Life — May 14, 1908 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

526 Reformers “EXCUSE my density,” said the Man from Mars, “but did I correctly understand you to say that you give away valuable rights to private individuals and then allow them to charge whatever they please for service?” “Substantially,” replied the Politician. “What I said was that we allow them to charge what the traffic will bear.” “And how is that arrived at?” asked the Man from Mars. “Oh, that depends on the State legis- lators.”” “On what do the State legislators depend?” “They depend on the political organi- zations, sometimes erroneously called machines.” “And the machines “The machines depend on the boss, that is to say, the leader,” “And on what does the boss depend ?”” “Well, he depends on the patronage from Washington.” “And the patronage from Washington ? I hope I don’t tire you,” said the Man from Mars. “Oh, not at all,” said the Politician. “The patronage from Washington de- pends upon the contributors to the campaign funds, but, of course, I wouldn’t want that to go any farther.” “Your secrets are safe with me,” re- joined the Man from Mars, assuringly; “but tell me who are the contributors to the campaign funds?” “Oh, they are the ones to whom we give the valuable rights, of course,” replied the Politician, somewhat con- temptuously. “Yes; but I don’t see where the people come in,” said the Man from Mar: “Oh, yes; the people,” rejoined the Politician. ‘I had quite forgotten the people. Well, you sce, whenever a corporation is formed, a large number of stock certificates are printed, to be RES; sold to the people. This swells them all up, and, after that, every time they pay a high passenger or freight rate or other kind of rate, they think they are paying themselves dividends. That makes them conservative, which, in our language, is equivalent to docile.” “But who are the reformers I hear so much about?” “Oh, the reformers are those who have not money enough to buy stocks and not brains enough to get them for nothing.” Ellis O. Jones. DITOR OF LIFE, NEW YORK. Dear Sir—U have read, for over a year now, the tirades you have made against what you term the crucities, the needless cruelties, of vivisection. For a paper that pretends to be fair and considerate of the proper welfare of every profession and business, T must confess that it seems to me that you fall far short of that professed idea in your treatment of the medi- cal profession. Of course, it is money in your pockets (by increased sales and circulation) to harp upon vivi- section and the bospital ship incident made prominent by our impulsive President, but did it ever occur to you that by “making money out of” this thing that you were really doing the very thing that you have been getting after the “yellow” journals for, in past years? Since I admire your clever paper, Tam sorry to see it drifting into the ways of those it has attacked, but we are all human, and I rather guess Lire has fallen to the human standards. Yours respectfully, R. S. Avstin. Boston, April 14, 1008. UBLISHERS OF LIFE. Gentlemen—I do not believe you will answer this, and one of your reasons, probably, will be to see that Tam not disappointed In common with what I conceive to be the wish of large number of your readers, I would respectfully ask if you will be good enough to set forth the motives which prompted and could justify the explanatory text accompanying the illustration in columa 2, page 403, of your last issue ?* To many it appears irreverent, if not blasphemous, to the last degree. The great bulk of your readers, if not professed Christians, have, at least, a decent re- INFANT INDUSTRIES “Sty WORD, THAT'S AN ATTRACTIVE FIGGER |” spect for those who are. The cherished hopes of Christendom center on the gospel of Him upon whose name, for a passing jest, you deliberately pour ridicule and contempt. Does Lire. feel proud of this exhibi- tion of taste and morals? Can the writer of the text in question look an intelligent man or woman in the face and feel the honest glow of pleasure at this sacrilegious ? Would he feel proud to attach to it his name? Would be not rather, upon a manly reflection, admit that a reader has some rights which even a publisher is bound to respect? T have read your clever journal during all its ex- istence. feel that I would prefer never tosce another issue. When a paper gets so low that it has to resort to impious jokes; when it deliberately enters the realm of the profane; when it must be put aside and reviewed by a parent before he would be willing for his family to see it, do you not think it has reached a stage where self-respecting people are justified in ignoring it under convictions of pity and contempt? Yours, with sorrow and regret, Aw Oto Frienv. April 16, 1908. *The text referred to is this: Lirriz Gertavpr (thoughifully); Well, I s'pose I do love Jesus Christ best, but Santy Claus has always been a pretty good friend to me. “TROST has written a treatise on bache- lors.”” “What does he call it ““Lives of the Hunted.”