The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-05-14
FROM PLUTO TO PLuTus.


sixty years ago John Jacob Aston
was the only muld-millionaIre in
America. the miIlionaires could be
counted upon ones fingers. and the
man who possessed one hundred thou
sand dollars was accounted wealthy. /
Then the great railroad lines were IN
built. the great manufacturing cities
were not constructed. petroleum and
natural gas were undiscovered. the
gold OF California and the Antipodes /
were unknown, the telegraph was in
its infancy. the electric light and the /
telephone were unborn. and the great l
web Of complex industries. with which /
the world Is now laced. was unspun. /
Yet there were compensations en-
ioyed by our grandfathers which are
denied to US In those days money had |
not lost its modesty. and it deferred
TO intellect and high character. The |
poet bookkeeper OF Astor was receiv- |
ed In houses TO which his employer
was not invited. New York capitalists
waited deferentially upon insolvent
Webster and penniiess Agassiz It
would never have occurred to a voice
less boss or an illiterate lucky miner
TO purchase a senatorship and retire
Webster or Clay to private life. Sub
sidizing Of corporations, wreeking of
railroads, and syndicates organized
TO control the necessaries of life were
unknown. The legislator who sold his
vote made arrangements to leave the
country. and the bank burglar and
the defaulting bank president-kept
the lock-step of fellow convicts.
The gold of California revolution
lied the finances. the business meth
DDS. and the morals of the nation.
The advance OF values. the aggrega-
ton of wealth. the increase of popu-
lation. the magical growth of the west
made increased facilities for travel
and transportation a necessity. and
men who were formerly satisfied
with a stage coach or a canal boat
now demand Pullman sleepers and
express trains. The new conditions
caused the rapid construction Of new
lines of railroad The differences of
local management indicated the ad-
vantages Of consolidation. The Civil
War broke down local prejudices,
r,oR. aac4 and r,-aet bor,ogarao,,e IN
troduced communities to each other
upon the battle field. obliterated state
lines, and made individual effort in
business. in finance. in manufactures.
and even in politics less profitable to
the individual than participation in
aggregated effort, where his gains
were increased although his personal
ity was submerged.
The Civil War was an educator.
but the tree of knowledge with its
crimson leaves yielded evil fruit as
well as good The moral nature of
the American people reacted from the
tension Of patriotic and generous
sacrifice which accompanied the war.
Some of the very men who struck
shackles from black slaves have since
forged shackles for white slaves and
in less than forty years from the days
when we freely gave million lives
and three thousand millions Of treas
ure 70 save the life OF the nation and
free it from the wrong OF slavery. and
the rule of a slave oligarchy. we have
passed under the rule of other des-
pots as selfish. as sordid. as relent-
less and as rapacious of dominion as
those whose sway of old was trampled
under the iron heels of our legions
Pluto is overthrow but in his place
Plutus reigns.
Yet the god OF gold shall not always
rule. the spirit of commercialism shall
not always dominate Time passes
ana the pendulum VIII swing The
power TO invoke a remedy is with
the people. II they are content thai
mulu-milnonalres shall make Of then
tenants aud serfs the corporate auto
Gratis win surely shackle their slaves
II they are content TO have legislator
for attorneys and executive oincer'
for stipendisries Of corporations
which elude tax CATERERS and Cypress
industries-if they are content 10 dis
pose OF their ofices Of trust and homo
TO the highest bidder. either in casl
or in the currency Of demagogues-
il they are content to sell their birth
rights for a mess OF pottage. with |
strong probability Of being eheate'
out Of the pottsge. then the rule o
Plutas win continue. But the peopl'
are not content They are patient