“Cold-blooded Commercialism”
MR. RUDOLPH SPRECKLES, who himself is one of the merchant princes of the nation, and in the millionaire class, says in a recent issue of Harper’s Weekly that “cold-blooded commercialism actuated the men who control the governments of the nations now at war and is responsible for the slaughter of millions of innocent victims in Europe to-day.” Some other striking sentences from his short article are the following: “Mammon rules the earth. To-day money dominates publicity and the political, financial, business, social, and even religious activities everywhere. . . . Great armies and navies are maintained at public expense to hold in check other competitive nations and to conquer or dominate the smaller countries, and this is always for the benefit of the ruling class. Is it a wonder, then, that organized wealth in the hands of a selfish minority, rules everything? . . . The craven spirit of commercial greed is running riot in the United States as it did in Europe. Human vultures gloat over their big profits gained in selling powder and death-dealing implements to belligerent countries. The needs of starving men, women, and children are creating new millionaires. Making money out of the deplorable distress of humanity, exploitation, trade expansion, and financial advantage seems to appeal to a large part of the ruling class in this country as this nation’s opportunity in the present upheaval. . . . It requires courage to enlist and fight against the false god Money, but unless its evil power be destroyed now, the day of retribution will soon come in this country as it has in Europe.” It seems to be recognized on all hands that “cold-blooded commercialism” is about all there is to the foundation of the war in Europe, and the “big profits gained in selling powder and death-dealing implements to belligerent countries” must run up into the millions, for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of orders for guns, shrapnel, and the like have been placed with the leading factories in this country. A little handful of men own a large part of the wealth of this world, and through their holdings they control nearly all that they do not actually own. Profits, and ever more profits, in order that they may continue to amass their millions, is the great object these men keep before themselves. They seem to realize very little of the condition into which they are driving this world. Their love of money has completely intoxicated them, and they are furiously flying past every danger signal and rushing to their ruin. There are thousands of men—and some of them are in the millionaire class—who recognize these dangers, and who, like Mr. Spreckles, are speaking out against them. Would that all these thousands would give heed to that strikingly clear prophetic utterance which reads: “But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money.” 2 Tim. 3:1, 2. Nothing could be more accurate than the perfect fit that the conditions of this time make to this prophetic utterance.