The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-07-19
JUSTICE FOR
THE
MILLIONAIRE

uR neighbor the millionaire is my theme, and 1 have chosen
to write first to these millionaire neighbors of ours whose
methods are utterly unsocial and nefarious. They are our
neighbors just as the porch climbers and the highwaymen
are our %neighbors. WE W THEM NEIGHBORLY DUTIES.
Criminals and the enemies of society are our n%eghbors, and we must
learn how to show them true neighbor love. But our first duty to
them, a duty which for their own souls sakes we owe them, is to
PREVENT them from preying upon their fellow men. If such is
their habit they have n 0 right to be abroad in society and must be re
strained of their liberty. And these gigantic plunderers, these bandits
OF finance, whose methods are infinitely meaner and more dastardly
than those of the sneak thief and the shopifter, must be dealt with, if
we mean to be just, after the anne fashion, ONLY MORE STRIN-
GENTLY. Such men ought to be in penal confinement, for they arc
not safe persons to be abroad in society. Our first duty to them is to
put it out of their power to do harm. When we have got THEM be
Dor in prison.
l am far. however, from saying or from believing that ALI. rich
men, or all milionaircs even, are of this prcdaceous variety. l have
known quite a number who in heart and in deed were as far from be-
ing phunderers Of their fellow me as any Of us could wish to be. 1t
IS not, then, Of great plundercrs that wish people to think, but Of
men of wealth IN GENERAL We often consider our duties to
poor men. We accept the fact that they are our n~cighbors. 1t is
needtul for us sometimes to think of our duties to those of our neigh
bors who are not poor. Surely Christ's law of love must apply to
these. THEY are not excluded from our sympathy. THEIR need
OF our charitable consideration may be deeper than We think.
What, then, are ono of the duties that we who are not million
ares W to our neighbor the millionaire and to all our ncighbors
who, whether they have reached the stage of milionism or not, are
persons of large wealth! Iii our duty first to recognize the fact that
the possession of large wealth is not necessarily a sign of moral delin-
quency. There is a theory, which is not Is yet, l trust, widely held,
that the ownership of any amount of wealth is proof of wrongdoing.
How much the capitalist shall allow himself to use out of the gains
OF this business for his own comfort and pleasure is a question for him
to settle WITH HIS w CONSCIENCE. If he lives luxu-
rousy and spends a great deal of money in ostentaton and parade of
wealth, his conduct may be censurable. But it is quite possible that
he may live in reasonable simplicity, that he may devote a considera-
bic portion of his profits to worthy charities and that he may reinvest
much the larger portion of them in additional buildings and machin-
cry, SO that he may give employment to more laborers, and that he
may do this less for the purpose of increasing his own income than
for the purpose Of GIVING WORK and a living to his fellow men.
Our neighbor the millionaire may therefore be a man who is en-
titled to our commentator a. a benefactor Of his kind. l do not say
that ALL milionaircs are so-far from it-but / think that such mo-
tives find place in their hearts oftener, perhaps, than we sometimes
think. And, at all events, a genuine ncighbor love will be ready to
recognize such purposes when they appear and to praise them as they
deserve. To assume that all rich mcn arc governed by none but ego
tistic motives is to be guilty of gricvous bigotry. RICH MEN ARE
necessarily make their minds inaccessible to humane considerations.
THEY ARE JUST AS MUCH ENTITLED TO OUR CHARITABLE JUDO.
MENT AS POOR MEN ARE. THEY ARE OUR NEIcHeoRs.
l must treat the millionaire as if he we're Il man, my brother. l
must not crnge before him nor fawn upon him. lie is just a man, rs
l am. must not steel my heart against him and build Il barrier of
cold reserve between him and me because of his possessions. He may
be Il rich man, but 50 mans a man for a that and has Il right to be
treated like a man. must not assume that because am poor he does
not respect me. may do him great injustice by such an assumption.
l must stand i'll his presence neither scorning nor suspccting, neither
fattcring nor fearing, JUDGING HIN FAIRLY AND GENER-
OCSlN, as | myself wish to be Judged, dealing with him frankly and
brotherlv, as wish to be dealt with, wishing him wisdom and good
will for the difficult duties to which God has appointed him and hoping
that he may learn HOW TO USE the great power intrustcd to him
in the fear of God AND FOR THE GOOD OF HIS FELLOW
MEN.