The Labor enquirer., 1884-01-05
DYNAMITE is strong to-day at Acc.
aTHE skLF-sELEcrED.n

aTHE sELF.sELECTED.o
The heavy. weight of the News has
since writing his first feeble fling at the
.self-selected friends of humanity, = been
alIowed,to pay homage to Mammon in
the lsttsr's own parlors, and be feels
caliedupon to reward the condescension
made in his behalf by lauding the orgies
of the rich and slandering the poor and
lowly. The cattle queen" overlooked
his inferior financial position and seeing
only his willingness to be tool, placed
his name among the 1900 select" So,
with his belly full of wine and things,
and his eyes awry from diamond flashes,
he looks with care into the social
problem"
Can it be possible that any man, with
ordinary intelligence any person who
makes claim to manhood, or even hui
manity, can believe as the editor of the
News writes? No; / cannot realize that
even meager intellect could be so dull as
that. The power to know abstract right
from undisguised wrong must lie in even
the smallest grain Of intellect There
fore, it follows that man who will give
utterance to such speeches as were found
IN last Sundays News is dishonest in his
expressions, and says what his reason
and natural knowledge of right teaches
him is untrue. And he does this pros
titutes his intellect-for few miserable
dollars and the false and empty name of
; "molder of public sentiment" Enough
for the editor (who speaks in no verY
complimentary terms of the self
selected friends of humanity"), let US
look over what he HAS THAT word means
3 great deal just there) to say in his last
effort. -
The second article is principally re-
hash of the first, with a few crazy out
breaks added. The only thing perfectly
clear in it is that the writer idolizes the
rich and detests the poor. He seems de-
termined his readers shall understand
that the friends of humanity are self
selected, and not made by law or popu-
lar appointment. There's one thing
pretty certain, and that is, they are not
bought; which is invariably the case
with such friends as he is of the rich.
The occasion tadmitting such thing
possible) of this last squirt of our aristo-
cratlct2) friend is the announcement that
the Astor tribe will give ball in few
weeks which will eclipse in splendor,
lavish expenditure and physical display
the Vanderbilt affair, and for fear the
"selfselected friends of humanity will
suggest the amount of good which could
be done with the enormous sum of
money that will be expended if it was
applied to alleviating the suffering of the
poor, he jumps in, rounds up the poor
and brands them unworthy In advance.
And what if some far-seeing humani-
itarian did see fit to make such sugges-
tion 2 Would it be to his discredit !?
And where is the need to so extrava-
gantly defend the customs of these rich
folks if they are so selfevidently right? ?
Mr.. W. s. (Wealth's Slave is 80 highly
pleased with his original idea that these
people will not have to 60 TO the poor
house because of their extravaganza,
that he once more dwells upon it. As if
people were SO silly as to think of such
athing. Nobody is caring much where
the robbers OF the people go. They
might go TO hell without as much as a
good wish or an old shoe being sent after
them. .N.
But there are depths, to this subject
which our aristocratic friend of the
News does not descend to. En- the light
of reason and humanity he might find
it difficult to substantiate even the dis
family relative points upon which he at
tempts to decide what is right. He says
their money is their own and they have
right to spend it as they pie ase. Now
the latter part of that is an open ques-
ton with great majority of the 'lib-
eral" thinkers of the day, but do not
propose to go into it at this time, mas
much as the News man is at a disadvan-
tage, never having studied, social prob
lens with care.H But 1 do emphatieally
deny that the wealth the millionatres of
this country possess is their own. Ithas
been wrung from the sweat of the pro-
ducers of the country. In some cases it
is isabsolutely stolen-and in every case 1T
is anything but the result of the honest
industry of its holder.
have nothing to say about the idea
the News says is advanced by some of
the volunteer friends of humanity
i.e.: That the example set by the mil.
lionaires is denoralizing on class who
impoverish themselves by attempting to
ape. This is the middle class; and the
sooner they become reduced to where
present systems are hurrying them, the
better But agree that "the spectacle
:pf reckless prodigality among the mil
1paires hnsa maddening effect upon
j. 3 maases which some day may ripen
Into ssvoIutioa," Such affairs teach the
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