The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-09-10
WHICH SYSTEM IS REALLY TO
BLAME?

- Will more imam one pest sell
ler'' to their credit, there ap-
peared recently an article headed
News as is News" The article
dealt with the case of a young wo-
man who had struggled along on the
wage Of five dollars a week. for a
number of years, to be rewarded at
the rate of "raise' of a dollar
year, and at the time she became
an Item Of news, she was being paid
seven dollars a week, as sales woman
An one of the big Chicago stores. She
mad kept herself clean, morally, and
or course almost starved, physically.
Her employers, rich and powerful,
were able to locate her after she had
stolen fifty dollars of their money
and made away with it.
In dealing with cases of this sort.
we are SO prone to become either
socialistic, anarchistic, or maudlin,
at isn't often one is able to get below
the skin Of public sentiment, and
really see what the concensus of
opinion would be if the case would
be put up to the individual, instead
of the mass.
Of course it is wrong to steal,
makes no matter whether it be for
feather plume, a loaf of bread, or to
pay the rent, but those who read
will admit that there are degrees of
class, even to thieves. 1t has not
been too long ago for the matter to
become ancient history, that New
York man, powerful and influential,
got SO in the habit Of handling other
folks money, he let some of it stick
70 he, l.
time some of the other folks wanted
it, and he was sent to the peniten-
tiary, in Atlanta. He had a long
list Of crimes against humanity, back
of his record for taking other peo-
pies money, and some how the deal
he made with the ice companies was
the worst of the lot.
But he got away with all Of it;
his stay in the Atlanta prison was
made as pleasant as the constant
companionship Of his wife, good
food, good clothes, faithful physi-
clans and obsequious attendants with
the uniform of your Uncle Samuel
could make it, and finally his health
began to show the strain. He was
afflicted with more different fatal
diseases than had ever been gotten
together outside of a medical book,
in one group, and he was pardoned
by sOft-hearted President.
Evidently trip abroad has the
power to disinfect shady characters
and prison records-for this man is
now back on these shores, with some
splendidly arranged business schemes
which are guaranteed to take other
folks money and make many dollars
where only one was.
The same sort of jury that tried
this man and found him guilty, tried
this Chicago girl for theft-but did
not find her guilty.
81 contend" said her attorney,
"that the girl was justified in steal
ing from Fields. And I ask you to
bring in verdict either finding her
guilty or acquitting the girl as a
victim of Fields rotten low wages.
And if you bring in the latter YER
dict it will be practically convic-
ton CT Fields low wages and a les
son to all employers who pay starva-
tion wages"
And the jury brought in a verdict
of not guilty and Margaret McManus
went free.
1t is of course, impossible to say
that all readers of the daily papers
will have read both these stories, and
1t will take long time for the fact
of the danger to us, as people, to
be thoroughly understood by even
half Of those who do read, but isn't