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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1901)
f ' 4 , 'Cbe Conservative * 9 which attempt to force abnormal value , demand condom- Combination nation , as they re- . vs. tard a natural Co-operation. operation of natural law , and will ultimately fail. Combinations formed for the individual and indepen dent development of character and skill , or for economy of production , have reason to exist. At this point they cease to be combinations , .technically , and develop into co-operations. Magnitude or great wealth is no argu ment against commercial association. Retribution , resultant upon the trans gression of natural law is sure and effective and , therefore , no permanent fear of combination of any character lias a moral right to exist. Great emphasis is placed upon the ne cessity of bridging the chasm which exists , personally , A Social Chasm , between employer and employee. This is not an unexpected or abnormal condition , as the multiplicity of labor divisions and modern extensions of in dustries have forced a condition more rapidly than it could effectively be met. Some substitution of the primitive social relationship , between the two commercial forces , is now necessary. The cultivation of good fellowship and co-operation is suggested , but profit-sharing is given as the neces sary final outcome. Combinations of labor with labor , and capital with capi tal should be destroyed , and the two parts which moke the unit , capital and labor , should combine and co-operate. Upon this basis , can capital and labor be unified. They are already in harmony , as inharmony would have prevented the immense production of wealth , so evi dent everywhere. "The Economy of Humanism" will have earned an enduring popularity and respect if its teach- Governmental ingsalong the line Arbitration. of governmental arbitration can be realized. " " The freedom of individual contract is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Therefore , it should be denied , that any force , outside of voluntary and mutual concession , has a vestige of authority to fix the price of labor. Compulsory arbitration is a curse. Conciliation is better and harmony with natural law is ideal. To what extent a state shall properly interfere with industrial freedom is a perplexing conun- Economic drum. It is ad- Legislation. ' mitted that a local natural monopoly , such as the providing of water and light , if not operated by the municipal ity , ought , at least , to be firmly regula ted by it. This , then , is one introduc tion of legislative privilege into com mercial life. Mr. Wood suggests , first , that no leg islature ought to interfere with any enterprise which can be as efficiently carried on by private control , and , second end , that the question of prices , rates , wages and hours should be left to the natural regulation of free and untrammeled - meled conditions. The threatening evil of the present time is excessive econo mic regulation. Excessive ratesreferring to railroads , as on instance , will fail because - cause of the approach of a gradual under standing among the managers of rail road organizations , that a large traffic at a normal rate is more desirable than a restricted traffic at an exorbitant tariff. In the matter of a working day , it is ingeniously intimated that both rich and poor are endowed equally in respect of time. Time is the poor man's capi tal , in a greater degree than the rich. Therefore , an appeal for shorter hours is , virtually , a request for the diminu tion of labor's capital. Legislation , fixing the frequency of pay-days is equally as antagonistic to economic principles as the instance given above. The prevalence of alien ideas , pater nalistic sentiments and liberty experi enced here , in compari- Dependence , son with native restrio- Poverty and tions , not only tends Socialism. toward making for eigners a dependent class , but tends toward a rapid dissemi nation of such ideas among the illiterate American born. American character must be strengthened in weak places , must be taught and infused. Poverty cannot be alleviated or de stroyed by advertising - its misery , neither vice. Exploitation renders them inevitable in the popular mind. Charity must be temperate and prac tical , and not intemperate and extrava gant. The law of supply and demand applies equally as well to charity as to any other social or commercial condi tion. The greatest boon to the depend ent is practical encouragement , com mencing at that point in every man which is commendable. Socialism cannot possibly solve any existing difficulty , for socialism depends upon legislatures , and is not only con trary to natural law , but will ultimately fail. Ideality can never be realized by legislation. It may be assisted , but , in most instances , it is retarded. Capital and labor are already in har mony , as stated above , but there is a prevalent belief Harmony. that they are in discord. Merely a social misunderstanding prev ents the greatest degree of har mony between them. They are in harmony because necessity demands it , and not because of a mutual desire. The mutual desire for closer relation should be stimulated by teaching inter dependence , cooperation and profit sharing. The great desideratum of an ideal cur- renoy is steadiness. A constant shifting - ' ing of public senti- Money , ment destroys oonfi- Coinage and donee , and a destruc- Tariff's. tion of confidence leads to commercial collapse. A .system , once tried and found ade quate , even though it be faulty in parts , is more desirable than the introduction of a financial plan , the mere suggestion of which , destroys confidential rela tions. A very unsatisfactory feature of such questions is , that they are made partisan policies , and , in a large measure , parti san belief deadens the free and unob structed opportunity for dispassionate thought and unbiased study. This is also true of the question of tariffs and protection. All tariffs are articificial , and all'are , in a measure , hindrances to the free courses of trade and commerce. Whether or not a tem porary obstruction to trade is beneficial to native interests , is suggested as"a theme for experience , rather than a subject for partisan and theoretical dis putation. The intricacies of the tariff question , would , under normal conditions , render the selection of an intelligent and 'non- partisan board , a splendid substitution of the present methods of making and changing tariff schedules , and , even then , it would be doubtful whether all the complex interests of commerce would be satisfied. Mr. Wood also treats lightly upon the evolution of the modern railroad , the abuses of corporate Conclusion. management , and the , _ result of social experi ments in Australasia. Undoubtedly , this work will do more towards the ultimate consolidation of all present crude , conditions , than any which has appeared for some time past. The book is well and strongly written. It is concise , practical and temperate. It is sociological in its nature , and , undoubtedly , sociology embodies the solution , of the industrial problems of today. STATE EXPERIMENTAL STATION. The New York State Experimental Station will have a splendid exhibit at the Pan-American Exposition. In the fruit department there will be 281 var ieties of apples , 89 of currants , 105 of gooseberries , 150 of plums and 56 of cherries. Mr. S. D. Willard , of Geneva , who has in hand the work of collecting the exhibit , says he believes it will be a complete and elaborate one in every particular. There has been alloted for it 8,000 square feet of floor space , and more has been asked for. The commissioners are arranging to have the exhibit conform to the time of production , beginning with strawber riesand continuing on with all the small fruits , until the time of closing "the exposition. . . - > * rv
