The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-06-27
Copyright. 1915, by Star Company.

III,
Dear Barclay:
Every individual voter feels that he could
run the nation better than those appointed
to do so by himself and thousands OF others
/. lust like him. One voter would put the tariiI
higher than 1t was before; the next
would abolish 1t. But. whichever type OF
thinker gets his candidates into power, there
remain always in these United states mil
lions of people who have to be poor dirty
and discontinued.
From this even child would conclude
either that vast majority OF people are
doomed to unhappiness by the God VINO
made them, or that vast majority OF poliu-
clans are incapable governors. AS to the mrs.
conclusion. we know nothing; but as TO the
second. we are certain beyond peradventure.
With mighty few exceptions. those whom we
put over to govern us are the most IN
competent lot of legislators and admfnistra-
tors in history. For the most part they are
men vaguely trained to the law. They talk
better and oftener on greater variety of
topics than the average man who Is making
or trying to make honest living. ihey
make 1t their business to be conspicuous, IN
stead of the opposite and SO get themselves
elected. AS body of men they know prac-
ucally nothing about anything useful or inn
portant and their small minds are SO tangled
with the little law they know that they are
unable to through the tangle into the
heart of law which is Justice If lawyers
could be counted on to do right the pawn
broker down the street and the shoemaker
round the corner would not have to be called
away from asfsirs, important to them, to sit
on turies and do justice.
But the thing goes deeper. What In each
voters Judgment is the one chief thing that
Is wrong with these United States? There
would be almost as many answers as there
are voters. I've asked lots of men, ana no
two agreed, but liked one mans answer
lot. He said: "The chief trouble with the
country is that its citizens have to pay taxes
when they ought to be receiving dividends
And this. he said would be the case IL
from the start we had been governed by our
best minds, instead of by our worst; II as
nation we had been run from the peglnning
the way Standard Oil. for instance. has been
run as trust"
am not standing UP for the righteousness
of trusts, only for their efficiency. AS ma
ton we have been more rapacious and ois-
honest than any trust that ever lived. ihls
being so. and a blot upon US that can never
be wiped out. wrong OF our own aoihs Ina.
can never be righted. it is ten Thousand
pities that we haven't been efficient, too.
How many billions Of dollars was this
country worth, as land. coal. oil, forest. gold'
silver iron etc. ETC.? Only astronomers
think in big enough figures to answer that.
Anyhow. as nation we GRABBED stoie anu
cheated it all away from the people VINO
owned it, And then began to play ducks
resources could have been handled ny a
Rockefeller newell he might be a thousand
times richer than he is. but we've "oulo
none of us be poor. And our house would
be clean and efficient from garrett to cellar'
and not Quilted and creaky and 1ull Oh YER
min and half the ceilings down.
Think of a whole country run as trust.
with employment at more than talr return
for every able-bodied man. and fat dividends
for everybody in good years! In such STATE
by force of public opinion even Bryan might
be made useful. Even in Utopia there are
offices which have to be swept out
If there is salvation ahead Of us. instead OF
ruin something of this sort will have to be
worked out from what is left to US of our
natural resources.
Failing this those of who are rich
enough and contented enough as INDIVIDUALS
will be pulled down from our high places and
trampled by unreasoning MOP Until there
is no longer anything stable any one
contented The air of this great city which
we breathe Is 10 per cent air and 80 per cent
revolution. In other parts of the country the
The only man with sufficient mind and
power to effect anything good IS yourself.
But If you personally were to preach the
gospel of efficiency people would think you
were working to put 1t bluntly. for your own
pocket. This gospel then ostensibly must not
come from you. 1t must not come from the
rich. From whom then? From the poor. you
answer. But alas, my 1rlenQ, even the CHaHi-
pions of the poor open to suspicion.
This gospel then must come from where
Why, from heaven, of course, whence all
good gospels have come. or are usually be-
ueved to have come. And, seeing that we
are in America, where the women are given
the best of everything, our heaven-sent mes
senger must be woman
see your gesture of horror. But she shall
not be you her. She shall be young
and beautiful and good and sincere. She
shall not speak her own thoughts, but ours
The masses will believe in her. The classes
may. and if they don't they will have sense
enough to pretend to.
With you to help. I believe, upon my word
Of honor. that can make this thing happen
Will you help? What do you think?
Yours ever.
MILES STILLITER.
To this letter Professor Stilliter received
the following answer by return messenger:
Dear Stilliter:
I'll help If you answer one thing salts
tactorily. To be successful gospelist the
~ornan. a. you intimate. must be sineArA