Alfred Charles Michaud

“ I am not trying to set myself up as an authority on world subjects and affairs, but I feel qualified by my experiences to help humanity. Have no personal prejudice, nor feel inimical to the present way of life, and economic and political powers of our country. My aim is to show mankind, in my own way, and with humility, its defective economic system of living.
Mankind has been looking forward for the millennium, when there will be peace, and security on earth. ”

“ During the slow traffic hours in the New York subways, on the sidewalks, and on this parkway I have closely observed many middle-aged people with their deformed bodies, swollen legs, and flabby, loose-skinned masks of faces. All of them in youth must have had natural beauty. All over the country, inside and outside of bars and saloons, in slums, in parks, and in alleys, you will find many aged, middle-aged and even young people who are listless. ”

“ You who are called the general public; farmer, professional man, small businessman, white collar worker, laborer, widow, orphan, old person; those who pinched penny by penny to accumulate a little nest egg, those who mortgaged your homes, those who saved it at extreme sacrifices, denying yourselves certain luxuries or necessities, to the point of avarice—you have listened to the evil persuasion of high pressure. ”

“ Other despotic gangsters with their strong-arm torturing secret gangster police are now in control of governments of some of our nations and are holding its peoples in bondage, and in forced slave labor. The perfidy and hypocrisy of those in government power of some of our nations has become so aggravated, that humane benevolence, and justice have become a sham and completely vanished.
"With our new death-dealing, destructive armaments and our annihilating atomic power, how can we tell when some cruel gang dictatorship government may enslave us, our children, and our coming generations? ”

“ Contrary to what Field Marshal Allenby said, 'We earth dwellers are prisoners on our planet; there is no way out,' destiny, through you, has given us a way out. Against our will you took us away from there; we want to assure you now of our gratitude. We thank you Martians for the privilege granted us to remain among you. During the short time we have been here, we have found your living conditions unparalleled. We all intend to take advantage of our good fortune and become citizens of Mars. We wish to make our lifelong home here and to form close family unions. ”

“ Many another author before me has tried to show humanity the error of its ways. But even that does not deter me from trying to make clear to mankind my conception of how unjust has been our way of living.
Mankind as a whole would be humane if it were not for the false system that our ancestors have created and planted in our world.
Man with his intelligence has two personalities. He is by nature on one side humane, helpful, unselfish and self sacrificing, interested in the welfare of his kind. ”

“ Your money packs the potentiality of the greatest power force and medium for most all your evils and is a constant strong tempting magnet staining with its putrid stigma of corruption, some of your low and high pillars of your temples of justice, law, righteousness, and benevolence, since historical times they have shaken its foundation and toppled over the weak edifice you call civilization. ”

“ We fought on the blood-soaked decks and gun-turreted floors of battleships, in the fuselage, cockpit, bellies, and wings of flying fortresses, inside hot, cramped, fire-and-cannon belching tanks, in the putrified trenches and shell and fox holes of battle scarred beaches, on the sides of most inaccessible steep mountain precipices, and on deserts and in jungles where we lay day and night in putrid mud, water, and scum. ”

“ All this babel by your economists to the effect that your world cannot exist without money and that you would lose your freedom, or live at a great cost of freedom—to all this I ask, 'What freedom?' Yes, your money systems would lose the freedom to exploit you. It is none other than your economic system which is the sole creative force causing your chaotic vortex to continuously rotate around its money hub. ”

“ Unless you drive these money changers out of your temple, chaos, terror, forced slavery, annihilation of most of your humanity, complete destruction of your present culture, inventions, and discoveries, all that you have built and created will become rubble, and deeply buried and earth covered. ”

“ We and many others of our returned soldiers and sailors who have just served and fought in the bloodiest of world battles, and we, with our buddies, who sacrificed themselves on the battlefields, were the instruments in this most atrocious war. The victims of inhuman hellish, cruel warfare, we experienced and endured the ordeals of the greatest sufferings that human flesh and fortitude can stand in battles. ”

“ That evening Sun-Rank Banard continued as follows:
"You Earth people make and use your most important researches and discoveries, only in times of danger and stress. But we have developed and intensified our esprit de corps so that at all times, we have the enthusiasm and ambition to compete with each other in inventions, scientific researches, and discoveries. We take intense pride in our work and join in competition with an eager spirit. After our invigorating night's sleep, we are in the prime of our physical and mental health, without worry, and in a serene, peaceful state of mind ”

“ We are to have an equal standard of life with economic security (barring those of us of higher degrees) without want, fear, privation, or exploitation. We are to be provided with all our life's substances. We are to be free from an oppressive government rule. Our aim is, and will be, continual social progress and expansion for a higher standard of life. We are to have the right of individual petition and appeal to the highest government executive, council, and court of justice. We do not and will not have race, and sex intolerance and discrimination. ”

“ Life on your planet is so very hazardous, you have no safety.
"In general your sanitary systems are disgraceful. You criminally expose your people to typhoid, dysentery, infantile paralysis, and gastroenteritis from your sewer polluted drinking and bathing waters; and with your poisonous drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other unhealthful foods and habits.
"You are not by any means a free lance, from your economic struggles, and you will never have democracy, as it is truly defined, as long as you tolerate moneyism, but you love these conditions, and call that freedom?" ”

“ The drug habit, as I understand, has been acquired by many on your earth through your purchase and use of many cheap, unsuspected mild patent medicines, or through your doctor's prescriptions for medical purposes, or through the narcotic drug traffic by your gangsters, with the connivance of some of your unscrupulous politicians. The Octopus's slimy tentacles here surpass themselves. Once the habit takes hold of its victim it is very hard to free him of it, and he becomes enslaved to its use. Unless he gets his daily dose, his overpowering desire and need for it become acute. ”

