The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-28
THE FLIGHT OF LAWSON.

made pV InomaS w. Lawson 10 the literature of exposure is that to be found in the current number of Ev- erybody's Magazine. It surpasses in its egotism anything either he or the mag azine has yet been guilty of. It sets forth in reply to letter from the publishers supplicating him to go on with his work of busting the system" his reasons for returning to the obvi ously more congenial task of stock gambling in Wall and State streets particularly Wall street-for the pur- pose of recouping the millions I have donated to my public work"
 In confessing himself a quitter MT. Lawson presents himself as the wisest of men whose talents have been misin- terpreted and maliciously misrepre- sented Had his word been taken at it's face value, had the people of the country followed his directions, which were given for the purpose of destroy ing tho wolves in Wall street, and had his genius for leadership been realized and app1e,' | the system, as he calls the great structure which men of commercial and financial pow CT have built up, would to-day be in ruins and presumably Mir. Lawson would be the acknowledged savior of these things happened he turns upon the people with fury which can only be accounted for on the ground that his original enlistment in the cause of honest business habits was not as real and sincere as he imagined it Had he the spirit of crusader and had the cause of his crusade been sound at heart no personal disap- pointment could ever in the world have dragged him from the throats of his enemies. We do not wonder that the publishers of the magazine dissent from his conclusions and bes him gently to stand on his own fee, in fleeing from his duty and not to lear on them
 But it is in his treatment of the peo. 1 pie that one sees more clearly thar ever the flaw in the Lawson tempera. ment For example he writes to hi. | former publishers: You talk of wha I owe the people What do I owe tho gelatine-spined shrimps? What have the saffron -blooded apes done for m, or mine that I should halt any de. cisions to match their light. hing change ten above ten- below zero chameleon-hued loyalty He admits II a sane moment that perhaps after al 1 he should not be too severe with tho I people: Why should |? They did no ask me to do battle for them. hac not asked their consent" And yet ths more he contemplates the size of hi, failure to attract popular conf'denc, l the more easily he returns to the viii ] fication of what he has so often re l ferred to in enthusiastic language a, the largest following any man had if the country under like circumstances
 'I replaced big broad love for anc faith in the people with a contemp so great as to make me wonder how both could be bred in the same hu
 man soul" still later on in his articl, he describes the attitude of the peo
 pie as they stand facing the schem
 ing wolverines as being "goggle-eyet and leer-lipped. looking like so man, county fair Falstaffs" As he contin
 ues to consider his own sad condition the people who declined to follow tn, lead become "the bellows-mouthe, people" and "ahsinthed peasants" No
 does the press escape from his fury l The boys behind the pen are Tn hi
 eyes the dollar-lapping ink-souirter
 of the systems press" They are als,
 press yelpers'' and various othe
 things which need not. be recalled a
 this humiliating moment All this vul gar tirade winds up with this utter ance T have had enough 1 respect fully submit to you my decision tha you must secure another goat
 We shall he very much surprised i
 we do not learn that after a time Nil i Lawson deeply regrets this recent pro
 duct of his pen Instead of the Lawson who presented himself in a picturesau if not always convincing way, and wh made friends in spite of his arrosan
 views. we have q Lawson with hi
 mask off, a snarling. biting eeotist W
 have no reason to congratulate tn
 system upon the voluntary flight of it enemy Evidently it knows how to talk care of itself We have every reasol to congratulate those inclined 10 fol I0E his counsel Ferat,se the.- u5er. h;,