The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-10-23
The Oligarchies
Nv Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. BY Frank Crane)

The real enemy of every country in
the world is its oligarchy, that class
which by the cumulative stupidity Of GUS
tom has got itself into the saddle and
rides the rest.
| 1t is this class, in Russia, in Germany,
| in Austria. and in England, that has
brought on this war by its vicious sell
fshness and by its inability TO govern q
people for the peoples welfare.
If the bureaucracy of Russia, the
junkers of Germany, the mobiles of Aus
tria, and the aristocracy of England
could be eliminated the common people
of all these lands would ground arms and
go back home and about their business.
Intelligent observers cannot resist the
conviction that, whichever side conquers
| in the present struggle things will be
little better for the people. for whose sake
and welfare all states are supposed to
exist.
Things will not improve until there
shall come some upheaval in which the
people shall unhorse their masters and
organize government for themselves.
| Which aligarchy shall dominate Eu-
rope, or the seas, does not much concern
the world: the important concern is to
get rid of them all and somehow to or
ganize mankind for mankind's sake.
The real party to which foreseeing
souls belong is that to which Victor
Hugo said he belonged, "the party of rev.
dictionary civilization; the party which
will control the twentieth century; and
out of which must come the United
States of the World"
Frank Harris has written book,
England or German" in which he
tells some bitter things about the domi-
nant classes of England.
He compares the English noble with
| the Prussian junker. saying that, while
| the junker ideal is that of an efficient
soldier, proud, hard, and willing at any
moment to throw away his life, the ideal
of the English noble is to do as little as
possible, and to marry an heiress, even
an American, rather than live in strait
ened ways.
The whole English caste he declares
to be founded on wealth. the common
nickname of "The Beerage" showing Of
what elements the English peerage is
made. The soul-destroying influence OF
this idle, parasitic class is deadly; its
aim is to live magnifcently without
working, and thus work, thrift. endea-
vor-indeed, all the household virtues
are discredited.
Emerson said that this class low
cred the dignity of manhood" 1t does
infinitely worse than that, declares Mr..
Harris. at poisons the founts of honor
at the source, and injects a subtle, all
lpervadng venom through all the veins
of nations life; it enfeebles the army,
corrupts the judiciary, stultifies the leg
islature, degrades the church. So long
as Great Britain preserves this oligarchy
| in its present form it cannot hope to be
among the nations that lead the modern
world; this one institution handicaps it
out of the race"
| Three-quarters Of a century ago Helm
rich Heine visited England and wrote
his "Englische Fragmente." in which he
uses these biting words that all lovers
of English ideals would do well to pom
der
"England's mobiles hold themselves far
above the common ruck Of mankind;
likek beings of higher sort they re-
gard England as comfortable hotel,
Italy as their winter garden, Paris as
gay reception room, and the whole world
as their property. Without care or duty
or effort they arc content to live like
gods, with gold as the talisman to graf
lily every widest wish"
Heine left England, he tells us, to get
away from gentlemen" and live among
ordinary knaves and fools, who had at
| least some clear understanding Of hui
man squalor.
Mr.. Harris book is written with UNI
dirnifed passion and undoubted exae-
geration, but il contains Some ugly
truths which the democracies of the
world, who fancy it is their battle that
is now waging, might do well to ''read,
mark. learn and inwardly digest"