The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1909-06-17

killed themselves--it was not the kind
OF crowd YOU would want shut up with
/ you In the dark I was shut up with
them lie had some sort of way Of
switching on the lights from the out.
side. never saw a face or heard a
voice would have 10 sit there In
the dark after he thought I had read
] enough to occupy my mind II was
! unpleasant Perhaps you suppose that
brought me round to his way OF think
ingy"
The colonel meditated. I'm toll you
honestly" he said. after a pause, n
was Of that opinion. or something OF
the kind. until talked your case over
with my aunt"
The old dame IL not a fool: what
aid she say;"
She said no. he didn't convert you:
but he convinced you how other pco-
pie looked at your methods. You
couldn't set round the fact that o
majority Of your countrymen think
your type Of hnancier Is worfe than
smallpox. and more eontsglous-
oh. she put II that way. did she'
! wish she would write a prospectus
for tue. Well. you think she was
nearer right than you
Il think you do. ! myself think II
was a little OF both. You've got a
heart and conscience originally.
though they have pretty well tanned
out In the weather, you didn't want
TO be sorry for those people. but you
are. They have bothered you a lot:
but Il has bothered you more TO think
that instead Of going down the ages AZ
colossal bencfactor and empire
builder. you are hung up on the hook
10 sec where you're at: and where
you will be u the people get thor.
oughly aroused You an are building
bigger balloons when Il ought to be-
you for the cyclone ceiiari But you
are different You can see ahead.
give you credit for seeing"
Have you ever considered" said
Keatcham. slowly, that In spite OF the
ubiquitous greed OF the men you are
oondemning. In spite OF their opprcs-
sion OF the people. the prosperity Of
the country Is unparalleled! How do
you explain III
"Crops" said tho colonel: 'fhe
crops we're too biz for you"
You might give us a little credit
your aunt does She was here today:
she is a manufacturer ane she com.
pretended that tho methods Of bust.
ness cannot be rsyolutionixcd with.
out somebody's getting hurt. Yet. on
the whole. the change might be I'm
mensely advantageous. Now. why
In a nutshell. do you condemn usf"
You're after the opinion OF the sv-
erage man. are you"
4 suppose 30. the hlgh average"
The colonel crossed his legs and IN.
crossed them again: he looked straight
into the others eyes: his own mar.
rowed with thought.
'I'll tell you. said he. Il don't
know much about the Street or high
finance or Industrial development
I'm plain soldier: I'm not a manu-.
facturer and I'm not a Spectator. |
understand perfectly that you can't !
have great changes without some I,
body's getting hurt In the shuttle. II |
Is beyond me TO decide whether the |
new Industrial arrangements with the |
stock jobber on top instead OF the |
manufacturer will make for better |
or for worse-but I know this: II IL |
against the fundamental law TO do /
evil that good may come And you |
fellows in Wall street. when, 10 get |
rich quick. you lie about stocks In
order to buy cheap and then lie an
other way TO sell dear; when you
make a panic out OF the whole cloth.
as you did in 1908. because. having
made about all you can out OF things
going up. you want 10 make all You
can out OF them going down; when
you play football with great railway
properties and Insurance properties.
because you are as willing TO rob the
dead as the living: when you do all
that, and when your imitators. who
haven't so much brains or so much
decency as you. when they buy up leg
islatures and city councils: and their
imitators run the Black Hand business
and hold people up who have money
and are not strong enough. they think,
to hunt them down-why, not being a
philosopher, but Just a plain soldier.
call II bad. rotten bad. What's more,
can tell you the American people
won't stand for a."
You think they can help them.
selves?" y -
Il know they can. You fellows are
big but you won't last over night n
The American people get really
lrouaed. And thoy are stirring In
heir sleep and kicking OF the bed.
Yet you ought TO belong 10 the
Il do. That's why the situation IS
dangerous. You as an old San Fran.
'iscan ought 10 remember how con.
,eryatlve was that celebrated Wig.
lance committee. II rs when the long
suffering, pusillanimous, conservative
clement pofa Gptffpu .,aa th.. .a.... |