Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-09-08
CHAMP CLARK : LETTER
How Wealth Accumu-
lates and Men Decay.
GREED OF THE PLUT0CRATs.
BY No Means a New or Revolu-
tionary Theory.
GOLDSMITH AND HENRY GEORGE.
GREED OF THE PLUTOCRATS.
GOLDSMITH AND HENRY GEORGE

Many Years Ago the Gentle English Poet
Sang Warming with the Same Import
as That Uttered In Prose by Modern
Reformers-Hanna's Pickle.
Especial Washington letter.
History frequently repeats itself"
is an old saying, full of wisdom, whose
truth is often confirmed in the most i'm
pressive manner by current events.
1t is equally true that ideas reproduce
themselves with persisteney that is
amazing and at times and places SO far
separated that we must take them to be
immortal in their nature and universal
in their application.
For instance, in this country there is
school of philosophers or political
economists who declare incessantIy-
as some people think with "damnable
iteration the trouble, indeed
the curse, with the age in which we
live is the unequal distribution of
wealth, or, as it is sometimes put, "the
concentration of wealth in the hands of
the few" Of this school Henry George,
one of the most luminous minds and
facile writers of this century, was easily
the chief. am inclined to believe that
he would have been the chief Of polit-
ical economists and philosophers i'll any
era of the world. Second to him per-
haps in this category stands Thomas G.
Shearman of New York.
Now, let it be remembered that these
men did not or do not inveigh against
wealth per Sc. They would have been
idiots or demagogues to do so, and,
whatever else they are, they are most
assuredly neither idiots nor demagogues.
Their entire contention is that by
reason of a system of especially
laws of taxation-which they denounce
as irrational, unjust, even criminal, the
wealth of the country is SO thoroughly
concentrated in the hands of the few
and so unequally and unfairly distribut-
ed that moneyed aristocracy is being
built up in this country, the masses Of
the people pauperized, and unrest, riots,
strikes and all their concomitant evils
the natural results. From these prem
ises they predict woeful disaster to
our institutions and to the fabric of So
ciety unless remedy is speedily found.
These men and their fellows have
been denounced by the plutocratic press
and orators as enemies of good govern
ment and good order for introducing a
new and revolutionary idea. into our
political affairs because they coDdemn
the unequal distribution of wealth and
plead for more equitable arrangement
which they claim would ameliorate
present conditions and work for the bet
terment of all our people But they are
not amenable to the charge of inventing
new idea, as we shall presently see.
Nor can they be justly arraigned at the
bar of public opinion as revolutionists
years old-how much older know not
can be characterized as revolutionary
Nor are they the enemies of the human
race and of organized society. If they
are, they are found in strange and gen.
tie company-good company, illustri
GUS company.
Some Gentle RevoIutionists.
VI al ehe countess sons ol Auain
s,inA 2 seneieI spi[iS never ilVeu ec
DieSs l,io Ainu 'nan oiivel eoi',sini'n'
bosom. Indeed his exceeding kindness
was his financial ruin His was not
ohiy q 'neoieIicai Ainuness' IL was OK
eieneiy praceicai-so praoelcai enae hls
inuiscri,hinaIe oiiariIy hept hi1i III pow
eies anu III ueO' 30 lons DIS ne llVea'
MISUNDERSTANDING 'ne iaree sums ne
eaineu WIFI MS pen' Greater men there
nave Deen' put Oetter peioveo one
neVer' MS naihe SUN remains anu VIII
aoloVer REMAIN as synohym LUZ gen
JlenesS, DeneVOlence, loving KlndnesS.
The man who would represent Gold
s,o;th 70 bo rovol,t;or;s+ ~ ~, o,,o,,,,,
OI mduKAHu WOulu WTlte himself OOWn
an ass.
In 1853 or 1850 ha wrote nTba No.
.o5 vy:,,a ), .l-s.,' -
eoAeeu 'ii."6o' Mnioh nae peoonne "
classic and which is pOetlcal picture
of his native village of Lishoy. in Ire.
lond and tho r,,;,, .-,h;ob la os,,,,,,,
' ~ 49, W o PoA1
III Dy reason OF Gne concentration OF Cho
ownership of all the land in the neigh
| h0rhood into tho hands of ono ,,aou
-, !.
NoC AonB slnce' Whiio recurring III
| Ohio on Picturesque Public Men, =
wantlng something 70 read on the
| train, bought COPY of Goldsmith IS
noems and reread ssThe Desarted vii
| -, -
lase' Alounu ~ ds oncldncinS as Wnen
| nrsG perused 1t ~ years ago. Ihe fol-
| lowing Revolutionary" excerpt from
| chat moan, sounds ,nncb lilo q ,,o+r;aaI l
s-N P-- = ~ : Al,oUA =, io"i
Tenuerlhg oL speech Dy denfy george,
Thomas q. Shearman or Tom Johnson.
| / commend II most heartily tn all who
| ~oad +La e;,n. of +I,a .;,,,o,,
to''A oAo s-e9A-s y '-io
| Ye friends to truth, ye statesmen who survey,
Ine rich mans JOYS increase, the poor decay.
lis yours TO Judge now wide the limits stand
Between splendid and happy land.
Proud sweils the tide with loads OF freighted
ore,
ana shoutlng foiiy nails them from her shore.
Hoards, even beyond the miser's wish, abound,
ANA rlcn men mock from an the world around.
1eV count our gains. rms wealth Is but a
name
Not SO the loss. The man Of wealth and pride
Takes up space that many poor supplied
S, sor l;s hnrss I
Tho roha that ,vraTs h;s Ii,ss -, ;I,a, s,a+,
! Has robbed the nephhorinf falds of b,If their
| grov,tb
His seat. where SOLITARY sports are seen.