The Earth - Ella Wheeler Wilcox
The earth is yours and mine,
Our God’s bequest,
This testament divine
Who dare contest?
Usurpers of the earth !
We claim our share.
We are of royal birth.
Beware ! Beware !
Unloose the hand of greed
From God’s fair land,
We claim but what we need-
That, we demand.
That Fool-Killer Discouraged - Owen Columbus (1914)
“What’s that” asked the fool-killer
“That’s an unemployed man in a vacant lot” said I
“Why don’t you have him work on the lot and produce something?” said the fool-killer.
“Because”, I said, “we suffer from over-production already; and besides, the owner of the lot wont let him work on it.”
“I must get my club,” said the fool-killer.
“Hold on,” I said. “Pretty soon we will arrest the man, because he does not do anything; then the judge will fine him because he has no money; and we will keep him idle in jail because he was idle out of jail; and the workers will tax themselves to pay for all that.”
The fool-killer gasped, “I must order a Gattling gun.”
“Don’t go off half-cocked,” I said. “Those are our laws.”
“Who made those fool laws?”
“Everybody, civilised men,” said I
“The men that pay the taxes?” asked the fool-killer.
“Why, yes”
“I must swear in some deputies,” said the fool-killer.
“Stop,” I said, “no one speaks like that about the laws; they are the accumulated wisdom of the ages, and must be treated with respect.”
“Why don’t someone tell the truth, and say the laws are stupid and wicked?” asked the fool-killer.
“We will kill such fools as speak the truth about such things,” said I