The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1901-07-20
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AUNlI NILAAAA2AAhNN9 aA1 aAN - AN
time sailing so near shore that bush
ness misfortune or an attack of sick
ness prepares them for pauperism.
Youknow verywellthere are thousands
Of families in our great cities who stay
in neighborhoods until they have ex-
hauSteG all their capacity 10 get
trusted. They stay in the neighbour
hood until the druggists will let them
have uu mDre medicines, AND the butch
ers will >ell them NO more meat, and
the bakers will sell them no more
bread. and the groceryman will sell
them no more sugar. Iheu they find
the region unhealthy. and they hire a
carman. whom they never pay, TO take
them 10 some new quarters where b
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 i the acquaintance OF
the patrons. There are thousands of
such thieves in all our big cities. You
see call them by the right name, forif
a man buys anything he does not mean
TO pay for he is thief.
OF course sometimes men are flung
of misfortunes aud they cannot pay.
l know men who are just as honest
in 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 no, meet his Obligations,
but all that / put aside. There are
a multitude of people who buy that
which they never intend to pay for,
for which there Is no reasonable eX-
pectation that they will eve 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 90 oine
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, il You must steal,
steal in "a way to do as little damage
10 the trader as possible.
John Randolph arose in the Ameri-
car senate when a question OF ma
tional finance was being discussed,
and. stretching himself TO bis full
height. in a shrili voice he cried out:
"Mr. Chairman. I have discovered the
philosophers stone, which turns ev.
erything into gold--pay as you go!"
Society has got TO be reconstructed
on this subject or the seasons of de-
faication ~ill continue 10 repeat them
selves. You have no right to ride in
a carriage for which You are hopeless
~ in debt to the wheelwright who fur
nished the landau, and TO the horse
dealer who provided the blooded span,
and to the harness maker who capsri-
soned the gay steeds. and to the liv-
eryman who has provided the stabling,
and to the driver who with rosetted
hat. sits on the coach box.
Oh, am so glad when it is not the
absolute necessities of life which send
people out into d~ishonesties and hing
them into misfortunes. 1t is almost
always the superfiuities. God has
promised us a house, but not q pal.
ace; raiment. but not chinchilla; food,
but not canvasback duck. I am vet
TO see one OF these great de~falcations
which is not connected in some way
with extravaganza.
Extravaganza accounts for the dis.
turbance OF national finances. AgRre.
cations are made up of units. and
when one-half Of the people Of this
country owe the other hall 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 hav,
a new deal Of things and then W,
will get all over u perturbation"
do not care who Is president or who /,
secretary of the treasury or how
much breadstufs or out OF the coun
try or how much gold is imported IN,
III we learn 10 pay our debts and I,
becomes a general theory in this coun
Try That men must buy no more thar
they can pay for. Until that tim.
comes there will he no permanent
prosperity. Look at the perniciou,
extravaganza. Take the one fact tina
New York every year pays So. 0 .oOt
for theatrical amusements. Will,
once in awhile a Henry Irving or AZ
Edwlh Booth or a Joseph jefferson
thrills a great audience with tragedy
you know as well as / do that the vas
majority Of the theaters are as de
based as debased they can be, "a uu
clean as unclean they can be and a
aamnable as damnable they can be
Three million dollars, the vast ma
lority OF those dollars going in til
wrong direction.
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