The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-11-29
Copyright 1905 by the Bobbs- MerruC Coz A1A
ODE De1uge
~ BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS EARRS

full scene. But please remember that il
this world every thought and every act i:
a mixture Of the good n the bad: ant
the one or the other shows the more prom
inently according to ones point of view
There probably isn't a criminal in any
cell, anywhere, no matter what he ma!
say in sniveling p~retense in the hope OF
lighter sentence, who doesn't at the
bottom of his heart believe his crime OF
crimes somehow justifable-and who
couldn't make out a plausible case fol-
himself.
At hat time I was stuffed with the
arrogance of my fancled membership in
the caste of directing financial g~eniuses;
I was looking at everything from the
viewpoint of the brotherhood of which
Roebuck was the strongest brother, and
of which l imagined myself a full and
equal member. / did not, I could not,
blind myself to the vivid reminders of his
"reminiscences; but l knew too well how
necessary the iron hand and the fixed
purpose are to great affairs to judge him
as Infatuated Walters, with his vanity
savagely wounded. was Judging him. I'd
as soon have thought of describing Gen
eral Grant as a murderer, because he
ordered the battles in which men We're
killed or because he planned and led the
campaigns In which subordinates com
mitted rapine and pillage and assassina-
lloi. L iiu NOT tHel see the radical differ
ence-did not realize that while Grants
work was at the command of patriotism
and necessity, there was no necessity
whatever for Roebuck's getting rich but
the OF his own greedy and cruel
appetites.
Don't misunderstood me. My morals are
practical, not theoretical. Men must die,
old customs embodied in law must be
broken, the venal must be bribed and the
yyanl l. aprroI nrl 1oy,,AT1al l.. j 4, -
civilization may advance. You can't es-
tabish a railway or a great industrial
system by rose-water morality. But I
shall show, before I finish, that Roebuck
and his gang of so called "~organizers OF
industry bear about the same relation to
industry that the boil weevil bears to the
cotton crop.
III withdraw this, if one can
show me that, as the result of
the activities of those parasites,
anybody anywhere is using or is able to
use q single pound or bushel of yard more
OF any commodity whatsoever. I'll with
draw 1t, II | can not show that but for
those parasites, bearing precisely the same
relation to our society that the kings and
and priests bore to France before
the revolution, everybody except them
would have more goods and more money
IMAM they have under the. system the en-
" w titS
flsnNays of with their strong
NOES and TO clog them with their toll
gates. They know little about producing,
ABOUT manufacturing, about distributing,
ABOUT any process Of industry. Their skill
is IN temptation, in trickery and in terror.
On mat day, however, I sided-honestly,
as thought-wlth Roebuck. What saw
ana heard increased my admira ton of the
man, my already profound respect for his
master mind. And when, just after Wal
GERS went out, he leaned back in his chair
ana sat silent with closed eyes andFn1ov-
ing llps, Yes, I, Matt Blackjack. Black
as they cau me-was awed in the
presence of this great and good ma at
How he and that God of his must have
laughed at me! So infatuated was / that.
clear as it is that he'd never have let me
oe present at such a scene without a
'trong Interior motive, not until he him
lohs afterWard made it impossible for
10 deceive myself did 1 penetrate to his
cal purpose-that he wished to fill me
"ith a prudent dread and fear Of him
WIN d sense of the absoluteness of his
ana OF the hopelessness of trying to
'otnpaI II. But at the time I thought
iioecie tnat my vanity had made meat
ne time / thought he had let meat
PRESENT because he genuinely liked adj
nired n trusted met
Is IL NOT amazing that one who could fall
mo such colossal plumbers should sur
I'VE TO tell Of them? I would not have
mad not Roebuck and his crowd
a. epe same time making an even
more colossal misestimate of ma than T
vas making of them. My attack was Vic
ent, put temporary; theirs was eonallv
'lo1cnt' and chronic and incurable to boot
XII.
ANITA.
On my first day in long trousers I
nay have been more i'll at ease Than :
out / doubt it.
When came into their big drawing
Dom and took a look around at the
guests I never felt more at
In my life. Yes" said to NV
sell, as Mrs. E1llersly was greeting me
IND as | noted the friendly interest IN
ne chances of the women, this is
INTO my own" ~
AS look Jack on it now I can't re-
rain IRON smiling at my w SIMPLE
ly-and snobbishness For, SO deter
mined was | to believe what / was
WORKING for was worth while. that I
ctuaiiy fancied there were upon these
Y realty ordinary people, ordinary in
-, olutHdIy IN intelligence, some
suotie marks of superiority, that made
mem at a glance superior to the COM
non run This ecstasy of sn~obbishness
ieluded me as to the women only-for,
IS l looked at the men, I at once felt
myself their superior. They were an
nconsequential, patterned lot. / even
vas better dressed than any Of them.
Except possibly Mowbray Langdon:
md, 1T he showed to more advantage
I, it was because OF his manner,
asNf have probably said before,
$ superior to that OF n human be-
ne I've ever seen-man or wonlan
You are to take Anita u" said Mrs.
sllersly. With q Imaginable sense that
was doing myself proud. I crossed the
easily and too my stand In front
IL her. h shook hands with me po-
ftely enough. Langdon was sitting be-
side her. ! had interrupted their con-
Fersation.
Hello, Biacklock." said Langaon,
with q qnizzicaI. satirfcal smile with
eyes only. 1T seems strange to
see at such peaceful pursuits" His
glance Travelled owe me criticany-and
was the beginning OF my trouble.
Presently he rose. left me alone with
her.
You know Mr.. Langdon 2. she said,
obviously because she felt she must
say something.
"Oh, yes. / replied. I'VE are old
friends. What q tremendous swell he
fs-reaify Q swell This with enthu-
She made no comment. debated
with unvca1P uvhnthnr - 4-In.