The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-06-16
Fortunes and
Charity
SALVATION ARMY WORKER MAKES
INGENIOUS APPEAL TO WEALTHY
RESIDENTS IN MONEY Y-RAISING
CAMPAIGN.

The Salvation Army in Cincinnati
is trying to raise $55 900 and has en-
listed the aid of number of prominent
citizens who have formed a "Whirl-
wind Campaign Committee" The com
mittee has sent circular appeal to
every man in the city who either has
or is enormously supposed to have $780,
600 or more. In this circular the per-
sons addressed are given the following
information
God endowed you with superior
you may help those to whom He was
not so generous. 1t was not His in
tention that you should be selfish with
what He has given you. 1t is your
duty to assist in caring for the more
unfortunate. God repays every dollar
that you give with five.'
This is important news if true. One
cannot help but wonder how the chair
man of the committee who alone sign
all probability he would have to admit
under cross-examination that he knows
no more about Gods intentions than
the rest of us. If he actually believes
that existing great fortunes have all
been obtained through superior abil'
ity to earn and accumulate he may
well be asked: eff you know so little
about the doings of men whom you
have seen how can you know anything
about the intentions of God whom you
have not seen?"
He charges Ged with having made
no other provision for the support of
large number of people than what
more fortunate ones see fit to give
them. 1t would be unpleasant to be-
lieve that there is any truth in this
charge. There seems to be evidence
plenty that it is not true but it would
be interesting to learn if the Salvation
Army endorses that view of the Deity
The recipients of the committees
circular who happen to possess mil
lions might easily inform it that il
is mistaken. Their wealth has not come
into their possession through superior
ability to earn and accumulate but
through superior power to appropriate
This ability to appropriate is certain
ly not divine gift but comes from the
enactment by men of some very unjust
measures into statute law
Rockefeller's millions would never
have come into his possession in spite
of any ability to earn and accumulate
he may possess, if statute laws had
not made the rallied highways the pri-
vate property of railway corporations
and if other laws had not made it
possible for oil wells to be monopolized
Such fortunes as that of the Astors
could never have been accumulated il
existing laws did not allow private APP
preparation of values created by all the
people There would have been no Car
negie fortune but for the tariff laws
The men who have such big fortunes
might well reply to such an appeal as
the Whirlwind Committee has sent out
that if the people who have eontribut-
ed the fortunes to them do not want
them to keep all, they should show it
by repeating the laws creating the
privileges which have enabled them to
amass these accumulations of wealth
If the Salvation Army and the mem
bers of the Whirlwind Committee are
really interested in helping the poor
they will at once join in the movement
to abolish special privilege. The poor
will then be able to help themselves
Appeals for the poor which do not in
clude this plan render those making
them Justly liable to the charge that
they are willing to do anything to help
the poor except get off their backs.