The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-06-16
By WILL THOMAS

yet Wayland offers it with the air of
a Seer and Prophet, and expects in
telligent people to accept it as the
emanatiOn of supreme wisdom, and
fall down and worship at his feet.
Whatever Wayland does, money is
the motive. 1t is the breath Of his
nostrils and the aim and end of his
existence. It's clink is the sweetest
music that ever fell upon his ear; the
siren song that lures him on and
ever on to greater and greater
achievement
What Wayland wants, he gets In
1900, he wanted more circulation for
the Appeal to Reason" His first
move was to get Eugene V. Debs on
the editorial staff His second, was
to get Debs nominated for the Presi-
dency. To accomplish this task with
Debs on the staff, and appearing
prominently in the columns of the
Appeal to Reason, was easy. The
wheels of Wayland's personal ma
chine when set in motion are equal
to far greater emergencies than this.
Debs secured the nomination with
out a dissenting voice, and the same
performance was twice repeated, at
the conventions of 1904, and 1908.
The result on each occasion was what
Wayland had intended that it should
be, a tremendous increase in the cir
culation of the Appeal to Reason,
which has grown from much less
than IS, 900 in 1900, to nearly half
million in 1910, and at the present
rate Of growth will be at least $780,
900 before the end of the year, ard
will pass the 100000 mark long
before the next Presidential election.
Debs was an ideal candidate-for
the purpose Of carrying out Way
lands program. This will be readily
understood, when it is known who
Debs is. During the campaign last
fall, two men were engaged in con-
versation on railway train. They
were discussing the merits of the va
rious candidates. and their respective
chances Of winning. Presently one
asked the other, ''Who is this man
Debs?" The other replied, ooh, he's
just an old fool from Indiana" And
this is true. Debs is an old fool, but
he is glorious old fool. He is fool
because he believes that the mass Of
mankind are as good and true and
honest and unselfish and loving as
he is, and-they are not. He is a
fool because he believes that the So
cialist movement is as goOOd as he is,
and-it is not. He is a fool because
he believes that the leaders who
dominate the movement and shape it
to serve their selfish ends, are as
great-hearted and noble and sincere
as he is, and-they are not. He is a
fool because he believes that the sort
of brOtherly love that inspires him
can be developed in the whole hui
man race, and thus convert this old,
sad earth into a sort Of homemade
heaven, and-it cannot Millions of
wiser men than Debs have tried to
accomplish this task. Since the be-
ginning of time, they have been tin
kering away at it, trying to make hu
man nature other than what the
Creator made it, and-they have all
failed, even as Debs must fail. 1t
simply cannot be done.
When all is said and done, the fact
remains-a fact as impregnable as
the eternal hills-a fact which is also
a law-that man is, by nature, a sell
fish and greedy animal, who in any
environment, has always taken, and
will always take, any advantage he
can of his fellows.
Say what you will about the evil
of this trait in mans nature but it