Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-10-18

IN THOSE DAYS AROSE KINGS.

- AiDN'iL P-N - HINoSf. NI.>tIS.
Imagine yourself back two years and
s half before Wild Week. back at the
lime when the kings of nance had
'ust completed their apparently final
'onqles OF the industries of the coun-
Try. when they were seating themselves
lpon throncs encircled by vast armies
" capital and brains. when all the gov
srnlnentS of the nation-national. state
IND city-were PROSTATE under their
ron heels.
You may remember that | was n not
n~conspicuous figure then. OF all their
nancia agentS, | was the best known,
The most trusted by them. the most
believed in by the people. | had Il mag
iiiicent suite of Offices in the building
that dominates Wall and Broad streets.
Soston claimed me also, and Chicago:
md in Philadelphia. New Orleans. st.
louis, san Francisco. in the towns and
'ural districts tributary to the cities.
thousands spoke of Blackjack as their
trusted adviser in matters of finance.
Ny enemies-and I had them. numer-
,us and venoinous enough to prove
ne a man worth whilc-my enemies
'poke of me as the biggest bucket
thop gambler in the world"
Gambler l was-like all the other ma
,ipulators OF the markets. Blu buck ct
,hor" l never kept. AS the kings of
nance were the representatives of the
bAS'N " SiidlltS, IldiluldCJufcrS and
investors, so was l the representative
II the masses, OF those who wished
heir small savings properly invested.
n power of the big fellows was
.oundcd upon wealth and the brains
wealth buys or DULLES or educcs into
Us service; my power was founded
1pon the hearts and homes of the peo-
pie, upon faith in my frank honesty.
How had 1 built up my power? BY
recognizing the possibilities of public
ty. the chance which the broadcast
sowing OF newspapers and magazines
put within the reach of the individual
nan to impress himself upon the whole
country, upon the whole civilized world.
The kings Of finance relied upon the
tssiduity and dexterity OF sundry paid
agents, operating through the stealthy,
clumsy. old fashioned channels for the
exercise of power. 1 relied only upon
myself; l had to trust to no fallible,
perhaps tra%itorous, understrappers;
through h megaphone OF the press ]
spoke directly to the people.
My enemies charge that l ALWAYS
have been INSCRIPTIONS and dishonest,
So? Then how have l lived and thrived
Ill these years in the glare and blarc
of publicity?
1t Is true. 1 have used the methods
81 the charlatan" in bringing myselt
into wide public notice. The Just way
!" Put ~ N0UiN Oc lHul i nave used tOI
honest purposes the methods OF pub
deity that c~harlatans have shrewdly
appropriated, because by those means
the public can be most widely and most
quickly reached. Does good become
evil because hypocrites use it as a
cloak? 1t is also true thai l have beer
"undignitied." Let the stupid cove
their stupidity with dignity" Let the
Swindler hide his Screenings unde,
dignity" I am n man of the people
not afraid to be seen as the human be.
ing that I am. l laugh when l feel like
Il. l have no sense of jar when people
call me Matt" l have a good time
and 1 shall stay young as long as
stay alive. Wealth hasn't made me /,
solemn ass, fenced in and unapproach.
able. The custom of receiving obedi.
ence and fattery and admiration ha.
not made me a turkey-cock. Life is /;
Joke; and when the jokes on me,
laugh as heartily as when it's on tn,
other fellow.
1t is half-past three o'clock on a Ma,
Afternoon: a dismal. dreary rain is be.
ing whir!ed through the streets by a.
nasty q wind as ever blew out of the
east. You are in the private office o.
that king of kings" Henry j. Roe.
buck. philanthropist, eminent church.
man. leading citizen and-in business
us corrupt a creature as ever used the
domino of responsibility. That office Ii
on the twelfth loo of the Power Trust
buildfng-and the Power Trust is Roe
buck. n Roebuck Is the Power Trust
He 10 seated at his desk and, thinking