Evening star., 1923-10-21
BY THOMAS n. MARSHALL,

bA AhoMaS ~. MhhShALLs
Former Vice President of the United
States.
hear many complaints about cer-
tain persons who have accumulated
| much money. I hear them called
'profiteers," thieves" "scoundrels."
crooks" "malefactors of great
wealth" How justifable any Of
these epithets may be- do not say
They might, no doubt, be applied to
certain individuals without incurring
the danger of libel suit. General
application, however, to the rich
would be unjust and dangerous. II
is natural, I suppose. for one when he
recalls some one he does not like who
has made lot of money or hears of
some one having made money In ways
which he cannot approve to condemn
every one who has been signally sue
cessful In the financial world.
There are quite likely men who
ought to be ashamed of the way in
which they made their money. 1
feel. however. about rich men as a
native or my state felt about the
friends of one of our prominent In
diana politicians. Returning to his
his speech by saying that he was glad
to be back among his old friends,
whereupon a noisy individual in the
rear OF the hall interrupted with:
Name 'em, governor. name EN-" A
general assault upon any class estab-
!ished by Income in America is not
fair. The assault, If any is to be
made. should be upon individuals.
specifically named.
~ \ II
our. system of government is not
quite what 1t ought to be in that II
has not provided way Of taking
from men money which they have
unjustly accumulated and restoring
1T to those from whom they took it
l cannot fall in with the modern idea
that because "a man is a thief we
should take his stolen property from
him and give II to the first stranger
who happens to pass the police sta
ton. / am quite willing to assist If
can in taking stolen money from
the thief, but 1 must be assured that
ii will be returned to the man from
whom 1t was Illegally taken.
1t is gratifying that the general
ieyeiing up of things in Russia is
fevered condition of the American
mind. For years and years, l have
heard John D. Rockefeller called all
sorts OF names because he was the
richest man in America. Now a new
plutocrat has passed him on the race
track. contending for the Croesus
stakes 1t Is Mr.. Henry Ford. But
hear no one complaining about Mr.
Ford's one-half billion dollars. His
fortune seems to carry no odor of
tainted wealth Certain politicians OF
both parties, and some who would
ike to start a new party, are sizing
up the Detroit man as a possible
presidential candidate No one seems
to envy him his money: no one
charges him with any crookedness in
obtaining 1t; no one is suggesting
that the soldiers bonus should be
paid out Of it.
X \ II X
This attitude of public mind and
public talk is getting around to my
idea of naming the scoundrel, rather
than hurting epithets at the wealthy
as class. A couple of bruisers will
get in a twenty-foot ring and in the
course of an hour one of them will
knock out 100000 for himself. 1
have never heard one such called a
malefactor Of great wealth. A base
one season than the governor Of any
state in this Union in his full term
and no one intimates that any wrong
has been done. Absence of envy in
these cases probably is traceabIe to
the publicity of the way in which the
money was made. This leads me to
believe that other men might put