The independent., 1904-01-21

What a few men want, whose Offices
are all to be found within one-half
mile square of territory on the lower
point of Manhattan island, the gov
ernment does. The power that these
men exercise comes frcm the obedient
compliance with their wishes Or the
million or SO of voters crowded 20
2ether here.
These voters live in miserable caves
called flats high upon the cliffs
along the canOns misnamed streets"
in. many of which the sunlight never
penetrates. They go through daily
routine that never varies, with per-
haps few days off in mid-summeT-
er of English gave, as theme for his
pupils to write upon, a description OF
the storm that occurred some time ago
when the wind blew at the rate OF 100
miles an hour. When the papers were
turned in they were the conventional
description of storm such as the pu-
pills had read in books, such as A
dark cloud rose slowly above the hori-
zon, grew blacker and blacher as it
spread ont over the earth, the ilgiit-
nlngs flashed, peals Of thunder lol-y
lowd each other In quick repctition,'
etc.
Now, the truth was that there was
little or no thunder and to a pupil
walking along the canons, with inhaE-
tied cliffs from SO to 400 feet high on
either side of him. the horizon Is al
most overhead These pupils we're
like their fathers and mothers. They
could neither see things as they are
nor think. They follow the trail as a
mule does the tow path along The
bank of canal.
This shows that even the school
boys travel along in their intellectual
life at the bottom of deep canons
where there is no view to be obtained
except of a little line of light over
head and the granite blocks beneath
them which have been worn smooth
and CLASSY by the feet Of the millions
who have passed and repassed aiong
the same way. They, in youth, follow
the well-Worn path over the granite
blocks to and from school and in later
life to and from the place of business
and NEVER THINK. OF tie multi
tudes rushing along the streets not
one in ten thousand has a liue of
thought upon his face. There is a
similarity-a sameness about them
ala sort of doughy, putty face that
never shows gleam of intelligence or
interest in anything except When the
dollar is in sight. The horses upon
the streets that never hear the roar
of the elevated trains, pay no atten-
tlon to the rusning by of the changing
electric cars or the horns of the auto
mobilists, have exactly the same kind
of an expression, and live practically
the same kind of life in its different
grades The over-burdened dray
horse, beaten and undelfed, the de-
formed-docked slicked up carriage
horse with the liyeried footman aud
coachman. the racers in the marble
stables are exact representations OF
the grades Of people who throng the
streets of New York and do about
the same amount OF thinking" as
their brother human tollers.
Managing this million or go voters
who never think are about three dozen
great intelleots practieIag the Marx
ian theory OF economic determinlsm.
With them there IN no ought" or
ought not. & is simply a dive to
accumulate millions. aud they handle
this million OF voters as the divers
do the horses on the streets iIun-
dteds OF thousands Of them they over
work. underfecd and beat and abuse
from year 10 wear A few more ara
kept sleek anl fat and still few moro
live IN emarhled halls" They range
from the swcatshop 10 the men IL
enormous salaries hired To manage tho
great corporations.
The upper grades do shlnklng along
certain lines. all OF which are guided
by the principle that tho nccomula-
ton oi dollars Ia the tlnal aim III lIga.
All this Is not 10 say that there are