The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-12-17
A Disagreement.
N n r. MIR r o Il: Dear Sir
I'M Some time ago there appeared
in your great and progressive

in your great and progressive
paper an essay written in de-
fense of multi-millonaire stock-water-
ers and promoters of gigantic industri-
al combinations, which read with ex-
.reme satisfaction. 1t just naturally
does me good to hear of some one
brave enough to jump into the ring in
defense of the poor, ,down-trodden null
ti-millionaires. AS a class they are the
most abused, belied, maligned lot of
people in this or any other world. My
heart aches for them every time [ read
the scathing denunciations of them by
the yellow journals, or the villifying
harangues fired at them from the
mouths of noisy agitators. Why not
leave the great captains of industry
alone? Why should we inquire into
their business methods? Supposing
they do bleed lamb occasionally,
weren't lambs made to be bled2 We
might as we'll doubt the wisdom dis
played in the laws of nature as doubt
the probity of the sacred coterie who
hold in their hands the material well
fare of this nation. l am in perfect
accord with the views entertained by
your interesting contributor, but my
brother Joe who owns a farm adjoin-
ing mine, holds different opinions alto
gether; and in order to convince him
of the fallacy of his reasoning, l took
THE MIRROR containing the able apol
Ogy for what 1 call the honorable
business methods of the promoters, but
what my brother oe calls "the unsearch-
able ways of organized grafters," to his
house, and discussed the article with
him.
Mr. Mirror, my brother Joe is queer
fellow. 1t was about p. m. when |
visited him, and 1 found him sitting on
bench in the kitchen, mending har-
ness, while his three hired men, big,
husky fellows all, were playing cut
throat. and smoking their pipes. You
bet it's different on my farm. If there's
any smoking or card-playing to be done,
l do it; and if there's any harness mend
ing to be done, the hired men do it..
That's my way of doing business. Well,
as said, brother Joe was mending a
harness, and he listened patiently to
me while l read and explained to him
the line of argument employed by your
valued contributor. Convinced in my
own mind that the argument was unas-
sailable, and would .uproot all the pet
notions regarding "high finance" enter
tanned by my brother, set the ball
a rolling with an air of assulan that
rather surprised him.
"Why," said he, "you seem to be
cocksure that the writer of that article
not only knew what he was writing
about, but actually takes himself seri-
eusly. You're mistaken, brother John.
The author of sIntemperate Criticism
is humorist. You must be growing
dull, or else you could not fail to per-
eeiye the subtitle current of irony that
runs through the whole article. Just
read it again for me, and then | will
point out, and comment upon the pas
sages in which the writer lets fly his
scintiliating shafts of sarcasm"
Thus solicited, again read the en-
temperate Criticism" while brother
Joe finished his harness mending, and
one of the hired men kept shouting,
"Smearl Smear! You fool, why don't
you smear!v
"Brother John," said brother Joe,
1the writer of that ARTICLES poking the
bloated monopolists and arrogant plut-
ocrats In the ribs, but you are too OBJ