The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-10-21
Rugged Enough for Hoover
Philadelphia Record


 Fortunately, there aren't many people who live like Pratt Dutton. But lot of people who ought to know better are preaching what Dutton practiced.
 Pratt Dutton a real indvidualist rugged one. He never married and he lived alone. He rented farm outside West Chester and had his milk route.
 When the very sensible law requiring COWS to be tested for tuberculosis went into effect Dutton protested. They were his cows and the State had no right to test them. If people wanted to take ! that their business and the State should keep Of it. so Dutton reasoned.
 He threatened to shoot inspector and had to be put in jail while the test was made Some his COWS did have tuberculosis. When they ordered destroyed he protested again and police had to be called in.
 few months ago he was arrested for selling milk from open pail and for not having milk dealers license. He argued that it was his milk and the State had no right to require license or to regu- late the conditions under which milk sold
 Last week Dutton was in trouble again. His possessions put up at Sheriffs sale to satisfy his creditors Once Dutton protesed-that they were his possessions and the State power to touch them. When the crowd gathered for the sale Dutton killed man. wounded three others. He was fatally wounded before he could be captured
 It's easy to say Crazy" and let it go at that But there's more to Duttons case. Men who are called statesmen and philosophers and captains of industry behave in their fields of activity with just Duton kind of reckless individualiSm.
 And the harm they do mounts up to even more than two killed, three wounded. The basis of that kind of attitude is Sefishness The Pratt Duttons of this world, both highly placed and low, want to take-but not give. They accept the advantages that come of living in a community The education the protection ot police and firemen, the unconscious cooperation in which we all exchange the products of work. But they don't want to pay for those advantages Ask them to accept little regulation little restraint and they begin to exalt the dignity of the individual They insist that the community has right to them in the smallest degree A man like Dutton will stand up in the crossroads store and argue that he has right to sell milk from tuberculous cows-and big shot lawyer will stand up before the Supreme Court and argue just vehemently that his client has right to pay starvation wages to his employees without any interference from the State in the form of minimum wage laws
 The only real difference is that Dutton would be laughed at in the crossroads store while the big shot lawyer would be listened to with attention and agree ment by the Supreme Court majority.
 Proudhon and other philosophers ratonazed that state of mind into system of thought and life. It's called anarchism.
 One of the major ironieS of our times is the fact that many of wealthy and prominent citizens, who have benefited most by law, order, cooperation and social control closer to anarchism than any other philosophy.
 They rant and rave against every reaSonc ble regu- aon by which the community tries to protect itself and they don't deserve much respect than people generally pay to cranks like Dutton.
 The shotguns? They've been known to try those too to protect their "righs"-as rugged indivduasts.