Steam ships and railroads do not spring up fromthe earth and function automatically. They comein response to the call of civilization， through thelabor and ingenuity and organizing ability of menwho have IMAGINATION， FAITH， ENTHUSIASM，DECISION， PERSISTENCE！ These men are known ascapitalists. They are motivated by the desire to build，construct， achieve， render useful service， earn profitsand accumulate riches. And， because they RENDERSERVICE WITHOUT WHICH THERE WOULD BE NOCIVILIZATION， they put themselves in the way ofgreat riches.
Just to keep the record simple and understandable， Iwill add that these capitalists are the self-same men ofwhom most of us have heard soap-box orators speak.
They are the same men to whom radicals， racketeers，dishonest politicians and grafting labor leaders referas “the predatory interests，” or “Wall Street.”
I am not attempting to present a brief for or againstany group of men or any system of economics. I amnot attempting to condemn collective bargainingwhen I refer to “grafting labor leaders，” nor do I aimto give a clean bill of health to all individuals knownas capitalists.
The purpose of this book—A purpose to which Ihave faithfully devoted over a quarter of a century—is to present to all who want the knowledge， the mostdependable philosophy through which individuals mayaccumulate riches in whatever amounts they desire.
I have here analyzed the economic advantages ofthe capitalistic system for the two-fold purpose ofshowing：
1. that all who seek riches must recognize andadapt themselves to the system that controls allapproaches to fortunes， large or small， and2. to present the side of the picture opposite to thatbeing shown by politicians and demagogues whodeliberately becloud the issues they bring up， byreferring to organized capital as if it were somethingpoisonous.
This is a capitalistic country， it was developedthrough the use of capital， and we who claim theright to partake of the blessings of freedom andopportunity， we who seek to accumulate riches here，may as well know that neither riches nor opportunitywould be available to us if ORGANIZED CAPITALhad not provided these benefits.
For more than twenty years it has been a
somewhat popular and growing pastime for radicals，self-seeking politicians， racketeers， crooked laborleaders， and on occasion religious leaders， totake pot-shots at “WALL STREET， THE MONEYCHANGERS， and BIG BUSINESS.”
The practice became so general that we witnessedduring the business depression， the unbelievablesight of high government officials lining up with thecheap politicians， and labor leaders， with the openlyavowed purpose of throttling the system whichhas made Industrial America the richest countryon earth. The line-up was so general and so wellorganized that it prolonged the worst depressionAmerica has ever known. It cost millions of mentheir jobs， because those jobs were inseparably apart of the industrial and capitalistic system whichform the very backbone of the nation.
During this unusual alliance of government
officials and selfseeking individuals who wereendeavoring to profit by declaring “open season”
on the American system of industry， a certain typeof labor leader joined forces with the politiciansand offered to deliver voters in return for legislationdesigned to permit men to TAKE RICHES AWAYFROM INDUSTRY BY ORGANIZED FORCE OF
NUMBERS， INSTEAD OF THE BETTER METHOD OF
GIVING A FAIR DAY’S WORK FOR A FAIR DAY’S PAY.
Millions of men and women throughout the
nation are still engaged in this popular pastime oftrying to GET without GIVING. Some of them arelined up with labor unions， where they demandSHORTER HOURS AND MORE PAY！ Others do nottake the trouble to work at all. THEY DEMAND
GOVERNMENT RELIEF AND ARE GETTING IT. Their
idea of their rights of freedom was demonstratedin New York City， where violent complaint wasregistered with the Postmaster， by a group of “reliefbeneficiaries，” because the Postmen awakened themat 7：30 A.M. to deliver Government relief checks.
They DEMANDED that the time of delivery be set upto 10：00 o’clock.
If you are one of those who believe that richescan be accumulated by the mere act of men whoorganize themselves into groups and demand MOREPAY for LESS SERVICE， if you are one of those whoDEMAND Government relief without early morningdisturbance when the money is delivered to you， ifyou are one of those who believe in trading theirvotes to politicians in return for the passing of lawswhich permit the raiding of the public treasury，you may rest securely on your belief， with certainknowledge that no one will disturb you， becauseTHIS IS A FREE COUNTRY WHERE EVERY MAN MAYTHINK AS HE PLEASES， where nearly everybody canlive with but little effort， where many may live wellwithout doing any work whatsoever.
However， you should know the full truth concerningthis FREEDOM of which so many people boast， and sofew understand. As great as it is， as far as it reaches，as many privileges as it provides， IT DOES NOT， ANDCANNOT BRING RICHES WITHOUT EFFORT.
There is but one dependable method of accumulating，and legally holding riches， and that is by renderinguseful service. No system has ever been created bywhich men can legally acquire riches through mereforce of numbers， or without giving in return anequivalent value of one form or another.
There is a principle known as the law of ECONOMICS！
This is more than a theory. It is a law no man can beat.