Page:The truth about the railroads (IA truthaboutrailro00elli).pdf/81

Rh forces must be treated wisely or there will be friction, explosion, and perhaps disruption. The census of 1900 reported 21,329,819 male persons of voting age in the United States, and to-day there are, without doubt, 25,000,000. Most of them are busy with their daily work, taking care of their families and leading quiet and orderly lives and paying little attention to the great forces that are at work in this country. Suppose, however, that even one per cent, or 250,000 men, go about the country and preach on the platform and in the magazines and in the press that everything is wrong; that the rich are growing richer, and the poor are growing poorer, and that unless something is done the corporations are going to ruin the country,&thinsp;—&thinsp;the last thing they want to do. Such people can and do make a great deal of noise. If nobody shows that they are wrong, they make a big impression, and the people begin to think that, instead of living in the best country in the world and under the best conditions, they suffer from continually increasing evils. Rh