The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-20

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 An Hour For Charity.
 Upon whom does the hour call for charity? There are thousands of us who have not reached the land over. flowing with milk and honey. Still, we wander in the wilderness of indus trial despair. Still, are we able to gather mama only for a day. and still we look with longing on the flesh pots of Egypt Discomfort and bitterness have entered into our souls So long have we been impressed with the fniquity of special privilege, with the arrogance of some rich men, with the power of money to produce peace or war, plenty or famine, that we have come to hate all those who have, and to believe that the possession of mon ey Is the mark of infamy and the badge of dishonor. If you be one of these, my brother, this hour calls upon you for charity. Many have succeed ed honestly in this land; most have succeeded as they thought honestly.
 
 how success has come to them. Let us not condemn until the sheep have been separated from the goats. Let us understand that it is possible for the man in broadcloth and the man in holden gray to be brethren in Ameri- ca. Let us await the developments of brief time lest perchance the judg- ment of misfortune upon fortune may be injustice, not justice. Let us be sure before we strike. Let us condemn no man unheard, and let us give to every man his advocate in the forum of American brotherhood.
 It will be observed that the sum of the justice and the charity for which am eontending is the revival of Jef- ferson's idea of equality before the law, not equality in muscle or brain or guarantees to every honest and indus trious man his life, his liberty, his hap piness and his chance. Justice and charity are always needed to enforce this guaranty. Get into the bread line if you will, but beware in so doing not te drive out weaker brother. s
 I see people the most marvellous which has ever sprung from the Joins of time and the womb of destiny Among them are all kindreds, tribes and tongues. What are they to be- come in the melting pot? They are of like passions, men with hopes, fears, ambitions, ptejudices. Are they to evolve into castes, not of birth and lin cage, but of success and failure? Out of the crucible of these years, heated with the fires of both seeming and real injustice, is a newer generation to be poured forth to the vassalage of the paternalistic system of government born under Republican misrule or to socialism where success depends not upon merit and honest endeavor, but upon the mere drawing of the breath of life? N
 Playing the Ostrieh.
 It is idle for a thoughtful man in America, whether millionaire or pau per, to longer play the ostrich. Safety. does not consist in hiding one's head in. the sands of either sentiment or hope. It is foolish for. the vastly rich to keep on insisting that more and more shall be added to their riches through a specieas system of special legislation ostensably enacted to run the government, in reality enacted to loot the people. 1t is worse than igno- rance for them to smile at the large body of intelligent Americans who re- gard themselves fortunate if the debit and credit accounts of life balance at the end of each year and to assume that the mighty many who are becom- ing convinced that that social system which we call democracy is but a gilt tering generality will long endure the industrial slavery being produced. The hour has come when patrio tism must consist in something more than eulo- gies upon the flag. Whether voting the ticket or not men everywhere, looking upon the awful injustice of this economic system are becoming socialisttc in theory if not in conduct. And shah any fair minded man say that, if it rebounds to the interests of the people of this country that hun dred men should control its business to the good of every ones there is anything fallacious in the theory, that government, instead of transferring business to favored few for the ben eft of all, should discharge that -busi- ness for the benefit of all? I have never been able to convince myself that either system would not cast a pail over human action and dull the motives which have heretofore moved mankind to the very loftiest endeavor and produced what conceive to bs the most perfect system of government ever devised by the brain of man since that farof theocracy of the Jew went down beneath his demand for the pomp and splendor of earthly power. And yet do not hesitate to say that if 1t be impossible to restore this~re- public to its ancient ideals, which do not believe, and I must make the ulti- mate choice between the paternalism of the few and the socialism of the many. count ns and my house with the throbbing heart of humanity.
 Three Grades of Citizens.
 The diseontent in Republican ranks Is Democratic discomfort. How. much of it has reached the point where, Wearied of the bad workings of a good system, it is willing to topple that