The herald., 1895-12-28
" TRUE AS PREACHIN' /"

One man, being poor, EFFORTS or at
| tempts to eXtort money from a million
aire by terrorizing him with bogus
bomb. Another man, being ROB, ex-
torts much more money from the tax
payers of the nation by intimidating
congressman with bogus theory.
Ii a nation is educated in the art of
mendicancy, shall it not beg? Time
and again gentlemen of the very high
est commercial and social standing,
gentlemen of the class to which belong
the recipients of Sundays unwelcome
Christmas presents, have journeyed to
Washington carrying bombs for the in
timidation of the peoples representa-
tives. They demanded tribute from
the common putse Of all American tax
payers and consumers. They threat
ened, If refused, to work a social cata-
ely m. The vulgar fellows in Sundays
episode said, "Give us few dollars or
sters say biennially in Washington,
"Give US uncounted millions or we
ruin the nation The police easily
suppress the lesser eXlortioners, bat
all the power of the American people
has failed thus far to squelch wholly
the greater ones. Yet the bombs of
Year after year men go to Washing
ton with the single purpose of extract
ing from the pockets Of the American
people, by methods of the most violent
intimidation. millions for their own
use and profit. They demand that by
law they shall be given the special priv
ilege to mine coal, to manufacture iron,
to build ships and weave cloth, secure
from competition, protected from the
efforts of other men to engage in the
same market. This they ask in the
name of American industry, which I'M
der freedom they insist would perish.
Most of all. they base their appeal for
other peoples money on the argument
that only by making them richer can
the poor be kept from getting poorer
1t is in the name of the American work.
man that the monopolist in pursuit #
new or more profitable special privil
ege does his hunting. But having Sc.
cured the spoil the huntsman keeps it
all for himself.
The course from the loftier black
mail of protection to the humbl n ex-
tortion of the begger and bulldozer is
logical and direct. 1t is as smooth and
easy as the classic descent of Avernus.
The captains of industry, the great
manufacturers, first insist that some
thing more than industry, capacity and
intelligence is needed in their business.
They must also have bonus from the
public treasury, and with this bonus
they will maintain the American work
ingman in that happy state of prosper
ity and ease which-so he learns from
protectionist arguments-he enjoys.
Having secured the bonus they pocket
|, it and import their workmen from
abroad in sufficient numbers to accom-
plish a progressive reduction Of the
American wage-rste they protested to
revere. With imported workmen come
imported mendicants and terrorists.
The people who set up and enforce
the theory that the nation shall take
care of the rich, the rich take care of
the poor and nobody take care of him
self by self-respecting and unassisted
effort must not be greatly surprised if
Individual beggars and bulldozers &C.
casionally practice the methods which,
in effect, they apply to the spoliation
of the nation. The example is con-
agious.-Chicago Chronicle.