The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-08-16
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.,o x.e:
~ x*.*x THE SELFISHNESS Xxx -
~ OF SOCIETY," Xxx 2;
;$$
THE SELFISHNESS
Written for The Prison Mirror

Written for The Prison Mirror
To establish justice, and promote
the general welfare-these are the
professed purposes, the aim of every
republican government, and may be
said to be of consideration-expr or
implied-in the enactment of every
law. But did the executive officials
always administer law with equitable
design, disregarding political influence
in enforcing, the spirit as also the
letter of the law might be fulfilled. In
the general course of past events, a
willful neglect is evidenced, especially
whenever political influence of the
executive is subjected to a possible
setback should he deal out with the
spirit and merit of law.
Men, whether constituting practic-
ally the government, as ruling officials,
or only embodied in ordinary citizen
ship, pass upon matters concerning the
life, liberty and homer of others, largely
with the sang-froid applicable to an
everyday business transaction and are
delighted with egotistical fancy on get
ting the best of another. AS long as
they keep themselves without the
grasp of the law, they pride themselves
with respect, be their dealings however
questionable.
They are so consistent" as to de-
mand Imprisonment of any one en-
gaging in the lottery business, while in
their church fairs it is deemed very
charitable to be participant. By an
impulse, they condemn one or two
persons for prostitution, while hun
dreds of others are granted license by
way of fine, and assisted by patronage.
Let one man commit treason and he
is made to suffer death penalty and
disgrace; but let dozen or more men
do likewise, as instanced of the South
Carolinians, and they are granted par
don and amnesty-perhaps later, elect
ed to Congress. Let citizen trespass
on anothers property and instanter
the law is enforced by the appeal for
redress, condemnation, and Herewith
applying stigma; but should their
country, for mere land aggrandize-
ment, invade the lands of another,
they are ever ready to excuse their
acts with the plea of being done for
humanity's sake, for the furtherance
of civilization.
1t is sometimes urged that mans
misfortune rebounds ultimately to his
advantages: that nations war is
purifier of the race, "the inevitable,
periodical purifier of the race" as Gen.
Benjamin F. Butler expresses it.
Taken in the moral sense, these state
ments are difficult to verify. In fact,
/ rather believe that history repeats
itself, and that man is in every way
the double of his forefathers, modified
only by the restraints of experience
The Roman republic conquered the
world and forced Roman civilization
upon the subjects; nevertheless no
progress in morality was gained there
by and it again became an empire,
falling with shame. The consequence
of the wars of France does not argue
to purification; and after being alter
nately an empire and republic, has
met her "Waterloo." Then again, the
outrageous Dreyfus affair. England,
the nation of warfare-almost yearly
she engages in a war of conquest,
greed or expansion; and yet, who can
say that her people are now any better
at heart than in the past. Our own
republic was founded on the principle
of Right, and presently we see her
succumbing to the glamour of Might.
Who can tell where it will end?
The extensive ornaments and stand
ing armies that are being set up by
various nations does not portend of