Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-04-19
10 McDILL'S MUSINGS.
ECONOMIC LEAGUE.


necessity" We have heard that old shout De-
FORE Why are trusts necessity! Echo an
swers, Why? Bishop Fallows does not venture
upon an argument beyond the stale assertion
that "ferce competition" drives men into COM
bnations in self-protection
Why have "6erce competition"2 Why have
competition at all? Now, what does Fallows
mean by fierce competition? Haye men be-
come ferocious in the desire to acquire wealth!
lust so-that and nothing more.
"Business" men of the modern type have be-
come commercial tigers. The big fish eat up
the little fish, and Fallows thinks that necessity
is behind the Unsuitable carniverous appetite.
If the little fish were to combine, they might
Justly enter the plea of necessity in self-protec-
tion-protection from the sharks of trusts and
combinations It is not likely that Fallows
can see any necessity for the little fish combin-
ing; neither the Economic League. From
their standpoint, it is probable that labor unions
and farmers alliances are all wrong. Fallows
and the league swim in deep water, and are not
observant of what goes on in the shadows; or
else, the league is league of the lickspitles.
There is-there was-no necessity for trusts
if men had ordinary ideas of honesty, and
practised them. If the principle of "llve and
let live" had been applied in all the concerns OF
human energy, there would not be that "herce
competition" that drives men to the wall.
1t is openly charged that there is no honor
among millionaires. l read in magazine ar
tic.e that millionaires (some of them, at least,)
disregard contract if it is in their interest to
do so, unless bound in writing. If rich men
drive their weak competitors into bankruptcy,
is it any wonder that millionaire employers
drive their employees into pauperism?
AS people, we are honey-combed with dis
honesty, and the greatest necessity OF the day
is to -ase up generation of honest people, We
need honest, courageous men in every. walk OF
life. Give us honest men in the pulpit, at the
bar in the executive, On the bench, In the leg
slatures, in the fields and factories, and public
sentiment would soon correct that "ferce COM
petition" that gives the big fish that enormous
appetite for little fish.
But we cannot have an honest generation till
we have killed greed and dumped its carcass in
Hades, where it rightfully belongs; and we can
not reform nation by Topping OFT a few
branches of very rank growth that is rooted
in church, state and business circles. With
dishonest preachers, dishonest politicians and
dishonest business men, we need not expect
honest common people. The example OF the
"big-bugs" is too catching "a little leaven
leaveneth the whole lung" The demoniacal
leaven is at the top, grasping millions, and at
the bottom in petty thievery.
We are reaching a period similar to that
which preceded the French revolution. The
brutishness of the upper class had brutallzed
the lower CLASSES before the storm broke. The
lower classes, being in the majority, sheared
the heads from the shoulders of that class that
should have been friends and benefactors, but
were beasts of prey, and, inasmuch as that fer-
ocity annhilated in an orgy OF blood such as
the world had never before seen.
When it shall be more honorable to write
good books, teach good schools, preach the
truth, defend the innocent and poor in courts and
legisate for the common people, then we may
expect that the men who are so highly honored
in this day and generation will find their level
in the stagnant waters of shallow pools When
the swiftly flowing waters of the purified stream
of morality, and intellectually is more esteemed
than the pestilence- breeding stream of money
grabbing, then we may expect that the herceness
of competition will be sufficiently abated as to
perm1t the little fish longer life and more hap
piness. When mankind is placed above riches,
so that suffering excites pity and the cry of
HUNGER and want rorses to action, then we may
expect sway of bene6cence that, like the sun,