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VOLUME 9', NUMBER 20
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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY.
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THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb.
1b why I try to work with my hands by the
side o workingmen. If I write a book, I can
not be quite sure "whether it will be useful or
not. If I produce something that will support
life, I know that I have done something useful."
Tolstoy presents an Ideal, and while he recog
nizes that tho best of efforts Is but an approach
to tho Ideal, he does not consent to tho lowering
of the Ideal itself or the defense of anything
that aims at less than tho entire realization of
tho ideal. He is opposed to what he calls pallia
tives, and insists that we need the reformation
of tho individual more than the reformation of
law or government. He holds that, the first
thing to do is to substitute the Christian spirit
for tho selfish spirit. He likens those who are
trying to mako piecemeal progress to persons
who ate trying to push cars along a track by
putting their shoulders against tho cars. He
says that thoy could bettor employ their energy
by putting steam in the engine, which would
then pull tho cars. And the religious spirit he
defines as "such a belief in God and such a feel
!nSf responsibility t0 God fls will manifest
itself both in tho worship of tho Creator and
in tho fellowship with tho created."
During tho course of conversation he touched
on soino of tho problems with which tho various
nations have to deal. Of course he is opposed
to war undor all circumstances, and regards the
professional soldlor as laboring under a delu
sion. He says that soldiers, instead of follow
ing thoir consciences, accept the doctrine that a
soldier must do what ho is commanded to do
placing upon his superior officer tho responsi
bility for tho command. He denies that any in
dividual can thus shift the responsibility for
his conduct. In Bpeaking of soldiers, he ex
pressed an opinion that indicates his hostility
m22-"Jh?e military system. He said that
soldiers Insisted upon being tried by military
men and military courts, and added:
That is amusing. I remember that when
that plea was made in a jcaso recently I nw
tor.tod that if that was so, why was not a murt
derer justified in demanding a trill a "the SSta
of murderers, or a burglar in demanding trial
?, 3 burFiarB- That would on Si
fours with the other proposition "
Ho is not a believer in protection, and re
gards a tariff levied upon all of the dooSS
for the benefit of some of the people as In
abuse of government and immoral in princinlo t
found that he was an admirer of Henry George
single tS S the0ry in resat the
HO is OOnOSOd to trucfa TT, ,. iL.i ..
trust is a now kind of despotism and that it
is a menaco to modern society. He regards the
The Commoner,
power that it gives men to oppress their fel
lows as oven more dangerous than its power
to reap great profits.
He referred to some of our very rich men and
declared that the possession of great wealth
was objectionable, both because of its influence
over its possessor and because of the power it
gave him over his fellows. I asked him what
use a man could make of a great fortune, and
ho replied: "Let him give it away to the first
person ho meets. That would be better than
keeping it." And then he told how a' lady of
fortune once asked his advico as to what she
could do with her money (she derived her
income from a large manufacturing establish
ment), and he replied that if she wanted to do
good with her money she might help her work
people to return to the country, and assist them
in buying and stocking their farms. "If I do
that," she exclaimed in dismay, "I would not
have any people to work for me, and my income
would disappear."
As all aro more or less creatures of environ
ment, Tolstoy's views upon religion have prob
ably been colored somewhat by his experience
with the Greek church. He has, in some in
stances, used arguments against the Greek
church which are broad enough to apply to all
church organizations. Ho has not always dis
criminated between the proper use of an or
ganization and the abuse of power which a large
organization possesses. While animated by a -sincere
desire to hasten the reign of universal
brotherhood, and to help the world to a realiza
tion of the central thought of Christ's teach
ings, he bas not, I think, fully appreciated the
great aid which a church organization can lend
when properly directed. In the work in which
Tolstoy is engaged, he will find his strongest
allies among the church members to whom the
commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself?" is not merely sound philosophy, but
a' divine decree. These will work in the church
and through the church, while he stands with
out raising his voice to the same God and calling
men to the same kind of life.
His experience with the arbitrary methods of
his own government has led him to say .things
that have been construed as a condemnation of
all government. He has seen so much violence
and injustice done in the name of government
that it is not strange that the evils of govern
ment should impress him more than its possi
bilities for good. And yet those who believe
that a just government is a blessing can work
with him in the effort to secure such remedial
measures as he asks for in his letter "To the
Czar and His Assistants."
Tolstoy's career shows how despotic is the
sway of the heart and how, after all, it rules
the world, for while his literary achievements
have been admired, the influence which they
have exerted is as nothing compared with tho
influence exerted by his philosophy. People
enjoy reading his character sketches, his dia
logues and his descriptions of Russian life, but
these do not take hold upon men like his simple
presentation of the doctrine of love, exemplified
in his life as clearly as It 1b expressed by his
pen. Many of his utterances are denied publi
cation in Russia, and when printed abroad can
not be carried across the border, and yet he
has made such a powerful impression upon the
world that he is himself safe from molestation.
