The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-07-17


be seemed TO aspire for political honors
while occupying seat on the federal
bench that he would have forbidden the
use OF his name could he have done so
without offending near and dear friends
who had thrown themselves intoth cause.
Judge Gresham has no desire 70 figure
in a political way, and always discourages
those friends who persist in pushing him
forward. General Gresham is poor man.
He has just built house in Chicago, put
IT is mortgaged. and it will take him years
10 lift the incumbrance He Is still he-
publican and is a man Of such firm con-
victions that it would be impossible for
him TO accept a nomination on the Peoples
party platform About the only point IN
which he agrees with the new party is that
one Of the great dangers now threatening
the republic is the ever increasing power
of centralized wealth plutocracy. Judge
Gresham believes something should be
done TO check the danger from this source,
and il he had consented to stand as the
candidate Of the new party, Of which there
was never much chance, he would have
done so with the idea solely Of Offering
himself as a sort Of sacrifice in hopes Of
rousing public opinion against that which
be believes to be a growing menace.
Poor men and rich men alike are mis-
understood II is only the bigot who sees
in every rich man an ogre. monster,
capable Of almost any sin against society
or law 1t thus happens that popular
prejudice against rich men grows up in
the land, and that rich men are often mis-
understood. A striking case in point is
that Of y. D. Armour, the twenty times
millionaire OF Chicago. A few days ago
the press was ringing with editorials and
cleaning with paragraphs about Armour's
great beef monopoly and the election of
his lawyer, Mr. Campbell, to the chair
manship Of the campaign committee of
one Of the big parties. The inference from
all this was that p. ID. Armour was one Of
the worst men permitted by long suffer
ing people to remain alive on the face Of
the earth. II he was 50 bad that even his
lawyer was tainted by association with
him, then be must be very bad indeed.
People who read but do not pause TO dis
criminate or think very deeply would in
fer from the newspapers that this man
Armour was wanted by the police.
OF course the facts are that instead Of
being one Of the worst he is one Of the best
men i'm the world. He has made great
fortune. but he has made it through genius
and not through monopoly. He is charged
with having a beef monopoly, but it IS
only the kind OF monopoly which follows
superior business management, the sort Of
monopoly which genius always builds up.
Armour sells more than q million dollars
}. g fI- ba gal1
cheaper than most Of his rivals, because the
commercial world has confidence in him
and in the products which bear his name.
II is a monopoly only because it is large
business, and is not a monopoly in the
sense that il is without competition. Ar
mour has grown rich for the same reason
that the man who performs a certain in
dustrial function little better, more ener-
getically and economically than any one
else Will always grow rich.
As to Armour personally, | suppose he Is
the most lovable Of the very rich men in
this country His heart is as large as his
fortune. He gives away more money TO
charities and worthy persons and purposes
in a year than any other man in America and
makes no fuss about it. He has only two
amusements in the world making money
and giving il away. The free kindergar
ten, manual training school, dispensary,
etc. which he has endowed in Chicago is
one of the noblest institutions Of the kind
in this country.
Mr. Clarkson, the politician, is another
man who is often misunderstood. He is
commonly supposed to be a typical Ameri-
can politician-selfsh TO start with, coarse,
vulgar, of low aspirations in politics for
what he can make out of it. 1t appears
that Clarkson is precisely the reverse Of all
this. He is generous, is not self seeking,
is refined, cultured, thoughtful, and went
into politics originally to help some Of his
friends and remained in it from pure love
of the game 1t has been an expensive
game for him. In the last three years he
has put q cool hundred thousand dollars
into it. That is, in three years lie has be-
come a hundred thousand poorer than he
was TO start with, but if he had given his
attention to business instead Of politics he
might easily have put 100000 TO the other
side of the account This makes 100000
as the price which Clarkson has had TO
pay for the glory of being prominent
politician during the Harrison administra-
ton.
asked him one day if it was worth the
candle, and he replied sincerely, | am sure,
that it was why" he added, 1.-THE friend
ships that [ have formed are alone worth
more than that which may have lost in
the matter Of money. There are no friend
ships in the world like those formed among
politicians Of the higher stamp-the men
who stand shoulder to shoulder and fight
the battles of their party. 1t is like the
comradeship Of an army. One gets TO
know the inmost soul Of his neighbor II
there is guile in him, spark of treachery,
a speck Of metal that is not true you find
it out very soon. The lying, deceitful,
false faced, selfish man cannot make a
success in politics"
Possibly the leading politicians Of the
day, in addition TO those whom l have
named, deserve to be classed among the
men who are misunderstood.
ROBERT GRAVES.