Arizona republican., 1917-04-24
Where the People
 May Have Hearing
AN OBJECTION NOTED

Editor Republican,:
 The writer is one of many citizens of the community who would find little time to devote to earning a livelihood were he to yield to the inn pulse to reply to all or nearly all, he disagrees with in the editorial col umns of the Republican.
 And still, at the risk of this letters meeting tte fate of the many com munications and suggestions bearing upon the war and collateral matters" referred to in your editorial of today, '1he View of an Under Dog,' I desire to offer brief comment upon said edi- torial and collateral matters-in the hope that it may see the light of day.
 The editor does not like the word class, says it has no place in America" and then he proceeds to di- vide the population into the rich and those who are not rich Would he undertake in the face of modern eco- homie group antagonisms, with the resultant strikes, lockouts and boy cotts, to maintain that America to- day is not divided into classes of well defined ana differing economic interests?
 The Industrial Relations committee
 
 certain the causes of unrest in this country found among ether things ill it's report that: The rich, ? per cert of the people,, own 60 per cent of the wealth.
 The middle class g per cent of the people, own 8 per cent of the wealth.
 The poor 65 per cent of the peo- pie, own per cent of the wealth.
 This means in brief that a little less than two million people. * own 20 per cent mere of the nations wealth thar all the other ninety mill lions"
 If it be true that the rich own the country, or even most of il, what is false in the logic that only they then have cause for patriotism?
 And right here would it not he well for uS to inquire into just what is meant by the muc', bused word patriotism" which is being worked overtime at the present time? IT your readers could have before them the letter in question perhaps they could gain better understanding of the writers viewpoint on this. Per- haps he is like millions of the rest of us who will not even if conscripted. respond to the brand of patriotism
  try and by that large portion of the press and pulpit which eeeks to far l it's flame
 1 The fact that the present admins ! tration recognizes the necessity for l conscription to raise even a small 1 fighting force ought to convince any one capable of logical processes that 1 either the American people as a whole are not patriotic in it's highest and 1 best sense, or they object to the oc- i casion of the urge and the brand ot i patriotism" that is being imposed or ] is sought to be imposed upon them by the interests that assume to speak in their behalf in the present world 1 crisis. What would seem the most plausible inference or deduction? If there be deficiency of humor ir the reference tC the ''incomparahle' l troops composed of the wealthy i would seem to be not on the part ol the writer referred to.
 Before drawing any invidious com parisons between the American peo pie of today and those of Revolution ary and Civil war times, would ii not be well to ascertain first if any thing approaching a parallel exists? Says the editorial: Any man tc whom his country gives the opportun iey to ihboi, 10 accumulate a com petency, to own a home and rear . ] famlly in comfort. owes it his support 1 as citizen To al, of which I mus agree. But in the light of the gov. ernmental investigation, can as mucl be truthfully said of even a majority of the people of America today? 1 Before the editor should dub the 'idler and iIobo,' the worthless class and plead for their exemption rom the patriotic" privileges o military service, ought he not te weigh well the fact that the regular anc state troops are largely recruited rom this undesirable class"
 In further reply, why shouldn't |; i man who has been enabled bv hi. country to accumulate a million or \ billion owe more to the country than the man who cannot own even hi.