Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-21

'News?' Do you say, Amen? VIII,
not?"
No, the News" does not say amer
TO such sentiments. The assertion
contained in the foregoing quotation
that C. +. Huntington In law owns
California, belongs to the same kind
OF exaggeration as do the sentences
which portray him as n great thief. We
do not say that there would be
no color of truth In statement to the
effect that Huntington has placed the
state Of California at n disadvantage
In order to enrich himself; but we do
not think he deserves to be rated as q
great criminal because he has done this.
In our opinion his power in the state
mentioned, and the degree OF criminal
ity entering into the operations by
which he achieved 1t, are greatly ex-
aggerated In the paragraph above
quoted.
Living Issues continues Its article by
an arraignment OF John Rockefeller of
the Standard oil trust. in terms even
more severe than 1t applies to Hunting
NNhs VI Aiit H. HulSs
we have in our mind another thief
of the same kind, only that he is much
smoother. yes, he is oily. This thief
though his various manipulntions with
legislatures, courts, railroads and
other combines. has foisted system of
pillaging the people that is 80 perfect
and 80 far renching that none can es-
cape his maraudings. The rich and
the poor alike are compelled to pay
tTinIIfp I'm thte
the year. There Is no avenue OF escape,
ana he applies his force rplentlessy
ON all and all alike Not only so, but he
IL most devoutly religious. He claims
to be the Lords special agent to rob
the masses. on a big commission n
commission of Jeia per cent of the gross
receipts. The other u per cent goes TO
the Lord; that Is. he says 1t does. We |
refer to John Rockefeller. He is an
outlaw of the most dangerous tyne. |
Heels not only an outlaw but he is |
nhoVe law. NO law can touch him |
again? Why not? II you propose to |
oNtermlnate thieves. why not big
thieves as well as little ones? why pass |
by unnotlced the thief that enters
forceably into the sacred precincts of
our households and steals from every
family in the land, while we unmer.
cifuily eNterminatc the purveyor of n
fifteen cent donkey?
There are few other thieves we
would like to see exterminated. and
hope the governors, not only OF our
western states, but Of all the states as
wen, VIII unite In the work, and pursue
i TO successful termination win
The News" join us In this work?''
Being thus directly appealed to. the
News takes occasion to say that it
s not In sympathy with such utter
Inces as are here reproduced from the
columns of its contemporary. The ele-
nent Of Justice which undoubtedly ex-
SITS as foundation for complaint
Igainst John Rockefeller, ia so much
more than offset by the reckless and
exaggerated injustice of such assaults
ipon him. that intelligent sympathy
lesitates before taking sides. and is
liable to rest finally with him rather
han with his accusers.
1t is getting to be the fashion In the
United States for a certain class of
peakers and journals to ndiscrlmi
iately class the owners and managers
II capital as thieves and robbers. Ac-
ording to their ethics, the possession
4 millions is corpus deficit, the body
: - "''''iN' NV matter nuM lflDSt mil
ions were acqulredA When the working
lasses have become thoroughly con-
'erted to this doctrine, 1t will be easy
or them to so train their consciences
hat oil reprisals possible for labor to
'isit upon capital and its owners, Will
'e considered by them to be justihable,
md then will ensue such scenes of
Hood and raplne as our race has never
witnessed.
IL Living Issues would urge the con- ,
lction by lawful means and processes, l
all who commit the crime of bribery. /
he "News' would be in harmony with
on that point. But when men ac- ,
uire wealth by lawful means, no mat I
err how great the amount. the News"
oes not believe in denouncing them {
as thieves and robbers I
he injustice Of so doing is at least |
S great as the injustice with which
hey can be truthfully charged. q