The Washington herald., 1916-10-01
A Raid on Prosperity.

A few years ago we had what was aptly
called raid on prosperity with the bitter de-
nunciation of swollen fortunes, tainted money
and $2oooo,ooo fines to bust the trusts. That
hysteria ended in financial panic, was then
forgotten and corporate business is now more
prosperous than ever. Today we have another
and more reasonable raid on prosperity which
is already bringing in rich returns to the raid
ers. 1t is campaign for benevolence, and there
is tainted money to be rejected, no swollen
fortunes to be overlooked no trusts to be ne
elected The center of this new raid is that
same old Wall Street and the raiders hope to
collect $75oyooo,ooo for college endowment
church extension, home and foreign mis-
sions the Y. NJ. c. A. and the w. C. T..
u. for charities and various uplft movements.
Five years ago the benefactions.- of the country
amounted to about $3ooyooo,ooo, a large part OF
which went toward college endowment In the
effort to collect $7soooo,ooo this year, the col
leges are not in the front rank. This large sum
Of money equal to the total revenues OF the
United States government, is sought by the
churches and various organizations for the I'M
provement of our morals and the betterment OF
mankind. They go to the centers OF finance just
as do the uen who want money for business or
even speculative purposes, and in the same way,
asking no questions as to whether the money
came from war Brides, munitions factories,
reckless speculations gambling on Wall Street
1t is sign of returning tolerance among those
who have been sensitive about the business
methods of those who are liberal in giving to
charity and religious extension, that they now go
to the "Wickedest City" in the country to secure
money for work in the Vineyard 1t is another
recognition of New York as the financial center.
Foreign governments go to New York for bill
lions in war loans, the government of the United
States goes to New York for oue-fourth of all its
revenues to carry on its multiplied agencies for
upbuilding the waste places, and to improve the
conditions Of the rural population; and the work
in the Vineyard go to the same old New York
for their gasoline to drive deep burrows that will
grow good seed and produce good fruit. 1t is a
more healthful and more hopeful raid on pros
perity than that of 1907.
AS the raiders ask no questions to the
character of the money sought, there is dis
position manifested by the raded to look more
carefully into the character of the proposed ex-
penditures One large corporation with head
quarters in New York. which employs thousands
of men, has recently started its own uplift organ
ization because it found that it had been giving
literally but oolishy to promoters of alleged up
lift movements who were mere agitators, organ
izing just such raids as that which preceded the
fnacial panic few years ago. The managers dis
covered to their sorrow that they had been
contributing money to be used in attacks on
their own business; and they then organized
their own welfare work, looking after the charac-
ter of the workers in that field carefully as
they do into the character of the who man
age the financial and other departments on which
they depend for the success of their business.
Charity covers multitude of sins in more ways
than one especially since charity work and uplift-
ing has become a profession, and the profess
sional charity workers are as prone to conflict
and competition other professional people.
There also many so-caled uplift movements
which are merely political schemes for the pro-
motion of both absoutsm and anarchy. Beg
ging has become profession and almost SCI
ence, and it is necessary for those who desire
TO aid in good work for humanity to give wisely
it is to give freely and promptly.