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The Commoner
AUGUST, 1919
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The Angle of Repose
Kcb individual can contribute a part by in--rmir
his own value to his country, because
,1 taken together, constitute tho nation. In
nrnnortion as each one can be strong in body
he raises the average of physical strength; in
nortton a8 ne can 06 stroug m wmu, no iuibbd
tho intellectual standard of the nation; in pro-
attitude of the church has been explained hv thrt
influence exerted upon the church by larwom
tZT Iieadoff corporations. The cnurch
tt to make America better?. There are the aidn nf inSS?T v-l0 .. Ita ,n(Iucnco on
HoWJ." m? rnnderinir assistance in this line. lS?u?Mor hl supporting tho demand for
i "u"uy on aaturuay, as tho declaration
In favor of a forty-four hqur week contemplates.
if laboring men are able to use Saturday
afternoon for amusements, it will be easier to
devote Sunday to .spiritual development. Tho
church should aid in securing for tho wage
earners this extra time, in order that tho claims
of the church may bo the stronger on Sunday.
Prohibition, too, will aid tho church In its ap
peal to the masses, for tho abs&nco of tho saloon
not only eliminates a counter lnfluonco, but
loaves thoso who were formerly inclined to
drink more susceptible by religious influences.
I have left for the. last, tho issue botwoon
private monopoly and government ownorship, nn
issue which relates directly to tho tolegraph
quostion, the telephone question and tho rail
way question. These three problems will require
time for their solution, or rather for tho spread
of information necessary to solution. A private
monopoly is indefensible and intolerable.
Wherever competition is impossible and a mo
nopoly, therefore, necessary, it must bo a gov
ernment monopoly, administered for tho benefit
of all the people, and not a private monopoly,
administered for tho benefit of a few. A private
monopoly Is economically wrong, because it de
stroys all incentives to improvement. It is pol
itically dangerous, becau3o it builds up a vast
financial' interest hostile to popular government.
The monopolist is not willing to trust tho people
with the making of laws because he knows they
would protect themselves from the greed of mo
nopolists. It also creatosaclass,discouraged,if not
made desperate, by the injustice done by private
monopoly. Victor Hugo says that "the mob Is
tho human race in misery". We cannot afford to
allow people to bo made miserable by being
made tho victims of injustice. As the mosquito
carries tho germ of yellow fever in its bite, so
the" plutocrat carries tho germ of revolution in
his bite. It is a3 necessary to destroy the breed
ing place of private monopoly the breeding
place of plutocracy, as it Is to destroy tho brood
ing place of the mosquito.
If the federal government can efficiently man
age the Postofflce system, it ought to be ablo to
-add a few telegraph lines and run them in con
nection with tho Postofflce department.
If a city can conduct a water system and an
electric light system successfully, it ought to bo
able to conduct a telephone exchange, and con
nect with the outside world through long dis
tance telephone lines oyned and operated by the
federal government.
And so with the railroad system, which
partakes so much of the nature of a monopoly
that it cannot much longer remain in private
hands. If tho federal government will acquire
and operate a system of trunk lines reaching
into each state, and making each state inde
pendent by giving it an outlet for its products
and an inlet for its purchases, the state govern
ments can acquire and operate the other rail
roads within their borders, thus giving to the
public the advantage of government ownership,
without the dangers of centralization. I believe
these questions will never reach their Angle of
Repose until the principle of private monopoly
is eliminated and government ownership sub
stituted. We should all try to make America
better, but our desire for the triumph of the
truth should be greater than our desire for the
triumph of that which we think to bo the truth,
if we are, In fact, mistaken. If every person will
study public questions, and then give to his
'country tho benefit of his judgment and con
science, discussion will enable us to compare
ideas and select that which is best. Tho virtue
and Intelligence of the Amorican people can be
trusted to decide every question right when the
question is understood. W. J. BRYAN.
The man who worried a great deal because
he was afraid his soldier son might marry some
French or German girl is now communing in the
shade with the one who was fearful that the
hnvB mliclit learn to love Europe so well that
Ew "ouldnot want to come back. The Foolish
peara club has the largest membership in the
world.
The man who is giving the most realistic per
formance of going away back and sitting down
L the one who loudly proclaimed that the end
ng of the war would bring lower prices. -
.nnrtion as he can be strong in mind, he raises
. .1 t 'rvfl rtrtsttri 1 ltr oi! Una
nnrtion as ne can ua - ovwv io
hleh moral standards, he helps to raise the
social and moral standards of the nation. But,
na the people are especially interested in giving a
nation-wide impulse toward needed changes and
a more perfect brotherhood, I beg to submit the
Wlien I visited the Panama Canal a few. years
ago I went through tho Culebra Cut with one
of the government engineers, and, noticing a
recent slido, asked when the slides would cease.
Ho answered, "When tho sides of the cut reach
their angle of repose". It was. a new phrase,
but seemed both euphonious and descriptive;
the beauty and force Of the phrase have- grown
upon me as the words have again and. again
been recalled.
Tho Anglo of Repose is tho thing that we aro
all seeking. -Tho individual labors and saves,
not so much from anxiety to be rich, as from a
desire to provide comfort for himself and loved
ones when his power to earn has ceased; he is
seeking tho Angle of Repose. And, so, in public
llfo we are trying to put the problems of gov
ernment and society in a position where they
will no longer disturb the public. We are trying
to settle them, and they will be settled only
when thoy reach their Angle of Repose.
