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DECEMBER 28, 1901
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The Commoner.
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among all the thousands of men who oxercisd
popular sovereignty.' He even declares: "The
first fruits of democracy are many of them crude
and unlovely; its mistakes are many, its partial
failures many, its sins not few."
This is tho new doctrine of which we have
heard since we entered upon our colonial experi
ment The idea that government by others is tho
natural thing and that self-government is an art
that is to he acquiredthis is something new in .
the United States. Clay, once secretary of state,
and for years a respected authority in this coun
try on matters of government, made a speech
some eighty-eight years ago in defense of the in
dependence of the South American republics. In
the course of that speech he said: "Self-government
is the natural government of man." He
went farther and. characterized the opposite doc
trine as the excuse of kings, saying: "it is the
doctrine of thrones that man is too ignorant to
govern himself. Their partisans assert his in
capacity in reference to all nations; if they can
not command universal assent to the proposition
it is then demanded as to particular nations; and
our pride andv our presumption too often make
converts of us." And then he used a sentence to
which Secretary Root's attention is especially
called: "I contend that it Is to arraign the dis
positions of Providence himself to suppose that
He created bejngs incapable of governing them
selves, and to be trampled on by kings."
Which is the correct doctrine, the doctrine of
Root that "capacity for self-government does not
come to man by nature," or the doctrine of Clay,
that "self-government is the natural government
of man?" Which is right, that God made people
ineapable of self-government and left them to de
velojfcttocapacity or that God created them capable
of self-government but also capable of improve
ment? President Lincoln also had something to say -on
this subject. In 1858 he said: "Those argu
ments that are made, that the inferior races are
to be treated with as much allowance as they
are capable of enjoying, that as much is to be
done for .them as their condition will allow
what are these arguments? They are the argu
ments that kings have made for the enslave
ment of the people in all ages of the world. You
will find that all the arguments in favor of king
craft were' of-this j class; they always bestrode the
necks of the people, not that they wanted' to" do
it but because the people are better off for being
ridden." Which was right, Abraham Lincoln or
Secretary Root? Is the republican party willing
to substitute the Root doctrine for the Lincoln
doctrine?
The issue is, a fundamental one. If we once
admit that any people are incapable of self-government
and that therefore they can justly be
governed from without "for their own good," of
cour.se, we abandon the doctrine of the Declara
tion of Independence we abandon the theory of
government which we have so carefully devel
oped for a century and a quarter and plant our
selves upon the ground occupied by kings and em
perors. JJJ
A SAMPLE
J. Pierpont Morgan is quoted in Town Topics
as saying that cities which try government own
ership will have keen and disastrous disappoint
ments. Has he never compared the cost of water
in the cities that have municipal plants and those
that permit private plants to furnish the water?
Lincoln, Neb., and Omaha are an illustration. In
Lincoln the city owns the plant. At Omaha a
private corporation supplies the water. Although
the water at Lincoln is drawn from wells and at
Omaha it is drawn from the river, water is fur
nished to the people of Lincoln at less than half
the price which the private company charges the
people of Omaha.
JJJ
"THE ALTERNATIVE IS GOVERNMENT OWN
ERSHIP" In his annual message President Roosevelt
eaid: "It is unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead of sharply
discriminating between those combinations which
do good and those combinations which do evil.
In the same message he said: "What we need is,
not vainly to try to prevent all combinations, but
to secure such rigorous and adequate control and
supervision of the combinations as to prevent
their injuring the public or existing in such form
as inevitably to threaten injury for the mere fact
that a combination has secured practically com
plete control of a necessary of life, would, under
any circumstances, show that such combination
was to be presumed to be adverse to the public
interest "
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recalls that in
,the Northern Securities case, Judge Thayer do
, ciared that a monopoly is a menace to the public
interests whether it actually exerts power to in
jure or not; that tho mere power, latent or actual,
is a menace. The Post Dispatch would like to
have President Roosevelt say how ho would ascer
tain whether a combination is good or evil. It
points out that tho experience of tho American
people is that combination tends Inevitably to
monopoly and public injury.
Then the Post-Dispatch concludes this some
what remarkable editorial in these words:
"Again, American experience in regula
tion and control is not encouraging. It has
proven itself a doubtful cure of a disease
' which might better have been prevented.
Combinations have been controlled to tho
extent of dissolution. But they recombine on
another basis and the same wrongs are com
mitted again and again. Moreover, tho ques
tion presses, will the government regulate
and control the good combines or will tho
good combines regulate and control the gov
ernment? The knavish resources of monop
oly scorn to be unlimited. Trust lawyers aro
fertile-witted men, and it is notorious that
some of the worst monopolies are well rep
resented in the government. Mr. Roosevelt
himself had experience of this when he sought
to procure the passage of tho rate bill and
the meat inspection bill. There is no middle
ground. Monopoly is an evil thing. There
is no good in it, and to permit it in any form
is to throw open the doors to every abuso of
irresponsible power. It must be crushed, not
tolerated and regulated. THE ALTERNA
TIVE IS GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP, which
Mr. Roosevelt professes to hold in special
horror. But if his views, as expressed in his
message, prevail, he will have done more than
any other single influence to drive the country
to that very issue'
The Post-Dispatch understands the situation.
There is, indeed, no middle ground. In the lan
guage of the Kansas City platform "a private
monopoly is indefensible and intolerable." Mon
opoly must be crushed and other corporations
not monopolies must he regulated. "The alterna
tive is government ownership." ,That is sub
stantially the opinion expressed by Mr. Bryan
in his Madison Square speech, for the giving of
which, if memory is not at fault, he .was criti
cized by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
JJJ
PARTICULARLY GREEDY ,
The senate has adopted a resolution intro
duced by Senator Hansbrough of North Dakota
directing the department of commerce and labor
to investigate the National Harvester company.
