Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-03-12
The Greatest Serial of the Day.
Copyrighted by G. W. Dulingham co.
CHARLES KLEIN AND ARTHUR HoF

What do care what the world
says when I'm dead?" he asked with
a forced laugh
You do care" replied Shirley grave
w. you may school yourself to be-
lieve that you are Indifferent to the
good opinion of your fellow man, but
right down In your heart you do care
every man does, whether he be multi
millionaire or sneak thief"
You class the two together,
notice." he said bitterly
1T Is often distinction without a
difference" she rejoined promptly.
He remained silent for moment or
two toying nervously with paper
knife. Then, arrogantly, he said:
Most men would be satisfied If they
had accomplished what have. Do
you realize that my wealth is SO vast
that scarcely know myself what am
worth? What my fortune will be in
another fifty years staggers the i'm
agination. Yet started with nothing.
/ made It al myself. Surely should
get credit for that
How Gid you make it?" retorted
Shirley.
"In America We don't ask how a man
makes his money; we ask If he has got
any"
you are mistaken replied Shirley
earnestly. America is waking up. The
conscience of the nation is being
aroused We are coming to realize that
the scandals of the last few years we're
only the fruit of public Indifference
to sharp business practice. The people
will soon ask the dishonest rich man
q ia will
to be an accounting What account
will you be able to give?
He bit his lip and looked at her for
a moment without replying. Then,
with feint suspicion of sheer, he
said:
"You are socialist perhaps an an
archist!"
"Only the ignorant commit the
blunder of confounding the two" she
retorted. Anarchy is disease; social
ism is a science"
"Inleed!" he exclaimed, mockingly
II thought the terms we're synonymous
The world regards them both as in
sane
Herself an enthusiastic convert to
the new political faith that was rising
like a flood tide all over the world,
the contemptuous tone in which this
plutocrat spoke of the coming reorgani-
zation of society which was destined
to destroy him and his kind spurred
her on to renewed argument.
"'I imagine" she said sarcastically,
that you would hardly approve any
social reform. which threatened to in
terfere with your own business meth
DDS. But no matter how you disap-
prove of socialism on general princi-
pies, as a leader of the capitalists class
you should understand what socialism
lis, and not confuse one of the most
important movements in modern world
history with the crazy theories of ire
sponsible cranks. The anarchists are
the natural enemies of the entire hui
man family, and would destroy it were
their dangerous doctrines permitted to
prevail; the socialists, on the contrary,
are seeking to save mankind from the
degradation, the crime and the folly
into which such men as you have
driven it,
She spoke impetuously, with the in
spired exaltation of prophet deliver
ing message to the people. Ryder
| listened, concealing his impatience
with uneasy little coughs.
YES" she went on, II am a social
list and am proud of it. The whole
| world is slowly drifting toward social
ism as the only remedy for the actual
intolerable conditions. 1t may not
come in our time, but it will come as
surely as the sun will rise and set to-
morrow Has not the flag Of socialism
waved recently from the White House?
Has not q President of the United
States declared that the state must
eventually curb the great fortunes
What is that but socialism,"
True" retorted Ryder grimly, land
that little speech intended for the bene.
fit of the gallery will cost him the nom.
ination vat the next presidential cleo
ton. We don't want in the White
House a president who stirs up class
hatred. Our rich men have right
to what is their own; that is guaran.
teed them by the Constitution.
'Is it their own" interrupted Shir
ley.
Ryder ignored the insinuation and
proceeded:
"What of our boosted free institu
lions if a man is to be restricted In
what he may and may not do? If
am clever enough to accumulate mil
lions who. can stop me?'
The people will stop YOU, sait
Shirley calmly ut is only question
] of time. Their patience is about ex
haustad. Put your ear to the grount
and listen to the distance rumbling o.
the tempest which, sooner or later
will be unclaimed in this land, provok
4 ed by the Ubiquitous practices of organi
i zed capital. The people have hat
\ enough Of the extortions Of the Trusts
]. One day they will rise in their wratl
and size by the throat this knavisl
4 pultocrecy which, confident. in thu
power Of it's wealth to procure lega
immunity and reckless of it's danger
persists in robbing the public daily
But fetribution is at hand. The grow
, ing discontentent of the proletariat, tn
everincreasing strikes and labour dis
| putes of all kinds, the Glamour agains
the railroads and the trusts, the evi
dence of collision between both al
this is the writing on the wall. TIL
| ;foJi ctSo CT &c 6nnrppd. Snpia