Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-06-28
10 McDILL'S MUSINGS.
ODDS AND ENDS.

OUDC hlND ElNOOs
A Colorado Socialist paper publishes part
of an ARTICLE written by myself and published
in the AG1TAroR. In the article referred to,
adversely criticized the Democratic party for its
position on the liquor question. In the same
article, I had friendly words for Bryan. The
tone of our cotemporary is such as to lead me
to believe that the editor is not in accord with
my views on either Bryan or the liquor ques-
ton.
Judge thing, by their effects and men by
what they aim at. A tree is known by its fruit.
Men may aim at good tree and not be able to
create tree. After tree has been created,
and borne fruit, we can then determine whether
or not the tree ought to live. So long as man
aims to create good trees, he is my friend, as to
aims.
NV attack on the saloon is not from the
standpoint of the preacher or politician, but
rather from the standpoint of man who seeks
to elevate the laboring classes and secure for
the people who earn their bread in the sweat of
their face the largest happiness
do not believe, and neither can it be proven,
that the swallowing of strong drink affords any
adequate return for the money expended, and
am quite sure that brains inuddled with alcohol
are not the brains that will be used to pull labor
ont of that "hole" that now promises to engulf
our civilization. Some of the money expended
for food returns to the farmers; some of the
money expended for shoes and clothing returns
to tn, people who labor in manufactures, and
none of the money thus expended is absorbed
by courts, jails and poor-houses. While it is
true that some of the money expended for
liquor returns to farmers, it is as certainly true
that the good is counterbalanced by the evil, in
Increased taxes and menace to good govern.
,nent in turbulence and pauperism, and none of
the money expended in strong drink returns to
the people who labor in mines, railroads or
j ! manufactures.
AS nave said before, the saloon is not a
trieun Of labor,ng people. The liquor employ
ment cannot be classed with mining, manufac-
turing, farming, railroading or house-building.
'rh. saloon does not tend to intellectual devel-
.,.memt or the cultivation of moral character
The saloon influence is just the reverse. The
vvtvar. obscene, profane babel of the saloon is
utterly dehasing young minds. There is
hypocrisy in the church, but the preachers in
huence is in the direction of puIer morals and
nobler character. There are corrupt officials
in state, and unnecessary taxes, but the corner
stone of civilization is government Nothing
is wholly good, and nothing SO nearly wholly
evil. as the liquor traffic. judge by what is,
and think l reason correctly when l asser.
that where there is SO little good and so ,,,ucl,
evil, the whole thing should be wiped out
being unavailable in the elevation of the human
race.
can readily give my reasons, as Socialis,
for believing in Bryan. His heart is in the
right place. Bryan is not Socialist in that
he believes in Socialism as a remedy but he is
q :; cialist in that he believes in the highest
happiness attainable for the people. Bryan
came up under the teaching that every man
should be turned loose, and that, being turned