The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-07-06
WHY HUNT TREASURES OF CAPTAIN KIDD?

There's something about piracy that draws and fasc
mates the mnd-at least the boy mind.
The skull and bones at the masthead; the cutaSseS
ground like razors; the Long Toms double shoed; the
merchantmen laden with treasures; the semaybe-
in the cabin; and after the cruel fight and the victory the
registering In the camp on the coral ise the division OF
the loot and the burial Of the treasure chest in dead of
night at the place where the shadow of the point of the
rocks struck on the stroke midnight on the first full
Fascnatingi Why the boy that doesn't like pirate
stories wrong, somehow And perhaps is juvenile
liking for these stories that makes creduous of tales
of the buried treasures of Captain Kidd and the like
OF course must admit when pressed that piracy was
about the most dirty trade any many ever engaged but
like to think of the treasure chests and dream of find
ing them all the Honest, now, haven't you often
imagined yourself finding one' Haven't you seen the
CLINT OF the gold and the glitter of the Jewels the rusty
hinges of the chest gave way?
Piracy picturesque because it is primitive. Mere
in robbery doesn't attract The operation of standing
over man with club and making him pay bonus to
you before you would let him put food in his mouth,
take smoke after meal would and groveling
after another and stealing the pennies from his tin cup
that woudn appeal to you going to funerals to steal
the silver handles off the collins and the pennies from dead
men eyes Those things may be all right financially, but
they not heroic No boy will dream of in
those matters as of the old style piracy
Alas! That's why romance has gone out of the big bust
ness OF the day! 1t often merely the struggles of ruff
hans with clubs to get at the coffin handles and the
cerpses' pennies.
Senator Beverdge of Indiana told us the other day about
theway the tobacco trust has sandbagged competitions and
exploited the after dinner smoke and chew until it has put
Captain Kidd out of the running to the tune of 100000
OF actual gain in capitalization in six years. All criminal
probably but when thing profitable that what
prosecution is to drive out of it half fast they
swarm in? Not that any have swarmed in The prosec1
lions ofhe government have not scared the fellows
already in. They revel in the threats of the law.
We put tax tobacco to get money to fight Spain
After the took off, The tobacco trust forgot
take the tax out of their prices and have gone pure
absence of mind collecting that tax and pocketng it
slnce Fine business! And SO much like the blind
deal, too!
We get nice little revenues 100000 yearout of
tobacco But if handled it it is handled in Japan we
should get times much How do they handle it? They
make it government monopoly They pay the growers
government price make the tobacco sell it to all the world
and make good revenue out of it.
Oh you say, that's socialism,!
Well suppose it is 1t is the otbacco policy of Costa
Rica France Portugal Italy SPAIN Austria Turkey Rou
mania and Japan Is it any monopolistc than the
tust And which is best to make profits for the trust or
the people?