The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-07
DON'T. DRIVE THE RICH MEN
AWAY.

Tie mouse =O1t
DON'T. DRIVE THE Rich MEN
AWAY.
The Evening Post of New York in re-
cent article had the following remarks;
The truth Is tia. the Democratic party
has threatened the rich men Who nave
been attached to it by birth, by tradition,
and By belief, with the loss OF tner prop
erty, In part oyf the use Of bad money
and in part by an impairment OF. the SAFE
guards Which the judicial system throws
around rich and poor al ke 1t IS neeu-
less to recur to tbs; p.a:1ks IN tnet1 pa
form, or to the speeches OF 7tsie.r cana :
date in which these menacing policies
IRE embodied. 1t is sufficient to show that
the. party Is Itself at fault for the loss OF
its rich men.
1t Is an undcubted fact that whether
Intending it or not. the course CT the
Democratic party in the past six or seven
years has alarmed men of means and
made them think that that party had II
In mind il entrusted with power, to de-
pr;ve them forcih,y and under the forms
Of law of a great part of what they had
rs so,,rsa has, therefore, a!ienated the
great Dody OIL u'SAaOSi a'S
wealthy. we are not now arguing ulat
Inc marty has intended to do TINS we
arc only dealing with the fact, ana that
as the fact cannot be gainsaid, we can
not help thinking that 1t IS very uF1or-
,unate for the Democratic party s';1l =
has rqernls tied itself to faai Under TINS sus-
-,,.,on. There cannot be prosperity in
cca,ntry without wealthy men. 1t IS I'M
,oss;i,le to have a prosperous society and
IN have all men upon dead level OF iae-
ou;s.tions. It IS born III nun that one
shuIl be shrewder and more enc1ssLic
than another and The shreHder ana more
energetic man must outstrip the uu-ie1
and the less energetic one in the race OF
l:fo and acquire more OF ths wofso 5
goods than the .lazer one acquires. ms
is the inevitable result of natural Ia ",
and 1t is vain for my political party TO
seek 10 escape the operation of that
natural Law. Tie w.se political party ac-
cents that as a fixed fact and trims its
sails to make the hest possible advantage
of the fact
If is one OF the most fatal mistakes
also for po,it!ca! party to act upon the
theory that rich men are a curse to So
ciety Rich men are just as necessary
10 a slerlthy social development as ar is
TO the lungs of a human being. we Sc
cure no material development without
improvements in methods Of agriculture
establishment OF manufactures, enter
nr.ses for mining IN the bowe,s OF the earth
and telling the forests for 9umber TO
work I'D into buildings and machines.
Without capital We can do nothing IN the
way of starting or advancing any OF these
enterprises The rich man goes into part
nership with the poor man, having no.
thing but brains and energy. by buying
mortgage bonds upon the poor mans en-
terpr.se and thus, the poor man. by. pay
ing a moderate interest for the capital
necessary to develop his enterprise
mukes q fortune out of it and pays the
rich mans capital back to him when the
time for which it was borrowed elapses
The rich man is not only useful to TIE
political party, therefore, but iae is il1dis-
pensable to it if If would be a party of
progress and so. If it desires the part
OF the sluggard and is content TO remain
in a condition of dry-rot, then it may do
we'll to drive uIl its rich members TO the
opposition. But If it wia,es 10 be in the
procession and pe part Of the progress
and so of the world, then It must en-
courage its rich men to remain with It.