Money

The drama takes as its period the year 1921 and relates how John D. Maximillian, commonly known as "Croesus," has acquired control of the money interests of the world, together with a majority stock in all public utilities. At the opening of the photodrama, the wheat market of the world has passed into his hands. He is assisted in his financial operations by Cyrus L. Livingston, his junior partner and chairman of his board of directors, better known as his financial cabinet. "Croesus" has an only daughter, Ruth, from whom all knowledge of her father's financial transactions and oppression of the poor has been withheld. For the first time she visits the great steel works of her father in company with some lady friends and escorted by Livingston. During the visit to the plant, Livingston absents himself from the party, taking advantage of the fact that George Crosby, the superintendent, is conducting Ruth and her friends through the plant, and that Hope Ross, stenographer and sweetheart of Crosby, is alone in the superintendent's office. Livingston has on several occasions been offensive in his attitude towards Hope, and he now seizes her roughly and insults her just as Crosby returns in time to defend his sweetheart. He gains Livingston's enmity and is about to be discharged when Ruth Maximillian intervenes and assures Hope that in the future she will be protected from any offense on the part of Livingston. Ruth and Hope become friends. At this time Ruth does not know of the friendship between Hope and Crosby, whom she (Ruth) admires. The struggle of the union laboring classes against the oppression of Maximillian reaches a climax in a great strike, which begins at the Maximillian steel works. Maximillian has refused the demands of the union laborers, and to further show his utter contempt for their threats orders a banquet at his palace to outrival the famous feast of Bacchus. While the banquet is in progress, the union forces assault the palace. Ruth has left the orgy in disgust, followed by Livingston, who in an intoxicated condition, roughly assaults her just as the strikers have broken into the palace. Crosby, who was with them attempting to dissuade them from violence, rescues Ruth from the drunken junior partner of her father. Crosby is seriously injured during the struggle and is later carried into the home of his sweetheart, Hope Ross. A week later Ruth Maximilian, accompanied by Hope, with whom she has taken up charitable work in the lowly quarter