The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1905-11-24

to the feudal system that has cursed
Great Britain.
"We have seen industry repeatedly
paralyzed by strikes, and in great cities
the strange spectacle of armed men
constantly on guard to preserve the
peace threatened by angry toilers. In
Chicago we have seen the entire police
force engaged for five weeks at a time
in suppressing the violence alleged to
have been created by one strike.
1.-THE signs multiply that Americans
are beginning to weary of these things,
of municipal misgovernment, the worst
in the world, of the Unkempt and bar
barous aspect of our cities, the selfish
attitude of public officers, and the per-
version of all things good by the power
of money
I've are restless under a Senate
owned body and soul by the railroad
and financial interests, under system
that allows rich men to dodge taxes
and evade laws. AS nation we are
heartily sick of the rule of bribery in
our legislatures, Doodle in our city
councils, and graft in our business.
We begin to feel that a system that
compels ns to pay dividends on fctiti-
Gus aud watered stocks, and to furnish
the counters wherewith gamblers play
the games of high finance, has some
thing in it utterly and hopelessly
wrong.
eve have learned from Mr.. Lawson
and from countless examples ic our
dai-y affairs how dangerous it is 10 let
these conditions go on-dangerous for
ourselves and for the men that profit
from them. We have grown familiar
with the spectacle OF men of good in
stincts and naturally good character,
men who were kindly, tolerant, and
generous, transformed into mad devils
by the opportunity of unlimited money
getting and the craze for power; trans
formed 50 that they will stop at no
crime and balk at no mean and dirty
device to augment their fortunes The
country is intensely dissatisfied with a
situation that makes these crimes not
only possible but triumphant.
For all this what answer?
This obvious state of public mind
is not brought about by demagogues
preaching alarm, but by facts and
events. No one could read the story
OF Equitable without seeing that its
real significance was the danger. not
merely to the policy holders, but to
the whole country, of these vast accum-
ulations of capital and this vast po er
of the foolish or the INSCRIPTIONS to
play ducks and brakes with the nations
resources. No one can read the reports
OF the annual profits of one of the great
corporations without seeing that II
portends things fit to cause the graves
meditation. Take the Standard Oil
/ Company, for one instance. Here are
all these annual millions and millions
OF profits rolling into the hands OF five
six men. The sheer force and momen-
tum of them becomes an irresistible
power. They must be reinyested. they
cannot be boarded; and every invest
ment thus chosen and appropriated
becomes in its turn smother machine
producing more millions of profits that
again annually demand more invest
ments. Thus with the profits of the
Standard Oil, the Roekefellers bought
the New York Central System. Next
year the profits OF that system Will de
mand investment and SO will the profits
of Standard Oil, and these will driVe
Rockefeller by force utterly beyond
his control, by an imperative and cum
ulative force, TO buy other systems and