Wealth and Poverty in America
By Editor
Large space was given on the front pages of the dailies a few days ago to report the dinner of Mrs. Edward Beale M'Lean and the social function that followed it. The dinner is said to have cost $30,000, and Mrs. M'Lean wore her famous "Hope" diamond on the occasion — the diamond that is the envy of all the fashionable ladies of the world. And while this wanton display of wealth was in progress at the national capital, the mayors of a number of the large cities of the Middle West were calling for help to feed and clothe the hungry and starving multitudes of the poor that were in the grasp of the cold winter. And as this note is written, there is lying on the desk before us a letter from one of those who are suffering from pinching poverty. He states that he does not want "charity." All he wants is a chance to do honest work and thus earn for himself and family an honest living. The men of wealth in this nation are in a stupor. They do not seem to hear the mutterings that are growing stronger and stronger against a few people's being able to squander great fortunes on the pleasures of a single evening while others are shivering with cold and starving for the lack of simple bread. If we were a "Christian nation" in fact as well as in name such things could not exist among us. The French minister of war says, "Aviation is now an integral and even essential part of the national defenses." Hence he is asking his government for $4,200,000 with which to equip the greatest fleet of military air-ships in the world. France has been a leader in the development of the air-ship, and Minister Millerand says that his parliament "is full of good will toward aviation." He feels confident that his requested appropriation will be granted, and so he and his associates are holding daily meetings to study the best means of developing this new "fourth arm" of the army. The air-ship is also an established part of the navy as well as the army; and with the submarines that have been perfected, the next great war will be fought on the land and in the air and on the water and under the water. It is reported that the Federal Grand Jury in Indianapolis has indictments prepared against about forty men involved in the big dynamiting cases, the most prominent one being the Los Angeles Times Building. The same report says that most of the men who will be arrested under these indictments during the next few days are labor leaders. If wholesale arrest of labor leaders is effected, it will precipitate such a fight that it will be hard to tell what the outcome will be. There are stormy times before this old world, and it behooves every one to study earnestly to know the meaning, and what will be the ultimate end of it. On February 7 Emperor William opened the German Reichstag in person by his customary speech from the throne, but no representative from the Social Democratic party, comprising about one fourth of the assembly, was present. The conflict between the emperor and the Socialists is very determined on both sides. The leading topic of the emperor's address was the demand to strengthen the army and navy in order to meet "the present international situation." The Socialists are strongly opposed to the emperor's military program, hence one of the leading causes of the friction. Through the rotting away of timbers that had been used as props, the Bunker Hill mine at Amador City, one of the oldest mines in California, caved in, entombing sixty-five miners. The frequent occurrences of this kind make one feel in harmony with the laws that are passed from time to time for the rigid inspection and supervision of mines.13England is in a big flurry over the sentence of imprisonment by the German court against Bertrand Stewart, a young attorney from London. The charge made is "espionage;" and all the British papers, including the conservative London Times, are demanding that the evidence upon which he was convicted in a secret court shall be made public. Lord Haldane, the minister of war, has gone to Berlin in person to see if something can not be done to avoid a clash at arms over the situation. The governor of Texas has addressed a communication to the President calling for action to keep the Mexicans from endangering the lives and property of the residents of his State by their fighting along the border line. It is reported that the governor has stated to the President that if the United States can not do something to stop the difficulty, Texas will feel under the necessity of marching troops across the border herself. Secretary Knox has notified the powers, through a note to the German ambassador, that the United States will insist upon the "open door" policy in China of the late Secretary Hay. Germany has signified her intention to support this country in the plan. This is explained to mean that secret loans and other schemes that would give certain countries a practical lien on the resources of China will not be tolerated. "A Chapter of National Dishonor," the leading article in the North American Review for February, presents facts and arguments which should make Americans pause and think. It relates to the conduct of this Government in its relations to the United States of Colombia over the Panama affair. Mr. Chamberlain's paper is well fortified by documentary evidence.