Those who feel the divine impulse to give to this movement will give double by giving promptly, and will have the added personal joy of seeing some of the results of their generosity. Not all the results, because each dollar given to this cause starts a train of consequences for the happiness of men and for the peace of society that will continue as long as this old earth is inhabited by mortals. The effect of every penny, given by the smallest child or the poorest servant girl, may produce results for good that will be felt by mankind through all the generations to come.
It is not unreasonable for us to ask for constantly, and to expect to receive a single donation of a million dollars sometime during the coming four years. Such donations have many times been given to causes less holy than ours, and in emergencies not to be compared to it in importance. We can in reason hope for several gifts of not less than twenty-five thousand dollars each, and many of not less than one thousand dollars, and thousands of lesser gifts proportionate to the purses of the poor who will regard it not as a duty, but as a privilege to thus co-operate with God. Such amounts have been subscribed to a single college and to a single religious denomination within the memory of the youngest reader. Can we not rationally expect that even more will be given to the movement which is to multiply many times the usefulness of all colleges and churches?
But do not trim your sails nor adapt your arguments to the rich, in order to secure donations, but speak bravely and fearlessly in behalf of justice and the rights of the people, and, if special selfish interests are thereby alienated, unselfish interests will be drawn to us.
Although generous help may be expected from those who have been enriched by the very system that we seek to destroy, nevertheless it is a fact that, as a class, the rich are satisfied with the system of injustice that has given them their riches, and, as a class, will oppose now, as they have opposed during all history, every reform or change that promises improvement to the masses. Therefore the bulk of the money to be raised for the people's cause must probably be given by the people themselves according to their means.
We should for this reason not only call for donations and pass around the hat at meetings when the people are enthusiastic, but, in forming clubs in every township throughout our country, we should try to induce each to appoint its most active and popular man as Treasurer, and especially to instruct him to collect every week or month, a regular subscription, HOWEVER SMALL, from every friend of our movement in his community. In this way, we can establish a system similar to "Peter's Pence," and the missionary contributions of the Protestant churches, and raise a fund during the coming four years that will be a wonder to ourselves and a menace to our enemies.
It may be asked, if the Volunteer Speakers work without pay, many of them living on heroic diet and traveling on foot, what need of money? To this it may be replied that the legitimate and honest uses for money in promoting any cause are too many to enumerate. The field is large and workers of many kinds are needed. Though many of our speakers will travel and work continuously without compensation and the vast majority will give their time without any reward even for their expenses, still, to utilize properly the Volunteer work of the thousands who are willing to make such sacrifices, it is very desirable that we have at least one paid organizer in each Congressional District, and, if possible, in each county one who will receive a moderate salary and who will be held responsible for all the routine work required in his territory. The Volunteer workers and speakers in any locality can be made many times as effective, if there is some one man responsible to the national office for the methodical arrangement of the work and the systematic utilization of their services. It is also highly desirable that every Volunteer be given a bountiful supply of the very best literature on economic subjects. Money is also needed for our central school for Volunteer Speakers in St. Louis, where those with hearts afire to speak for Democracy can come, and within one, two or three months, be trained and equipped with a practical knowledge of the details of the work in which they wish to engage.
But it is folly to enlarge further upon the need of money. Every person who appreciates the nature of our struggle knows that everything we do can be done more effectively with additional funds.