Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-07-19
hood until the druggists win let them

the bakers will sell them no more
bread, and the groceryman will sell
them no more sugar. Then they find
the region unhealthy, and they hire
carman. whom they never pay, to take
them to some new quarters where the
merchants, the druggists, the butch
ers, the bakers and the grocerymen
come and give them the best rounds of
beef and the best sugars and the best
merchandise of all sorts until they find
out that the only compensation they
are going to get is the acquaintance of
the patrons. There are thousands of
such thieves in all our big cities. You
see I cal them by the right name, for if
a man buys anything he does not mean
to pay for he is a thief.
OF course some times men are flung
of misfortunes and they cannot pay.
I know men who are just as honest
i'm having failed as other men are
honest in succeeding. suppose there
is hardly a man who has gone through
life but there have been some times
when he has been so hurt by misfor-
tune he could not meet his obligations,
but all that put aside. There are
multitude of people who buy that
for which there is no reasonable ex-
pectation that they will ever be able
to pay. Now, if you have become
oblivious of honesty and mean to de-
fraud, why not save the merchant as
much as you can? Why not go some
day to his store and when nobody is
looking just shoulder the ham or the
spare rib and in modest silence steal
away? That would be less criminal.
because in the other way you take not
only the mans goods, but you take
the time of the merchant and the time
of his accountant, and you take the
time of his messenger who brought
you the goods. Now, if you must steal.
steal in "a way to do as little damage
to the trader as possible.
John Randolph arose in the Ameri-
can senate when a question of ma
ttional finance was being discussed,
and, stretching himself to his full
height, in a shrill voice he cried out:
''Mr. Chairman, have discovered the
philosophers stone, which turns ev-s
erything into gold-pay as you go!"
Society has got to be reconstructed
on this subject or the seasons of de-
fa1cation will continue to repeat them
selves. You have no right to ride in
carriage for which you are hopeless
~ in debt to the wheelwright who fur
nished the landau, and to the horse
dealer who provided the b1ooded span.
and to the harness maker who capari-
soned the gay steeds, and to the 1iv-
eryman who has provided the stabling,
and to the driver who with rosetted
hat. sits on the coach box.
Oh, I am so glad when it is not the
absolute necessities of life which send
people out into dishonesties and fling
them into misfortunes. It is almost
always the superiuities. God has
promised us house, but not a pal
ace; raiment, but not chinchilla; food.
but not canvasback duck. am yet
to see one of these great defalcations
which is not connected in some way
with extravaganza.
Extravaganza accounts for the dis
turbance of national finances. Aggre-
cations are made up of units, and
when one-half of the people of this
country owe the other half how can
we expect financial prosperity? Again
and again at the national election we
have had a spasm of virtue, and we
said: "Out with one administration
and in with another and let us have
new deal of things. and then we
will get all over our perturbation"
do not care who is president or who is
secretary of the treasury or how
much breadstuffs GO out of the coun-
try or how much gold is imported un-
til we learn to pay our debts and it
becomes general theory in this coun-
try that men must buy no more than
they can pay for. Until that time
comes there will be no permanent
prosperity. Look at the pernicious
extravaganza. Take the one fact that
New York every year pays So, O00. 900
for theatrical amusements. While
once in awhile Henry Irving or an
Edwin Booth or a Joseph jefferson
thrills great audience with tragedy.
you know as well as do that the vast
majority of the theaters are as de-
based as debased they can be. as un-
clean as unclean they can be and as
damnable as damnable they can be.
Three million dollars, the vast ma
jority of those dollars going in the
wrong direction.
Over hundred millions paid in this
country for cigars and tobacco q year.
About $2.000,0o0,0oO paid for strong
drink In one year in this country.
With such extravaganza, pernicious
extravaganza, can there be any per-
manent prosperity? Business men,
cool-headed business men, is, such a
thing a possibility? These extrava-
| gances also account, as have al
ready limited. for the positive crimes,
the forgeries, the abscondings OF the
| officers of the banks. The store on
the business street swamped by the
residence on the fashionable avenue.
The fathers, the husbands craft cap