Just now wo are interested in the establish
ment of the "League of Nations" in order to
end war. Heretofore there has been no suffi
cient machinery for peace, The League of Na
tions provides such machinery, .arid the sup
porters of the League of Nations believe that
the machinery which it provides will ' be suffi
cient to settle any international disputes that
may hereafter arise, and, thus, make the war
out of which we have come the last war to
redden this old earth with blood. If by any
possibility the proposed League of" Nations
should not bo established, or, if established,
should fail to fulfill the hopes which it has
excited, the agitation will continue until some
other plan is found to prevent var and then
tho war question will reach its Angle of Ropose.
But we have many domestic problems.
The profiteer is abroad in" the land, and hi3
presence will be an irritating factor until he is
driven out of the country and the door closed
against him. This can be done only by providing
machinery in nation, state and local community,
sufficient to deal with every attempted wrong.
The government, . having taken from each in
dividual his club, is in duty bound to protect
the disarmed citizen from every. arm uplifted
for his injury.
The labor question has not yet reached its
Angle of Repose. " Much progress has been made
during the last twenty years government by
injunction has been abolished; tho eight-hour
flay has been secured, and labor has been dis
tinguished from things inanimate, but much re
mains to be done. Wages are generally con
sidered in connection with tho cost of living,
least minimum wages are. There ought to be
K I1?6113 of ascertaining the weekly or, at
east, the monthly fluctuation in the price level
oi He necessaries of life, so that wages can be
justed to increased cost of living without de
Si i wIth0Ut arousing antagonism-between
capital and labor.
winlUt'ino,purely mechanical method of dealing
totVifo le abor Question can ever be entirely
hon! 7;. notline ut the spirit of brother
hnrL ,n brmg employer and employee into the
narmoniou8 relationship that should exist, vand
t on ? cxist' if e are to have the co-opera-ress
SeSBar f or steady and continuous prog
interoi ent1Dloyer must recognize the laborer's
should i m om and family, and the laborer
anxietiaa ! chance to learn something of the
bears nn? employer, and the burdens he
quaint e Jshould be a more intimate ac
them Snd a better understanding between
Wthv i Vorgive them for tbey tow not
inRs in Z ' exPlaIns many misunderstand-
too littip S? ?, BOmetimos accused of having
ue sympathy for those who tpil, and the
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Franco -American
Treaty
In hla moaaago transmitting tho proposed
treaty with France to tho senate, July 29, Vtm
Idont Wilson said:
"Gontlomon of tho Senate: I take pleasure In
laying boforo you a treaty with tho Itopubllc of
Franco, tho object of which la to secure that
republic tho immodiato aid of tho United States
of America in caso of any unprovokod move
ment of aggression ngainst her on tho part of
Gormany. I oarnostly hopo that tho treaty will
moot with your cordial approval and will rc
coivo an early ratification at your hands, along
with tho troaty of poaco with Gormany. Now
that you havo had nn opportunity to examine
tho great documont I presented to you two
weeks ago, It seems opportuno to lay boforo you
this treaty, which is meant to bo In ofToot a
part of it.
"It was signed on tho same day with the
treaty of peaoo and is Intended as a temporary
supplement to it. It Is believed that tho treaty
of poaco witli Germany itsolf provides adoquato
protection to Franco against aggression from
hor rocont oncmy on the east; but tho yoara
immediately ahoad of us contain many incalcul
able possibilities. The covenant of tho League
of Nations provides for military action for tho
protection of Its members only upon advice of
the council of tho leaguo advice given, it is
presumed, only upon deliberation and acted
upon by each of the governments of tho mombor
states only if its own Judgmont Justifies such
action.
"Tho object of tho special treaty with Franco
which I now submit to you is to provido for
immediato military assistance to Franco by Mie,
United Statos in case of any unprovoked move
ment of aggression against her by Germany
without waiting for the advice of tho council of
tho League of Nations that such action will bo
taken. -It is to bo an arrangement, not inde
pendent of tho League of Nations, but under It.
"It is therefore expressly provided that this
treaty shall bo made the subject of considera
tion at tho same time with the treaty of peace
with Germany, that this special arrangeraont
shall recoivc tho approval of the council of the
league, and that this special provision for the
safoty of Franco shall remain In force only un
til, upon tho application of one of tho parties
to it, tho council of tho league, acting, If nccos
sary, by a majority vote, shall agree that the
provisions of tho covenant of tho leaguo afford
to her sufficient protection.
"I was moved to sign this treaty by considera
tions which will, I hope, seem as persuasive an'd
as irresistible to you as thoy scorned to mo. We
are bound to Franco by ties of friendship which
we have always regarded, and shall always re
gard, as peculiarly sacred. She assisted us to
win our freedom as a nation. It is seriously to
be doubted whether wo could have won It with
out her gallant and tlmoly aid.
"Wo havo recently had the privilege of assist
ing In -driving enemies", who were, also enemies
of the world, from her soil; but that does not
pay our debt to her. Nothing can pay such a
dobt. She. now desires that we should promise
to lend our great force to keep her safe against
tho power she has had most reason to fear.
Another great nation volunteers tho same
promise.
"It is ono of tho fine reversals of history that
that other nation should be the very power from
whom Franco fought to set us free. A new clay
has dawned. Old antagonisms are forgotten.
The common cause of freedom and enlighten
ment has created new comradeships and a new
perception of what it is wise and necessary for,
great nations to do to free the world of intoler
able fear. Two governments who wish to be
members of the League of Nations ask leave of
the council of the league to be permitted tc go
'to the assistance of a friend whose situation has
been found to bo one of peculiar peril, without
awaiting the advice of the league to act.
"It Is by taking such pledges as this that we
prove ourselves faithful to the utmost to the
high obligations of gratitude and tested frj(end
ship. Such an act as this seeni to me one. oiL
the proofs that we are a people that sees the
true heart of duty and prefers honor to its own
separate course of peace.
"WOODHOW WILSON."
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