The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-23

Hope pathetically slow.
He worked harder and longer to
! steal a few millions than. other men
have worked to steal hundreds of mil
! lions. He spent many years in Jail.
Now that Jimmy Hope is gone, how.
ever, we see that he followed prac-
tically the same routine in modern
business methods in high finance.
His funeral, like his life, was q sue
cess.
1t was necessary to conceal the hour
of the funeral to prevent the attend
ance Of an overwhelming crowd.
Among the men who7-Bareheaded
and espectful-folloWed Jimmy Hopes
corpse to the grave there were one
congressman Of the United States, one
commissioner Of police, the president of
the board Of aldermen in great city,
several political leaders," and others
whose profession of making friends
compels them to attend the funerals OF
the distinguished and worthy.
It is likely that the men who estab-
1ished this government would have
been somewhat discouraged could they
have looked ahead a hundred and
twenty-nine years to see Compression
al, Aldermanic and Police representa-
tives following to the grave with sym
pathy and respect, a burglar, a re-
peatedly convicted felon.
It is discouraging to think that when
James Hope, the burglar, went to his
grave, with political and other GRIMM
ais, behind him, honest men found
themselves without friends. influences
or consideration, because they had been
honest.
Our trouble is that the example set
in high places is Initiated in the low.
The Congressman and former State
Senator who followed the burglar to
the grave will probably tell his friends
quite truly that he has: known men at
least as dishonest In the Senate Of the
United States, in New York City's Of
flee of Mayor, in the chair of Governor
at Albany. s
The Police Commissioner, the presi-
dent Of the Board of Aldermen. the
other unconsciously depraVed follow
ers of the burglars funeral. would be
able to justify their attendance at the
funeral according to their light.
Each would say:
Il have taken money, and big money,
from men not fit to tie Jimmy Hopes
shoes. Jimmy Hope tok a chance. He
broke into the bank vault, and once
knocked himself. unconscious with an
explosion Of dynamite, relying on his
friends to pull him out when the ex-
plosion was over. He stole from rich
banks that could afford it. The big,
respectable men whose money I have
taken stole from the poor and helpless.
They never took a chance; they never
ran risk of any kind. If bishops
and all the respectable people follow
the funeral of big gas thief, or treat
as a respectable man George B. Nc
Clellan, the Gas Mayor, I can afford
to attend the funeral Of decent bank
burglar. His business is cleaner than
that of the men with whom do BUSH
ness ordinarily"
The men who attended Jimmy Hopes
funeral, while dull and ignorant, were
frank and charming1y free from hypo-
crisy.
They have mixed for years with
1.-THE better classes" They have found
out that the object Of the better
classes in mixing with politicians was
to arrange for the robbery Of poor peo-
pie and defenseless people.
Among those who attended the funer-
al of the, burglar that had successfully
attacked bank vaults and risked bullets
there were some that would have re-
fused contemptuously to follow the fu-
neral Of the eminently respectable
cowardly thieves that rob the unpro-
tected by bribing their elected officials.
Modern financial and political con-
ditions in America were well repre-
sented ut Jimmy Hopes funeral. =
But we needn't be discouraged. OF
move to England. like Astor. with the
idea that republican government is a
failure.
The burglars funeral simply teaches
US that republican institutions cannot
be made perfect in day. The Declar-
alton of Independence doesn't change
human nature. Men cannot learn tc
| govern themselves In a century, any
more than children can learn~to walk
| in an hour We must have many falls
many Jimmy Hope funerals, many
Equitable trusteeships," many pub
lie officials selling themselves to, cor
pora tons and obsequiously burytng bur
glars. " w. 49,
The great public, which: has under
taken to manage it's own affairs, must
expect to be many kinds 5ot q fool. The
main thing is that II should not be the
same kind Of a fool too many times in
succession. s.5 .,s,,.s. j, .st7. r. ,,,.>
We ought >to learn q lesson from
Jimmy Hopes burial. 1T ought to make
US understand what standards we es-
tablish among public officials by our
indifference 10 dishonesty "a office. & i:
We ought rs be aslA med sof ourselves
when we zee officials df thu III ton. thu
'city and the d. stat essin1