Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-07-28
HOme.Spun Philosophy.
Bill rp in the Atlanta Constitution.
SsAfon uonto hut Jtttlo boro .,o,o,,,
NOI WHuCS tIIdC hui X IUUR
TITS not with me exactly so
Though tits so in the SOnp.n

MAN wants but little here below
Nor wants that little long
TITS not with me exactly so
Though it's SO in the song"
There is nothing wrong about wanting II We
don't want too much-things out of reach
and out of reason. Every man ought to be am.
bilious to better his condition but he oughtent
to banker after his Majors things. Folks ought
to live and let live and then there would be nc
strife between labor and capital All revolu.
lions come from oppression. Those who work
hard and live poor can't help looking at Their
rich Majors and II the rich Majors grind them ia
the wall they get desperate and try to burst uI
things. The French revolution begun in that
way and the working people Joined the lead OF
bad men who ddent work at all and they
followed the shouts Of ''liberty and equality
and rushed madlv to their own ruin. Three
desperate fellows broke into Rothschilds bank
and told him they had come for divide. Glow
much money do you suppose have got?" said
the banker. Fifty millions of francs" said they
"How many people in France?" said the banker.
Sixteen Millions" said they. "Wel," said he,
now; go and tell the rest to come on and get
THEIRS" and he threw them nine francs on tile
counter. eff we ever have to come to divide
that is the best way reckon"
But there is safe middle ground for rich and
poor to stand upon and that Is for the rich to be
lot. Let the rich bear the burdens OF govern
ment and let the luxuries Of life pay the taxes
The law is that way now pretty much. If 1t could
be fairly executed. but there are good many
average citizens, who won't pay any tax II they
can help it. They know how to dodge it. and
they do dodge it, and although the Majors
will talk about it. there Is nobody who is will
Ing to make a fuss. Nobody wants to be pub
lie infOrmer. / know q man who sold lot of
land the other day for eight hundred dollars. and
ne gave 1T in at eighty. He is a. rich man, but
he Is dodger, an artful dodger He has lodged
death and taxes for long time, but I'm afraid
he won't be able to dodge the devil when his
time comes. Some folks have an idea that it
is no sin to cheat the state but when man
cheats the state he is cheating every man and
pay. If we could all cheat alike it wouldn't
make any difference, and I reckon we will all
have it to do to keep even.
The state and county taxes are getting to be q
burden upon the average man, and most of it
comes from lodging and wanting too much that
Majors and it costs more to run the courts in q
county than to run its schools; more for litfga-
tion than education, and the tax is just as
heavy on man who never has case In court
as upon lone one who is everlastingly having some
body. This is wrong principle and needs
legislation: Let those who dance pay the
fiddler II me and my nabOr 60 to law
it's nobody's business but ours, and we ought
10 pay all the cost OF 1t, and II we knew we
had it to do maybe we would settle it out of
court, or call in some Majors and have an arbi-
tration. Folks ought to be discouraged from
going to law about little things, for the'gOod,
peaceable citizens have enough to do to sup
port the criminals who fill the jais. don't
know any remedy for that part of the business,
except to pass a law that will hurry up the law
yers and make 'em quit cavorting around so
much with heirmouths. Daniel Webster hardly
ever spoke more than half an hour In case,
but suppose Daniel knew what he was going
to say beforehand. The lawyers nowadays
want too much-tOO much time. We all want
too much. We want all we can get and little
more.
1t is astonishing how little man can live on
and be comfortable. and how much ne wants.
There are no hermits nowadays who live on
bread and water from choice believe there is
an association up north who eat neither fish.
flesh nor fowl, for they say it is wrong to kill
anything that God has made, and thew say that
they have better health and can do more work
In day than anybody. That may all be so; but
somehow l can't make up my mind to give up
fried chicken and beefsteak and turkey and
trout and oysters and the like. I think they
were created for mankind to use in reason, and
don't know what we would make shoes OF if
We didn't tan the hides of the cattle, unless we
follow Tewksbury. In fact, l don't know what
would become of us L we didn't kill off the in
crease, for the cattle would spread out all over
the land and gobbe up everything.