The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-06
THE PuRvEYOR OF CALAMITY.

The Developments Of the late campaign
calamity have been doing an evil work in
his country the past few years. 1t is none
the less an evil work because many OF the
preachers are sincere. 1t Is none the less
an evil work because most intelli-
gent people understand that there is no
ground for declaring that the people of this
country are gradually sinking into hopeless
poverty. Before this campaign began u
assertions were ignored by most people.
Newspapers and periodicals devoted to the
PRONUNCIATION of calamity were not COM
bated. Because they have not been, many
people nave assumed that the statements
made by such papers and orators were
true.
The calamityite was a feature in the Chi
cage convention and in it's platform. II the
o~ut-and-out silverites could have had their
way, calamity as an issue would not have
been made so prominent as it was by Bry-
an with the addition of his hateful class
ism. There can now be no question that
the persistent efforts of the promulgators
of calamity the past dozen years have had
a very decided influence in the campaign
which has just closed. They have made
Populism and caused the loss of moral
serse which led men to vote for a debased
currency under some vague impression that
they could thereby rid themselves of half
their honest obligations. Preaching calami-
ty and classism is responsible for whatever
depI0rahIe feeling axiStS and which. once
in a while. has DUN expression in the as
sertion that the flag of the country Is the
emblem of injustice TO certain people.
A nan who has been persuaded that he
is the victim of injustice because of the
laws and Institutions Of the country can
not be a patriotic citizen. The man who
has been impressed hat his condition
grows hopeless with the years cannot be an
earnest and energetic worker. The convic-
ton that he is oppressed by a system par
alyzes his energies. He becomes a fatalist.
He enters upon his vocation with the con-
viction that 1t can make little difference
whether he does or does not put forth his
best energies. He becomes a cynic and mis-
anthropist- There are thousands Of such
oi0 VIII NC ~
is rot lone to nullify the work Of the pro-
fessional purveyors Of calamity.
1t seems that the time has come when an
effort should be made to counterfeit the evil
work of the preachers Of calamity. Who
ever they are, honest or dishonest, the
magazine writer or the wretch who talks
anarchy to the ignorant at the street cor
,ar. II 1ropl~ ,rlo ,l;fc N oaI~ r,itxr uoaE-
ly paper or the blatherskite who asks for
votes on the ground that he will upset the
present conditions. all of them should be
combated. and combated systematically.
There could be no more. effective way Of
undoing the evil which has brought dis
credit to States like Kansas and deadened
the energies OF thousands of men so that
they have become m~alingerers in the
worlds industrial army than to organize
anti-calamity societies or clubs. which
shall see that the pernicious literature of
the calamityites Is neutralized by the apos-
ties of cheefulness and hope. 1t is needed.
above all things, that the sentiment should
pervade the country that the American
condition is better beyond comparison than
that of any other country. The fact should
be set forth that, as the years pass, except
during brief periods OF reaction. the con-
dition of every class of people is slowly
improving and that 1t is the only country
i'm the world in which opportunity is open
to all. At least. every country-loving man
and women should denounce the preacher
Of calamity of every variety as the foe Of
community and a traitor to the Republic.