The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-05-23
ARADELLA B. BUCKLEY
BILL ARP
On Bishop Potter and the plutooraoy.

BILL ARP
On Bishop Potter md the Plutocraoy.
We see that Bishop Potter has been
preaching against the Plutocracy, and
that Jay Gould has replied to him. I
thought that would turn to the defni-
tion of that word, but I couldn't find it
in the dictionary. Of course 1t has
something to do with Pluto, the God of
hades or hell, but more to do with Plu.
tus, the god of wealth. Pluto's wife Was
the daughter of Ceres, and Plutus was
the son of Ceres, and so Pluto and Plutus
were brothers.in.law, and just about as
close kin as hell is to money, and the
Plutocracy are badly mixed with both
branches of the family. The good book
says, "Ye cannot serve both God and
msmmon," but man can serve Pluto
and Plutus without any strain of his
consistency. Right there is where the
trouble comes in. The love of money
crowds out all other loves. This is not a
theory, but fact. It binds a man to
everything but the gold, and that is the
reason. I reckon, why Plutus was blind.
Mythology says he was not only blind,
but he was lame. That is, he was lame
and decrepit as be approached you, but
had wings to fly away with. When he
| wanted to oYerreach anybody and make
! good trade he came limping along like
be vas almost dead, but when he had
made his bargains away he few to his
pile and chuckled over his gains. He
was the originator of bulling aud bearing
stocks and fleeing the lambs. "It is
| naught, it is naught, saith the buyer, but
after he buyeth he goeth away and
rejoiceth."
Now there is hardly an average man
but who really believes that if he was
worth million he would be very liberal
and charitable, and do great deal of
| good with his money. 1t was the dream
of my youth that some day I would be
rich and I would go about in disguise
like Kris Kringle, and surprise the poor
and friendless and set up the down.
hearted. I had even picked out some
unfortunates whom I would help, and I
had devised the manner of my charities
so that they would not know where it
came from. There was a poor hard
working blacksmith whose home was
under mortgage and his children poorly
clad, and I heard my father say the
sheriff was going to sell him out, and I
thought it was awful. He was good
man, aud always talked so kindly to me
when stopped TO see him hammer the
red iron and watch che beautiful sparks
fly from the anvil. And there was a
cabinet.maker who had got far behind
on account of a fire, and was sued to
every court, and WAS always paying costs
and begging for time. Aud there was
man who was all drawn up and bent
double with rheumatism, and his chin
touched his knees, and he came to
church in an OK wagon, and had to be
lifted out and carried to his accustomed
seat, and he seemed so happy during
preaching and so thankful to God for
His goodness. In that day it was lawful
to put man in Jail for his debt, and ]
wanted money, lots Of money ever SO bad
to relieve the poor and distressed, and
could not understand Why the rich men
about town diden't do it, but I under.
stand it now, and my faith in my OWE
charity is shaken. I would be liberal
with other peoples money, but I'm afraid
that I would keep my own. If a million
were to come suddenly into my posses
sion I am sure would scatter a good
portion of it, but if I had been pursuing
it long, and it came by degrees, I verify
believe I would be like the rest Of the
plutocracy, and the more I got the more
I would want. As q general thing the
more man acquires the less he gives
away, and therein is the danger Of loving
money. It shrinks up mans good
emotions and units him for the mex,
world. That depends, however, or
which world he is going to. It hardenE
man so that he can look upon want and
suffering without pity and can pass by
on the other side. Not long ago Jay
Gould said he did not think that any
man ought to have more than million
but as it was his misfortune to have more
he should keep it. But now he defends
the misfortune boldly, and says there
/ would be no great things done for hu
manity if these great fortunes we're moi
accumulated, and he speaks of railroads
and telegraph lines and steamships and
universities and public libraries. He
seems to think it better that hundred
men should control thousand millions
than hundred thousand men contro,
ten thousand apiece. Right there he il
mistaken. The hundred thousand would
be more likely 10 contribute thousand
dollars each to any great work than the
bundled men contribute million each
History and observation proves this
The men of moderate means have done
most for their country in all ages, mos
for schools and churches and charity aud
patriotism and public enterprises. The
per cent of income is the true test Of lib