National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-12-27
POLITICAL ECONOMY UPSIDE DOWN.


and brightest stars in the magnificent con-
stellation of the Union. Its climate is
serene, its soil is several feet deep and filled
with richness, there being, in short, no end
TO IFS fertility. The scenery also is beau
tiful. Society IN Texas is cultivated to the
highest degree, and her works of litera-
ture, art and science are the wonder of the
world; also the admiration of mankind.
Where liberty dwells there go Texas cattle.
Likewise considerable number of Texas
cattle thieves. These be greasers. The
beautiful tarantula is native and to the man
ner born in Texas. Texas produces more
bovie-kniYes and pistols to the acre than
any other portion of the terrestrial globe.
As if all this and more that might be
mentioned were not enough to place the
Lone STAR at the very pinnacle of great
ness, Texas has gone and produced phi
losopher. And he is philosopher as is
philosopher, too. He can quote Greek and
Latin and French and German and Magyar
and plenty of other languages at you till
you can't rest. But such little things as
these are among the minor accomplishments
Of our Texan philosopher. Such things to
him are what it is with lesser minds to
chronicle small beer. He at one stride
steps to the front rank of thinkers and turns
all the prevailing old-fogy ideas of political
economy and social science inside out and
bottomup at a single charge of his mighty
mind.
The philosopher of Texas utterly scouts
the idea of production as a source of
wealth. 1--WE have become too pro.
" ductive," he says; eve produce with
real vintictiveness. And then, further
on. he points out the way in which things
ought to bedone: ''The first great lesson now
to learn, Ibelieve, is how TO unmanufac-
"ture3 by what method to diminish pro-
e. duction and thus reach poverty. At all
events, it is high time to discard alto
"gether the present hilarious mode of
counting up national wealth. We learn,
for example, from the ninth census that
Gin 1870 the United States were worth
SIS, O00, 900 in hats and caps, SIG, 600, 900
Gin cheese, $15, 600, 900 in confectionery,
"$2, 100000 in hoops, skirts and corsets,
s., 100000 in collins, another "a, 600, 600
"in paper collars, and as much in UNI
brellas!"
Webeg to observe that hilarious mode
OF counting up national wealth" is good.
Gayety and gloom 60 hand in hand in this
philosophers comprehensive mind. No
body but philosopher could connect
hilarity with collins and the modern suieils
against the attacks of the pitiless storm.
We have to say, however, that this daring
Texan ranger admits that there is an inter-
esting and instructive side to the statistical
tables of the census. "But why, he asks,
"why should we allow our minds to be
" bamboozled ny the sameH" Go to with
your conundrams. We give it up.
This philosopher is not only opposed to
the excessive diffusion of wealth, but of
knowledge also. "The ancient Greeks"
he remarks, "the most admired of nations,
had only seven wise men; with us 1t would
be difficult to find as many unwise ones"
and he speaks unexpectedly, in the same
entence, of President of the United
States" and a president of base ball
club" Score US one there against the
philosopher. A base ball club don't have
any president.
II we could spare space we might quote
more rich things from the new philosophy.
The upshot of it all is : Down with the
diffusion of wealth, of knowledge, of every
thing heretofore regarded as desirable, and
up with the diffusion of greenbacks. While
we admit that there is a great deal Of fun
and wit in our new philosopher, we have
to say that hiss system reminds US of that
of Mr.. Squeers, announced when that
great scholar was even uncommonly mel
low. Measles, rheumatics, whooping-
cough, fevers, sgues and lumbagers, said
Squeers, sis all philosophy together
that's what it is. The heavenly bodies is
philosophy, and the earthly bodies is
philosophy. If there's q screw loose in
body, that's philosophy, and if
there's a screw loose in earthly body,
that's philosophy, too; or, 1t may be that
there is little metaphysics in
it, but that's not often. Philosophy's the
chap for me-
There is screw loose in the disquisition
of our Texan thinker, but that's philoso-
ply, too. And the philosophy of it all is,
that Notwithstanding the great desirability
of poverty and ignorance, according to the
new school, men will go on trying to &C.
property and knowledge till the
end of time.
In all seriousness, the gentleman who
gets off these ideas in pamphlet is man
of talents and learning, Colonel Emeric
Szabad, who is the author of history of
and Of some military works Of
merit. His latest contribution to our litera-
ture, though numerous and witty, is no.
table instance of how far and how wildly
even fine mind sometimes chases vagary.
We wish Colonel Szabad was the only one
engaged in the pursuit Of saying such bad
sayings.