118 Wisconsin state Agrigultuhal Society. 
against “ bloated capitalists,” is playing the part of a surly dog, 
whose low growl betrays his ill will and hunger. Capitalists are no 
more likely to be socially objectionable than other men; and as for 
wealth itself constituting a species of moral bloat, the strong desire 
of every one of us to secure it gives the lie to the belief in this 
notion. Our industrial indebtedness to capital and capitalists is 
very great. Why does a merchant make a large fortune? Because 
he offers us better goods at lower prices than any one else, and we 
purchase of him in large numbers, and we make of him a rich man. 
Poor fellow, he could not help himself. Why does a manufacturer 
prosper? Because his wares are first-class and cheap, and so in 
general demand. The more industrious and intelligent a man is, 
the more he consults the wants of his fellow citizens, the more sure 
is he to become rich — to become a capitalist. These are not the 
men to be feared; but the merchants, the mechanics, the farmers, 
who do their work so poorly that they make nothing — that they 
cannot even keep what they have. We are all becoming capitalists 
in the measure of our thrift, and there is to-day no more general 
and just a test of our worth to production than our possession, by 
our own labor, of capital. Many farmers are cross in Wisconsin 
because they have not used borrowed capital wisely. They should 
scold themselves just as sharply for mistakingly borrowing money 
as others for mistakingly loaning it to them. If the unthrifty 
farmer would gladly shake off the crushing debt, so in many cases 
would the unfortunate lender be right glad to get back what is hon¬ 
estly his own. We would pity all men who need our pity, and we 
would be just to all. We have no sympathy with the creditor that 
grinds, nor yet with the debtor that shirks. If there may be cruel 
cunning on the one side, there may be dull indifference and gritty 
ill will on the other. Let us be fair to each other, and charge 
home our own faults first. If we have been willing to overload our¬ 
selves, it is not so strange that we have found others willing to put 
the burden on. I have seen asses loaded so that you could not see 
their ears. What we want for industrial prosperity is capital, the 
wisdom to make it, the wisdom to be able to redirect it in ever 
multiplying and broadening branches of production. Our unjust 
clamors against it are only fitted to frighten it away from us, and 
so to sink us deeper in disaster. There is no distinct class of capi¬ 
talists— we are all capitalists in the measure of our wealth; and 