He can say with impunity against his govern
ment and against the Greek church what it
would be perilous for others to say, and this
very security is proof positive that In Russia
thought inspired by love is, as Carlyle has de
clared It to be everywhere, stronger than artil
lory parks.
TOLSTOY AND ROOSEVELT
Referring to Mr. Roosevelt's attack upon
Count Tolstoy the New York Globe says:
"The evil seems to be that Tolstoy, solne
back to primitive Christianity for his inspiration!
has called the world to return good for evil
and to fight the devil, not with his own weap
ons, but with righteousness and meek and pa
tient endurance. - This ideal of passivity and of
the regeneration of the individual now is de-
?k??2 e & aS fnAastlc and aa appealing only to
the feeble and the weak. One can imagine how
Mr. Roosevelt, if he had lived 1,900 years ago
would have assailed a carpenter of Nazareth for
refusing to compromise with the better element
of the Pharisees on the theory that a half Joaf
was bettor than nothing. He would doubtless
have been roundly condemned as an impractical
visionary whose influence, on the whole, was
J en action Inaubltably have their vices
and the philosophy of opportunism is a good
one for a- work-a-day world, but it is seldom
that a man of action and professed opportunism
shows the blindness of Mr. Roosevelt to tho
point of view of the idealist. Our former presi
dent and present lion hunter not "only has no
sympathy with Tolstoyism, which is natural,
but no intellectual understanding of what it is,
which Is strange.' He is seemingly-firmly per
suaded that to contend for the absolute in a con
ditional world is vicious, and the basis on which
Tolstoy is condemned leads inevitably to a sim
ilar condemnation of practically all of the great
religious teachers except Mahomet."
HOPE "SEES A STAB"
Garret A. Norton, Aurora, 111., writes to Tho
Commoner to say: "There is hope for the ulti
mate (if not immediate) redemption of this
government from the clutches of the protective
tariff demoralization when a republican paper
contains such editorials as the one enclosed
from the Chicago Daily News of April 17, 1909.
Reprint it for the encouragement of democrats."
DEBAUCHING A COMMUNITY
Mark Sullivan in Collier's Weekly tells an
incident of last year's political campaign, as
recalled on the floor of congress, which throws
an important light upon the demoralizing in
fluence of certain forms of tariff making upon
American political life.
According to Champ Clark, the democratic
leader in the house, Speaker Cannon went into
the zinc district of Missouri last fall and prom
ised the voters that if they would retire their
democratic congressman and elect the republican
candidate in his place the speaker would see
that their zinc was taken care of in the tariff.
Cannon did not like Clark's way of putting
things and took the floor to explain the zinc
episode. He asserted that he had said he as a
member of congress would regard the people of
the district as experts on zinc, and if they sent
the republican candidate to congress he would
accept that as an indication of their desire to
have zinc ore on the list of protected articles.
If, however, the people of the district sent a
democrat to congress he would vote accordingly.
Coming from Speaker Cannon, these -words
naturally carried more weight with the voters
than the remarks of an ordinary member of
congress would have done. The republican was
elected.
According to Speaker Cannon's own version
his talk to the people of the zinc-producing dis
trict of Missouri, was an appeal to them to sub
ordinate every other issue of government to
their own selfish interest in getting a duty on
zinc ore. Is it any wonder that the special in
terests are so powerful at Washington and that
the general welfare of the people, is given so
little consideration? To get the desired amount
of protection for zinc ore the member from
Missouri's zinc-producing district must vote
blindly for the extortionate demands of every,
other interest which the ruling clique led by
Speaker Cannon sees fit to champion
Is it any wonder that Pennsylvania is under
the rule of corrupt political bosses all the time,
when the entire Pennsylvania electorate is con
ttouaHy subjected t0 th argument used so
effectively by Speaker Cannon upon one Missouri
!iStrict? He.mult vote the republican ticket
all the time, the Pennsylvania voter is told to
Insure the high-tariff policy to the. special inter
ests of the state. The continuous response to
the plea of selfishness as embodied in the de
mand for high tariff protection has so demoral
ized the people of Pennsylvania that it is ex
tremely difficult to rouse them to effective par
ticipation in any broad-minded and disinterest
ed movement for good government? even to the
municipal field. Chicago Daily News!
LEAVE IT TO AU)RiOH
A republican paper published at Keosaunua.
Iowa, says "the Republican is not wr? on
iota' over the revision of the tariff; it fa tetttafl
25, eSJrS at Washington do that" That's
Tight; ?SS Tony' leave Ifc all to Aldrich Ho
iav'aIthHl defender of the national honor and
Son It tmnheAl1I,0n t0 altend to a11 legWa-
tr m be ime enough for the editor of
the Keosauqua Republican and other devoted
followers of the "let well enough Sone" habit
to worry when they come to pay the bills d
judging from present indications there wiUU
ample reasons for worry on pay day.
BLESSING
if l?-,0, Hessins iB SDecial session has been
It is going to glvo the people a chance, to 555
SWl ta5G3 E?ner theTSd h53
done if tariff revision had been delayed until
the regular session. , uaui
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