The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-25
AN UNJUST ATTACK on RICH
AMERICANS

At a celebration of Washington's birth
day by local society in New York the
toastmaster and principal speaker was
Walter S. Logan. New York lawyer. His
speech consisted mainly of an attack upon
the rich men of the country for their al
legged lack of patriotism. He said he was
not worrying about the patriotism of the
poor and the people Of moderate means.
The great trouble is. he said. whether we
have patriotic dollars i'm the Nation and
whether the men of wealth represented by
Wall street would be as ready to shed their
dividends as the common people are to shed
their blood for the country. The speaker
continued:
The great strength of Japan to-day in her
struggle with the mighty SlaV Is not only In
selves are ready to shed their blood Tor
their country, but the men OF wealth are
ready TO shed every dollar for their c0un-
try Japan will win, if she does win, not
so much because her people are ready TO
give up their blood, but because every
dollar in Japan is pledged to the success of
the japanese cause This Nation needs more
than anything else a patriotic Wall street.
1t is the one thing this country lacks.
This sort of talk is the worst kind of
demagogy and panders to class hatred
Common sense teaches and experience and
history prove that there is as much patriot
ism among the rich of this country as there
is among the poor The United States has
never had a war in which the banks and
capitalists have not responded promptly
and generously to appeals for financial aid,
| sometimes offering ii even before ii was
aGLxa bax Of ct
ance in equipping troops and have contrib
uted their quota of fighting material. The
| speakers allusion to Wall street was SIM
! ply intended to excite prejudice. Wall
street has enough to be responsible for, but
| the financial diabolism of the country does
not all originate there, and when occasion
requires Wall street can rise TO great
heights of patriotism, as it has done more
| than once.
| Better than the pessimistic view which
represents patriotism and civic virtue as
decaying is that which sees steady progress
in these qualities. Bx-Secretary of War
| Elihu Root said in an address on Wash
| ington's birthday:
From reading history we find a steady
I progress along the pathway of American
/ ideals. The evils in public life which are
| being criticised now are evils which passed
! unnoticed fifty years ago. There never was a
! time when public morality i'm America was
| purer when the conscience of the American
| people was more sensitive to the rules APP
/ piled to the conduct of public men.
If public morality is purer now than ever
before there has been no falling off in
| patriotism, and even Wall street has it's
share. In the third year of the revolution
airy Washington. writing from Phil
| adelphia to friend, said: IF 1 were to be
! called upon to draw a picture of the times
and of men, from what 1 have seen, heard
and in part know. should say in one word
that idleness. dissipation and extravaganza
| seem to have laid fast hold of most of
| them; that speculation, peculation and an
| Unsuitable thirst for riches seem TO have
and almost every order of men; that party
disputes and personal quarrels are the
great business of the day; whilst the mo-
mentous concerns of an empire, a great and
| accommodating debt, ruined finances, depre-
ciated money and want of credit are but
secondary considerations, and postponed
| from day to day, from week to week, as il
all our affairs wore the most promising as
pect." There has been no time in the last
| hundred years when such a picture as that
of lack of patriotism among Americans
could have been drawn. Patriotism is not
decaying. and our rich men have their
share of ii.