Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-03-18
Mr.. Hilburn.

Socialists ReUiel0 appears an article
from the pen of Clarence Darrow,
the great Chicago lawyer on the
"Hold up Man" The article
should be read by every man and
woman of America. Not because
it advances something new but
because it tells an old truth in a
new and attractive form. l can,
however, quote only small por-
ton of the article. Speaking of
the "hold up man." Mr.. Darrow
says, in part: "But he was not
born-he was made-he might
have been an unsuccessful mer-
chant, who could not compete with
the department store-or railroad
man whose name is on the black
list because he dared to strike.
He grew more and more desperate,
year after year, until he became a
"hold up man" is fifty years
since the great philosopher and
historian, Buckle, gave his monu-
mental work to the world. In this
work he showed, not alone by
reason and logic, but by statistics,
covering long periods of time,
the suicides, the defalcations and
the crimes of all kinds increased
and decreased in England-and
have for years-exactly as the
price of bread went up or down.
This was not new when Buckle
wrote it down; it was known be-
fore and has been shown by al
most every good economist since
then. There are many other facts
that cranks often cite. Australia
was settled by exported criminals,
but they went to a country where
land was cheap and opportunity
great, and became industrious,
hard working men. The next
generation became respected,
high toned citizens. Take thous-
and of our low class crooks and q
thousand of our commonest pros
titutes and put them on an island
where land is cheap and opportu-
nifty great, and in the third gen.
Grafton their descendants will be
civilized, we'll hammered citizens,
with houses and barns, books and
pictures, churches, and policemen
and jails. Every increase in the
price of coal makes ''hold up
men," Every time the price of
meat goes up, some women go
upon the streets, and some men
get burglar tools. Every extor-
tionate penny taken by the gas
trust makes "hold up men," In
their last analysis, these despised
criminals are men whom our So
cial system has frozen out, who
cannot live, who have no place
upon the earth"
These things are known by
every we'll informed citizen, but
not many can put it in so striking
form as Mr.. Darrow. Your cor
respondent has several times quot
ed from the writings of that great
est of modern democrats. John P.
Altgeld's figures and statistics,
gathered by prison officials, show
ing that misfortune il, responsible
for very large proportion of the
crimes of our country. Lack OF
opprtunity is the great liver that
is forcing our people-and not
only ours, but the people of all
civilized lands-to become crimi-
nails or suicides.
i And that is why lam Socialist
Because | believe Socialism will
furnish employment to all living
workers. 'Tis an old saying tina
ian idle head is the devils's work
shop" Then why should we seel
to perpetuete a system that force
men into idleness? Why will ou
! refofmers look only at the result
and not the cause of crime? Grim,
is growing in our country at
rapid rate, and if something is NO
done to stay it's onward march,
majority of our people must even
tualy become criminals. The
what will become of our boaste
liberties?
F. P. HILBURN.
Locust Gotta ge, Ark.