Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-06-18
FIRST INSTALLMENT
CHATTER /.

Dear Barclay;
Every individual voter feels that hs
could run the nation better than those
appointed to do so by himself and thou
sands Of others just like him. One voter
would put the tariff higher than it ever
was before; the next would abolish it. But,
whichever type OF thinker gets his candi-
dates into power. there remain always In
these United States millions of people who
have TO be poor. dirty and discontented.
From this even child would conclude
either that a vast majority OF people are
doomed TO unhappiness by the God who
made them or that a vast majority OF pol
iticians are incapable governors. AS TO
the first conclusion, we know nothing.
but as to the second, we are certain be-
yond peradventure with mighty few eX-
ceptions, those whom we put over us 70
govern US are the most incompetent lot
Of legislators and administrators in his
tory. For the most part they are men
vaguely trained 20 the law. They talk
better and oftener on a greater variety OF
topics than the average man who is MAX
ing or trying to make an honest living.
They make il their business to be con-
spicuous. instead Of the opposite, and so
get themselves elected. As a body OF men
they know practically nothing about any
thing useful or important, and their small
minds are so tangled with the little law
they know that they are unable to see
through the tangle into the heart of law,
which IS Justice. If lawyers could be
counted on to do right the pawnbroker
down the street and the shoemaker round
the corner would not have to be called
away from affairs, important to them, to
sit on juries 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?
E1 oil nc vvgn ms 70
as there are voters. I've asked lots of
men, and no two agreed, but liked one
mans answer q lot. He said: 'The chief
trouble with the country is that its citi-
Zens have to pay taxes when they ought
to be receiving dividends. And this he
said would be the case If from the start
we had been governed by our best minds
instead Of by our worst; If as nation we
had been run from the beginning the way
Standard oil, for instance, has been run
as trust"
I am not standing up for the rapacious-
ness OF trusts, only for their efficiency.
AS a nation we have been more rapaciOus
and dishonest than any trust that ever
lived This being so. and a blot upon Us
that can never be wiped out, a wrong of
our own doing that can never be righted,
II is ten thousand pities that we haven't
been efficient, too.
How many billions Of dollars was this
gold, silver, iron, etc, etc? Only astron-
omers think in big enough figures TO an
swer that. Anyhow, as nation we
grabbed, stole and cheated 1t all away from
the people who owned 1t. And then We
began to play ducks and brakes with II.
II from the start our resources could have
been handled by a Rockefeller newell he
might be a thousand times richer than
he is but we've would none of US be
poor And our house would be clean and
efficient from garret to cellar and not
gutted and creaky and full Of vermin and
half the ceilings down.
Think of a whole country run as trust,
with employment at more than fair re-
turn for every able-bodied man, and fat
dividends for everybody in good years!
In such a state by force Of public opin-
ion even q Bryan might be made useful.
Even in Utopia there are offices which
have to be swept out.
II there is salvation ahead Of us, in
stead 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 US who are rich
enough and contented enough as tndivid-
uals will be pulled down from our high
places and trampled by an unreasoning
mob until there is no longer anything
stable nor anyone contented. The air Of
this great city which we breathe IS 10
per cent air and 90 per cent revolution. In
other parts Of the country the percentage
, of revolution is greater.
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 It bluntly. for
your own pocket This gospel then os-
tensfbly must not come from you. It must
not come from the rich From whom
then? From the poor you answer. But
alas. my friend, even the champions Of
/ the poor are open to suspicion.
This gospel then must come from
where? Why, from heaven, Of course,
whence all good gospels have come, or are
4 generally believed to have come. And,
seeing that we are in America, where
the women are given the best Of every
thing, our heaven-sent messenger must
/ be woman.
see your gesture OF horror. But she
1 shall not be as you see her. She shall be
| young and beautiful and good and sin
| cere. She shall not speak her own
I thoughts, but ours. The masses viii be-
lieve in her. The classes may, and If
they don't they viii have sense enough to
pretend to.
/ With you to help, I believe. upon my
word Of honor, that can make this thing
1 happen. VIII you help? What do you
think?
Yours as ever.
MILES sTILLITER.
TO this letter Professor Stilliter re-
ceived the following answer by return
| messenger:
/ Dear stilliter:
/ III help IL you can answer one thing sat
1 isfactorily. To be a successful gospelist
the woman, as you intimate, must be sin
/ cere. She must believe what she breaches
l II she is sincere, how can she tell people
! that she comes from heaven? You say
l she must come from heaven in order u
believe. It IS quite n rignarole. I know
that you have been thinking and expert
menting for years toward some such end
as this. But am a business man, and
4 have TO be shown
Yours with sincere interest. 3.
Professor Stilliter answered to this:
4 Dear Barclay:
She only has to believe that she comes
| from heaven. II she can be made TO be
iieve that, are you satisfied S.
(Continued.)
BALTIMORE oFFIcE-eOl UNION TRUST