“ We on Mars are wondering why your government has created what you call the Federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance, through your Social Security Boards, for your old people; and then provide them with such a small pension. Not only are the old people neglected, it seems to us, but money which could help them is lavishly spent on sumptuous Social Security Board offices staffed by young, and high salaried officials. ”

“ We on Mars feel it is the best government on your earth, outside of your economic system, in many ways similar to ours. As your traditional and very ancient custom for the benefit and protection of your citizens and for the purpose of withholding its control from greedy, monopolistic or dishonest individuals, as well as guarantee its uniform value, your government was compelled then, as it is duty bound now, to assume the many responsible and most important money functions, as well as create, promulgate, and enforce its laws, developing the following bureaus and departments. ”

“ This constant installation of new and improved living appliances and the changes in our general way of life have created for us a bee-hive of energy, industry and activity in creating better and safer patterns of living. Our young or aged like on your earth do not listlessly hang around homes, barrooms, or streets, dying before their time from the lack of physical and mental activity. We all aim toward a more or less creative and realizable goal, whose advancement contributes to our social good. ”

“ There is no need for me to emphasize, and I agree with Sun-Rank Banard, that our money, and exploitation systems are the real, contributive motives of our ills. They are festering cancers, eating away the vitals of the civilization we are vainly trying to build. I want to thank you for the opportunity you gave me to tell you what I have seen, hoping that you Martians will help save us from the miserable life condition on our earth. ”

“ With what do you purchase necessities and luxuries? We on Earth get the intensive desire to earn, and accumulate money or capital. This desire is a strong driving power which incites us to do good work or service, to invent new and necessary improvements, and to make scientific discoveries. We do all this for gain and profit in moneys and capital, which we save, invest on interest, in property, or in other profitable or risky enterprises, and even speculate with on the future development or increase in value of our investment. We even gamble on chances to win. ”

“ You are completely under the spell of your Octopus. You yield to its will and influence. Your reason, intelligence, will, conscience, emotions, in fact, even your soul is directed by its grasping tentacles. ”

“ Money, which you developed as the medium of exchange to facilitate accumulation, store of value, and property transfer, grew into the agency of tribute or usury power, progressively expanding to an extent comparable to that of an enormous, monster Octopus Colossus, covering and holding your entire earth within its grasp. Each of his tentacles is a symbol representing your economic and other ills. ”

“ You have been enticed into high finance, stock exchanges, boards of trade, and commodities—all of them types of gambling producing revenue. It is a wonderful system to fleece you of your savings. Your big financiers with their executives, whom you helped to elect with your proxies, have a permanent stranglehold on all your basic industries. They always aim to have you 'the public,' invest your money into their companies and corporations, in fact, become majority holders of their securities. ”

“ I asked Xora, "I noticed from the air the absence of vehicles on your streets, and I see none now; don't you use your streets even for deliveries?"
"No, all our traffic for deliveries and collections is done underground. To avoid accidents, individuals are forbidden to drive vehicles on the streets or to walk in our subways. Nor are children allowed to ride bicycles on the surface as they do on earth. We have no streets, as you call them. We call them parkways, and they are used exclusively for our pedestrians, who can walk, rest, and cross in perfect safety, even in the dark." ”

“ We have no slow-ups, nor do we allow high pressure work in our productions and industries. There is perfect harmony between workers, foremen, and executives, who do and must rate high in human relationships. Only the best of work is tolerated. With very few exceptions, and only in most extreme emergencies or important researches, do we allow more than four hours a day employment, and if necessary, we arrange it into four shifts. Neither do we allow anyone in an occupation which might excite or create in him tension. ”

“ Inimical armies are facing each other, in close physical proximity; don't you realize that at sometime a commander in his cups, may strike a spark that will engulf your whole world in a conflagration? Must you have a social upheaval and a human exterminating war before you realize what's good for you? ”

“ Have you noticed that we have no locks on our doors or latches on our windows? No one possesses anything that someone else would take away or could not obtain himself. We have nothing of such value that it has to be hidden under lock and keys, put into safes or safe deposit boxes, or protected by burglar alarms."
"I am surprised," I told her, "that I haven't seen any people of another race on your walks or in your pavilion. There were many blue and green Martians on your grandfather's flight ship. Would you serve any of them at this pavilion?" ”

“ We have no complex money value fluctuations like yours, which often affect adversely your own economic and social welfare, as well as create chaotic conditions. We have only one government, one house of council, which changes every four years.
"Every citizen is the full responsibility of all of us, and he is of the utmost value to us. Every able-bodied person on Mars is answerable for the welfare of each one of us.
"I hope I have made myself clear. You will see, hear, and learn more about our way and mode of our lives when you start to mingle with our citizens. ”

“ It is still worse when we elect to live with some of our children. We are treated like burdensome stepchildren. Whatever we say or don't say, or do or don't do is wrong; the dog may tear up the house, for he is cute and is petted and lovingly cared for.
"Many old people whose children do not want them or are unable to help them, or who have no family, become the dregs of humanity and must starve or commit suicide. You can find their bodies in the morgues and on dissecting tables in medical colleges.
"You are probably unaware of the misery of old age dependents. ”

“ Before the holocaust breaks loose, you can still save the world by proving to suffering humanity that you are starting a new social-economic movement experiment, for it's benefit.
"A change on your earth to our way, is about due, must it come through bloodshed?
"Different forms of governments, ideologies, and systems of life are spreading like wildfire over your continents of Europe and Asia: starting in it's wake your world's aggressions, and a terrific race for all kinds of human destructive armaments. ”