Evening journal., 1911-12-09
ARE ALL MEN THIEVES?
BY John S. Hamilton.

In THE Grain OF Dust" David Gra-
ham Phillips made one of his charac-
ters say that he believed the people
are robbed because they are robbers
themselves. Some one has said that
you could not indict a whole people,
but in this instance Mr.. Phillips ap-
pears TO make the charge at least and
there are some grounds for thinking
that he has a good case. The other
evening the writer having nothing else
to do went into and sat down in a
place were men congregate. There
weIe seven men present, all known TO
the writer and they were good aver
age men, all we'll dressed, we'll nour-
ished and all OF them willing to eX-
press an opinion on any subject that
was brought up.
One Of the men had just witnessed
an alteration on a street car between
a passenger and a conductor, the lat
ter charging the former with intend
ing to beat him out of a fare. The
telling of the story provoked a discus
sion that was interesting and sugges-
tive. 1t transpired during the talk that
five out Of the seven men present
thought it was not only proper but
ucolidult " Dcdl lut railway AOilA-
panies whenever the opportunity pre-
sented itself and a man who did not
do so was something Of a fool One
of the other men said he frequently
had conductors to overlook him on the
cars, but he never said anything about
it because he was afraid that he might
do the conductor an injury. The sew
enth man said he never beat the rail-
way companies but he did not blame
| those who did.
The writer listened to this discus
sion with a great deal Of interest and
some surprise, and it made him think
4 Of the grain Of dust character, 1t raises
a question. In fact, it raises a multi
tude of questions. The railway people
| through the medium of watered stocks
rob the people and an idiotic and mis-
chieVous system Of laws permits them
to do so. That has been comparatively
easy up to date. Is robbing only natur-
sl to people who have happened to
I fall into the peculiar situation where
such things are considered a matter
of course? Or does the fact that those
who are robbed also rob when they get
a chance prove that all men are
thieves and that they only need the
opportunity? Is it true that an honest
man is a freak of nature and not as
some have been taught, the noblest
work of God? The writer during the
rush hours on the cars in the summer
time has observed passengers deliber-
ately maneuvering to go through With
lout paying a fare and getting away
With il afterwards being rewarded
with looks Of commentator from
many Of those who had noticed what
was going on. More than once he, the
writer. has seen nice looking young
men who had eluded the vigilance OF
the conductor Frightening up and
boasting to their fellows that they
had stolen five cents from the COM
psny, for in the last analysis that is
what it amounts to.
Who are these mems teachers? Is il
possible that a sense of honor and de-
cency has departed from the people
The writer does not believe so by any
means. A certain amount of pride and
self-respect is necessary for the we'll
being of the race, but what kind OF
pride is IL that maneuvers to steal five
cents and where is the necessity for
self-respect when the majority of the
people pat the thief on the back be-
cause he got away with the swag. The
writer thinks this kind of stealing is
perhaps, not so mean or so dangerous
as that done by means of watered
stock, but what would become Of the
unfortunate victims of both these
il everybody got to looking at things
, this Wayr