Who Will Make Me A Custom Backpack

Q &

I read from 'Spoon River Anthology (translation by Alberto Rossatti for the special edition of the Corriere della Sera, 2004, the series' great poetry'):

John Hancock Otis
Quanto alla democrazia, concittadini,
non siete forse disposti a riconoscere
che io, erede d'una fortuna e bene educato,
non fui secondo a nessuno a Spoon River
per devozione alla causa della Libertà?
Mentre il mio coetaneo Anthony Findlay,
nato in una baracca e che aveva cominciato
come acquaiolo degli operai della ferrovia,
poi diventato operaio cogli anni,
ed in seguito capo-reparto, fino ad arrivare
alla direzione delle ferrovie,
e vissuto a Chicago,
fu un vero negriero,
che spezzava la schiena ai lavoratori,
e nemico spietato della democrazia.
E io ti dico, Spoon River,
e tico to you, or the Republic, look

man who rises to power and once had the pieces in the ass.

Anthony Findlay
For the country and mankind, and
for a country no less than for a man,
is better to be feared than loved.
And if this country would prefer to lose the friendship of other nations

rather than give up their wealth,
I say that a man is worse than losing the money
friends.
And the veil that covers the essence of an ancient ideal
:
when people claim freedom
really wants power over the powerful. I
, Anthony Findlay, risen from humble water carrier
the wealth I was,
the point of being able to say a thousand "Come," and another thousand
"Go",
say that a nation can not prosper, or achieve prosperity
,
if the powerful and wise not to have a stick to use on
stupid and weak.

And you, where do you stand? with the arrogance of the first or the arrogance of the second? with idealism and the pragmatism of John Anthony? or neither?
Good listening.
TIM

(the photo is taken from here.)