The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-03-30
IS IT UNRIGHTEOUS FOR
A MAN TO REMAIN RICH>

Of imagination and vision-ana NJ
Cochran beseeched him tor the 49,
Another prophesied that if Mr.. Cot
ran would hold his wealth uutil -.
coming social war he would lose -
without worrying over the method
Mr.. Cochran said it was his aim to ,,s~
his wealth to change conditions hefo-s
this war came. One positive y7nrS
man told him that all rich men We
rich through robbery and Should r..
turn their money to those robbed A.f
admitted, on being questioned. M
the poor robbed as Well as the r+cn
A gray-haired woman arose and d.
nOunced the system as the cause ~
it all, and Mr.. Cochran replied thar
his chief purpose was to find the beeY
means Of Kidding America OF the e,s.
tenn.
Some time ago Mr.. Cochran 5e.
clared before the Ministerial Union of
Baltimore tina he would gladly give
up all his wealth il q new social or
der were brought about thereby. Al
that time he said:
THE JOY OF having abundance Is
terribly mitigated when one is cons
ronted with the sight Of and appeals
from people living under the opposite
conditions. 1t seems all wrong. }
have come TO the point where
would gladly give up my comfortable
country home and occupy the humble
house Of an overseer if a new So
cial order were to be brought about
thereby.
1.-The present state OF affairs mas
been brought.about by the transition
from n age to another, and also
through industrial, economic and no
litical injustice. Social justice fails
| when through industrial injustice PEG
pie are made to live and work under
conditions which are impossible.
when industry works under the rule
Of destructive competition, and OF
| might making right. The laborer has
to exist on less than living wages.
There a be no social Justice
when the injustice of our economic
| order allows nine-tenths of the money
to rest in the hands OF one-tenth Of
the people. There can be no social
justice when through political injus-
tice people are defrauded OF their
share in the government. when the
politicians has become usurped."
1t is to be remembered that this
was said by a millionaire and a part
employer Of 1000 people. lie con-
tinued:
why hasn't this condition been
avoided? Isn't it because the Church
almost from the start misinterpreteO
her function, making Of herself the
end instead of the means? That it is
the task Of the Christian Church %
usher in this new era Of social JUS
minds of the people. There are Ell.
tice Is just beginning to dawn on the
%couraging signs on all hands: while
still the strong Cypress the weak and
the great tread down the little, the
cruel are at last becoming afraid
Of public opinion, and kind men are
more daring in their schemes OF al
deviation and wise men are more so'
licitous."
At another time, in the hottest O
local option fights in the Maryland
Legislature, Mr.. Cochran declared II
an advertisement:
I am determined to concentrate
upon this question such resources a
l have available for Christian ar
philanthropic work.
His reason for this declaration wa.
as follows:
Like many others who have beer
touched and awakened by the grow
ing spirit of social democracy, I hav'
come to see that the Church AM
other social agencies can never haF
a fa1r chance so long as q vicious spe
clal interest like the liquor traffic l
permitted to debauch our citizenshi.
n dominate our political life, an
then, through its influence upon tn
electorate and u r Legislative bodies
put heavy if not fatal handicaps apo
all forms Of Christian activity"
In Mr.. Cochran's search for Ugh
as to what to do with his 0 h
has become a friend Of Bouch Whit
He Is also a friend Of Bishop Wi
liams the Episcopal divine; Of Ed
ward Ellis Carr, the Socialist edito
OF Chicago; of Charles S%telzle, al
others.