The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-08-06
GOLDEN RULE JONES.


Two men in the middle west achieved the unusua
in the Office of mayor, says the Call One of thest
was Mr. Pingree of Detroit. He had many ideas
slosely bordering on Socialism His first distinction
was reached during the last panic, when he promoted
the devotion Of vacant lots in the city to the raising
of potatoes and other vegetables by the INDECENT
The experiment was a greater success IN the press
than in practice, but it was new and its novelty
gained fame for Mr.. Pingree who was twice elected
governor of Michigan on the strength of it.
he was personally an honest man, but officially
became the dupe Of designing politicians, and many
eorruptions occurred which were expiated in the
penitentiary. Governor Pingree was so credulous
and confding that he attempted executive interfer
enee with the courts to prevent the punishment Of
the men who had abused his confidence and de-
spelled the state The net conclusion upon his public
car n that he admirably adapted for public
resi- onsibility in community composed entirely of
meD like himself, but in our composite and complex
society he was a failure.
The other candidate for fame was Golden Rule
Jones, mayor of Toledo, Ohio He proposed to make
the golden rule the guide of all conduct which il
sholld be- and to the credit of mankind, is mostly
facognized as the guide Of conduct, followed some
taes at distance 1t is not only among Christians
tonfucius stated it in one form and Buddha in an
ether, but IN both to exactly the same meaning and
purpose as in our Scriptures. Mr. Jones had am
bons In politics and was quite pronounced social
lst, He ran for governor in Ohio on his own nom-
nation and polled very large vote but was beaten
hs was rich man, made so by an invention which
occurred to him for the improvement Of oil pumps
while working laborer in the oil fields at Titus
lille, Pa. He often expressed the opinion that No
man could honestly acquire a million dollars though
ne never doubted that his own large fortune was the
measure and maximum of what man could acourp
without violating the golden rule That was very
human. When the French revolution began an
arlstocrat was the owner Of landed estates Before
it was over an aristicrat was man who wore
trousers SO doubtless there are men few rounds
lower on the ladder of fortune who believe that no
man could win Jones fortune honestly and bv OBJ
servance of the golden rule
lie was the author of great many epigramS and
delighted in their coinage He took strangely dis
torted view of things which found expression in
eplgram. He said: "Police courts are charnel
houses for the destruction of human souls. You
cannot coerce people into righteousness . This TO-
nored the duty OF the courts to protect society such
as prey upon it. Extending the same idea he said ::
AS long as the capital crime of capital punishment
exists there will be murder" very shallow gen.
erallzation in which the death penalty for murder
s put forward as the only cause of a crime that
mas It's motive In wide range Of passions If he
meant that there should be no criminal statute dHn
ing as murder the killing of human being, the
depth OF his observation is not increased becanse the
conscience OF man is statute of murder recooniz.
ing 1t as crime, nahum in Sc. even in the absence
OF human law making it crime. Capital nunsb-
ment is the highest form of punishment. whether II
De Imprisonment for life or the death penalty. Mr..
Jones did not seem to be aware of this and doubess
meant to impeach the death penalty as the cause of
murder instead of capital punishment. which NAV
mean the death penalty or not
His singular blindness to the business operations
OF people appeared in his saying: Borrowers of
money are life's real derelicts" The enterprise Of
country is kept going by energetic men who hitch
their judgment to borrowed capital. According to
Mr Jones a man who borrows money is social
derelict that is to say menace and danger TO
society No logic justify such conclusion. One
OF the strongest inducements to men to keep their
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