It looks as if justice would at last reach this
greedy combine. Success to the investigation.
JJJ
THE FARMERS' UNIONS
The growth of the Farmers' Union in the
southwest, and of the American Society ot
Equity in the central west, is an indication that
the farmers of the country are arousing to the
point of realizing tlie need of concerted acUon
in order to protect their industrial Interests. The
Farmers' Unions are being organized on the plans
of the modern trades union, and in many locali
ties aro affiliated with the local Federation of
Labor and have delegates in all meetings of that
body The union tradesman Insists that ne do
allowed some voice in the matter of deciding
what compensation he shall Teceive for his labor,
and the farmers who are joining In the union
movement are merely voicing the same demand.
Under present conditions the farmer is compelled
to sell his produce at the price fixed by tho
buver and at the same time is compelled to
purchase at the price fixed by the seller This
system, like the colored gentleman's coon trap,
"catches the farmer a-comin' an' a-gwine. It
is very much the same system as obtains in
financial circles. The bank bairns the option of
paying you In whatever form of money it elects,
and also claims the option of. telling you what
form of money you must pay the bank when you
discharge the obligation.
Very naturally the interests that have been
exploiting the farmers for generations aro be
ginning to denounce the new union as a "farmer a
trust" but this will deceive only those who dearly
five to be deceived. The farmers who are join
mr it-and they are joining in large numbers,
arl merely demanding some voice in the matter
of fixing the price at which they shall sell the
Product of their labor, and in order to make that
demand effective, they are organizing for mutual
projection and benefit. And as the workmen in
tho various trades have boon benefited by their
union organizations, just bo will tho farmers -bo
benoflted in proportion as thoy shall mako their
organizations strong, without being tyrannical,
and Bhall mako only thoso demands that aro
founded in common justico. Tho Farmers' Union
should grow in strongth and Influonco until it
practically Includes all thoso who livo by tilling
tho soil.
JJJ
KEEPING DOWN SILVER
A Des Moines, la., reader of Tho Commonor
writes. "I enclose a copy of tho Capital of this
city, edition of tho 13th, with two marked items
of telegraphic news. On page one Is an Horn from
New York City, reporting tho presence of Secre
tary Shaw in that city, and Wall Street under
standing of tho purpose of his visit. On pago
eight Is an item from Washington City, that Sec
retary Shaw has refused all offers of sale of
silver bullion at 72 cents bocauso ho considers tho
price too high. For moro than forty years this
country has been a largo exporter of silver buK
lion, and in the last ton years tho exports of
silver bullion have exceeded the imports by moro
than $200,000,000. It matters not what tho prico
of bar silver has been for n flno ounce, wo havo
been steady and largo exporters, yet Secretary
Shaw, who poses as being In favor of protection
of Amerlcnn industries, exerts himself to tho
limit of his opportunity to boar tho prico of ono
of our great industries, and the basis of tho
wealth of a largo number of our peoplo In all tho
western states, and at tho same moment he is
reported as being in Wall street watching to
protect the financial interests of tho clique con
trolling it. I havo before mo the American Al
manac and Year Book giving the annual imports
and exports of s'lvor bullion and see that my
statement of $200,000,000 excess of' exports
during tho past ten years is much too .toy.
Would not Secretary Shaw bo moro consistent
if he. would lend a helping hand to all our in-'
dustrlcs rather than the favored few?"
In all our history tho silver metal has taken
care of Itself whenever given half a show. In
every instance of favorable legislation tho price
has gone higher. It needed but the announce
ment.that he secretary of the treasury would,
enter the market for the purposo of buying silver,
to majco a marked increaso in tho markoC prico
of the metal. It would not, however, servo tho
purposes of the money trust to permit silver to
go so high as to remove, oven In the consideration
of tho blindest of men, tho "fifty-cent dollar argu
ment." The republican party is "a great friend
of home industry," but, as pointed out by tho
Des Moines reader, It habitually antagonizes ono
of America's greatest Industries. This Is not at
all strange, however, now that we know that
while republican loaders had much to say in pro
test against what they called a "fifty-cent dollar"
they are now paving the way for Imposing asset
currency upon the American peoplo and asset
currency means a no-cent dollar.
JJJ
"BLESS EVERYBODY"
A curly head bowed on my knee,
A little form all clad in white,
Two dimpled hands clasped reverently
And God receives the last "Goodnight! '
No hour so solemn, none so sweet,
No scene of Innocence so fair
As this, when Faith and Childhood meet
And know each other in a prayer.'
Not blessings born of men she asks
Petitions for herself alone
Not countless treasures, easy tasks,
A harvest reaped, though nothing sown;
Not happiness nor length of days,
Nor peace nor pleasure is tho plea
Not even for a mother's praise,
However sweet it seem to be.
For those she loves this little child
In tender accents intercedes, .
As if our hearts were reconciled
To make contentment of our needs.
A blessing on each one of kin,
And then Love's banner all unfurl d,
As if to take Creation In
"Bless Everybody In tho world!"
Bless all the world? O gentle heart,
That throbs not with one selfish thrill,
That Isolates no soul apart,
Forbodes no living creature ill;
The incense from thy altar place
High in the clouds is wreathed and curl d,
To bear the message of thy grace
To "everybody in the world!"
W. P. H., in Ohio Magazine.
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