labor agitator in like manner is being heard, and when the bare facts in regard to what is being done by men of wealth are laid before the people it is not surprising that they should be stirred. And we can not fail to see that a storm is approaching over this issue. Some of the most striking warnings regarding the matter have been heralded by the great men of wealth themselves. For instance, Judge Gary, at the head of the steel trust, has said on more than one occasion to his fellow plutocrats that if they were not careful to do differently they would raise a storm that would make great social havoc.

The actors in this invisible empire of wealth are loyal to no political party. Their loyalty is to the one thing of grasping everything within their reach. The one patriotism they know is the patriotism of dollars, and the only wisdom that they seem to be able to manifest is the wisdom of greedily seizing wealth. They seem to be totally blind to the storm that they are stirring up.

Now in view of the fact that the clear lines of prophecy in the books of Daniel and Revelation show without mistake that we are living in the end of this world's history, there is a striking significance to the warning of the apostle Paul in which he says: "Know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money." 2 Tim. 3:1, 2. With our eyes on the conditions in the world and with the prophecies of the Bible in our minds we should know without any mistake whatever the meaning of the conditions of to-day. T.