Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-17
FEELING AGAINST
PLUTOCRATS IS
DEPLORED
Forbes Scores Soothing Poor Who
Would Gladly Occupy Places
Of Wealthy.
By 3. c. FORBES.

w ny Is II LndI we WOISulp
yet damn those who have it?
We want to get riches. but we de-
spise the rich. do we not?
How do you account for this?
Is the too prevalent hostility to
capitalists born of envy? Does our
embitter us against those who have
succeeded?
Is there not danger of carrying anti
capital feeling too far?
The head of an old established in
ternational banking firm of the high
est standing here and abroad told me
the other day that the constant agi-
tation in this country against the rich
is driving numbers of very wealthy
Americans to Europe.
Some of nv friends" he remarked,
find they can enjoy life more in Par
is, Berlin or other parts of the CONT
nent. and also in England, than in
this country. They are not subjected
to perpetual criticism abroad. They
money is welcomed.
Can you blame them for living
where they find life most congenial?
1.-THE movement, of course, is NOT
good for this country as 1t means
Withdrawing large sums from us
every year.
Il understand, however, that quite
a number of wealthy Americans are
preparing to join the American colo
Ao1-
there"
TIE rich can take care of them
selves, we all know, and few tears VIII
be shed over the plight of those who
choose to expatriate themselves.
Yet, for the sake of the country,
for the sake of our own prosperity,
for the sake of business, might 1t
not be well to give the subject here
raised calm study?
In other lands rich people are not
execrated. Governments, politicians.
newspapers and labor leaders do not
constantly criticise and harass them.
steady stream of abuse is not
poured upon them.
Will the explanation be offered
that that is because the rich people
of other nations made their money
more honestly than ours? Such an
assertion would not be fiattering to
our laws or our business ethics.
Nobody will accuse me of toadying
to the rich, or of having been be-
midland in urging reforms calcu-
lated to bring corporations and CAPT.
hi
to punish individual wrongdoers in
stead of corporations.
May l venture. therefore, to ask
these questions and invite considera-
ton of them:
Has the time not arrived to ponder
well whether we may not injure the
contry and its whole industrial
structure if we do not modify our
anti capital attitude and seek reforms
to insure future welldoing, rather
than revenge for past deeds that, in
the light of current advanced ideas,
now appear misdeeds?
Is it not time to reflect that men
who have honestly provided employ
ment for large bodies of workers are
worth much to country?
Should we not temper our hostility
to the rich if their riches are the
sole objection we have to them?
young country needs capital
and-under our present order of
things-needs capitalists. We also
need corporations. We need big cor
porations.
To foster ill-will toward men who
have made their mark in commerce
of any description = provided they
made it by fair means-is wrong.
The effect upon the mind of able,
ambitious youths is poisonous. 1t
tends to restrain enterprise. 1t en-
genders class versus mass bitterness.
1t is not fair play.
Seeing we are anxious to make
money ourselves, why bear sense
less malice toward those who are
where we want to be? Our attitude
toward plutocrats is one l can not
analyse-at least, not with results
creditable to ourselves.
In writing thus | realize / am apt
to be misunderstood. What l have
hurriedly jotted down is crude and
disjointed, but l do think it raises
questions worthy of serious reflec-
ton.