had been robbed.

All remember the panic of 1901, the famous Northern Pacific corner, in
which values shrank hundreds of millions in a few hours and tens of
thousands of the people lost their entire savings. Who precipitated that
terrific slaughter? Certain great railroad magnates and bankers were at
each other's throats; two greedy corporations had quarrelled ferociously
over the control of a railway line. No man in all our broad land dared
to hint at the assassination of a Morgan or a Perkins or a Harriman or
any of the "Standard Oil" votaries who were parties to the bitter
contest that left Wall Street strewn with the mangled and bleeding
carcasses of the ruined and bankrupt. That time, however, the "System"
had both money and stocks--the people had lost both.

I am not going to enter into a defence of myself against Colonel
Greene's charges. In the newspapers of the country that matter was fully
ventilated at the time. I simply republish his vituperation to show how
the "System" sets about silencing those who dare protest against its
villainous methods. In the first six months of the publication of my
story the sole defence the "System" entered against my specific and
terrible charges of plunder and debauching of the people was to attack
me personally. It inaugurated a war of mud-slinging and vilification
directed by the New York _Commercial_, Henry H. Rogers's own paper,
which printed the ridiculous statement that I was crazy. This editorial
made splendid ammunition for the big insurance corporations, which
caused it to be distributed among their policy-holders, and for the
yelping pack of insurance papers which may be depended on to bark, and
bite the legs of any one who dares attack their master, the "System's,"
most profitable institutions. I find I have not space here to reproduce
these several mud broadsides, which really are more valuable as evidence
of the doddering imbecility and fatuous weakness of the so-called great
men of finance than interesting or informative. Since my personality is
the issue, I propose to give my readers some testimony of a different
character, gathered by experts[22] in the heat of battle.

THOMAS W. LAWSON AT CLOSE RANGE

AN INTIMATE TALK WITH THE FINANCIER AND FIGHTER

BY ARTHUR McEWEN

From the _New York American_, November 27, 1904.

Thomas W. Lawson of Boston, who is making it so interesting
for Standard Oil financiers and other able gentl