The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-09-26
DEFENDER
OF JOHN
ROBERTSON
Who Was the Subject of an
Editorial Sept. II.
Turns Some Fine Points
Against The Journal Ed
itOr.

you, In the words OF Snakespeate
,et my presumption not provoke thy
wrath" But | want to call your atten
tion to some things IN your editorial o
September 81, thst seem to me incon-
sistent.
Don't you think il is Inconsistent Il
object to John RobertsOn's article in The
Sacramento Bee because you thought Il
taught the doctrine Of force, Bnd then
in almost the same breath, advocate the
suppression OF John Robertson as
newspaper writer2 Don't it sound very
much like the doctrine Of fOrce2 Sup
preston, according to Webster, means
''crushing or destroying" and do you
really wish to infer that the Russian
system of government is one TO be de-
sired, in the light OF the fact that the
Gar has recently banished one OF his
greatest and the most peace loving OF
/ subjects from his realm? And don't
you think It would be wise to let the
/ sacramento Bee exercise its own judg-
ment az to who occupies much or little
space in their paper? And il their
readers do not like it they can do as
! your readers do when you cough up"
stuff they don't like.
And really, are you not oveTestima-
ting your hair-liiting powers when you
talk about "raising the hair of many
timid people by pointing out what j. X.
really means2'
Suppose you try. / will agree TO help
bury your dead. And il your knowledge
OF political economy on capital would be
so great a strain on the minds of your
readers please do not unload. But
would be willing to risk one strain just
L.. al N1N 81
As you say, the man with $500 might
be considered capitalist, and vet let a
little misfortune overtake him, place
him in the doctors care for about 30
days and that 5000 will look, as you say,
like 30 cents.
would con0ider any man a parasite
who did not produce all he consumed,
or it's equivalent The man who bor-
rowed the 5000 and went into business
might be a parasite, even the Editor
of the Journal might be so considered
and yet the knowledge he possesses on
"Strawberry culture" and diseminates
through the columns OF THE JOURNAL,
would in my judgment make the bur
den light one. / want 10 call your
attention to one error you made, in par.
ticular. In quoting from j. RS, article
you say he says; "the capitalist class
must not own the means by which hon
est men make their living" and then
you make him say "no man must own
the means" etc. What he no doubt
meant was the wealth producer should
own the means Of production.
imagine j. Il. has no quarrel with the
S5O0.O0 capitalist, but the great capitalist
who diverts the productions OF labor
from its proper course TO his own profit.
To illustrate, find in the 18th annual
report Labor commissioner u. 5. Vol. /,
that all the labor cost in pair OF mems
grain pegged brogan shoes, tap soles, is
less than Ii cents. The cost TO me is
from Sl.50 to $500. Also 500 yds. 80 in.
unbleRched cotton sheeting yds per 10 ;,
48x4S picks, cost in labor So 72 Ask
your wife what IL cost her. In the light
of these facts, it Is decidedly irrelevant
to quibblo about the S5000O capitalist.
Your desire to suppress j.. Il. as a
newspaper writer reminds me of the
man who prayed for the Lord TO give
him contiol OF the weather, hut after
due consideration decided the Loid was
doing we'll enough, and | think you will
conclude that it is only by the free and
Cp diGcussiOn OF all questions can we
hbIN W hiIlNb W Allt AiuAils II huhItnH
prevails there must be cause.
The remedy is not in killing the deuded
fanatics, but in removing the cause
and II j. r. is calling names, there must
be a cause for IL, and indeed il looks like
II when we consider that some capital
ist or corporation is absorbing the dif
ference between IA cents and $3.50 on a
pair OF brOgan shoes. Looks like a big
bloodsucker does il not?
Now | hope you will find nothing i'm
this communication 10 lead you to think
l am an anarchist, as am decidedly
opposed 10 killing under any circum-
stances, almost to the extent OF turning
"Ihe other cheek"
T. y, d., A READER.
Pratum, Or, Sept. "a.
This Reader ia type of men who
have fluency of speech and ability to
write but have not the disposition to
think to the bottom OF a thing. He has
no sense OF humor or he would not have
mistaken the banter Of THE JOURNAL
about suppressing correspondent.
Does not this man know that any lit
tie country editor has all the autocrat' c
power of n Gar and can suppress any
writer he sees dt to shut out OF the coll
umns OF his paper? The JOURNAL can
suppress it's above correspondent aud yet
not crush or destroy him. Ho would at
least be recognizable TO his friends, aud
il he thinks we have not that power let
him send in some slop about capital and
labor that teaches anarchistic doctrines
and see what becomes OF il. We do not
assume that any one will do it. In fact
we know he will not write such rot as We
quoted from the Sacramento Bee from
one Robertson, that was given great
prominence on the editorial page, and re-
lerred to capitalistic bloodsuckors aud
parasites. Too much such stun has been
printed. The insinua ing hali-truth,
that you are not against small capitalists
but are willing TO get after the large ones
just how large not stated--and the
other about the actual labor cost of shoes
and cotton cloth show that NIT Y, NJ.
seems willing to teach false doctrine
because he either has not read or eou-
sidered the subject on all sides aud be
come aware OF all elements in the great
problem OF labor and capital. lie leaves
out whole library Of facts between his
statement of the labor cost OF pair of |
brogans at IA cents aud the retail price
At 81 90 TO $500, Does the IA cents ia
,ludo the cost Of the plant, the interest