Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-03-07

An Interesting Letter from Across the
Water.

An Interesting Letter from Across the
Water.
Prof. Porter Sherman, one of the
pioneers of Kansas, and long identified d
with our educational institutions,
writes from Leipzig, Germany, to his
home paper, the Wyandott Herald, the
following interesting letter:
Professor William Roscher, of the
university of Leipzig. by common con-
sent stands at the head of living poll
tical economists. He is the best repre-
sentative of what is known as the
historical school as opposed to the
philosophical school of Adam Smith.
There is no material opposition between
these schools. They both look at the
same facts from different standpOints,
both of which standpoints are neces-
sary to full understanding of the sub
ject. In the field of economies history
is prominently philosophy teaching by
examples. Professor Roscher accord
ingly does not reject Smith, Ricardo,
Matthews and Mill, but only supple
ments them. He holds that no hard
and fast rule can be laid down that
will tit all peoples, places and times
without exceptions; that all true pro-
gress (Fortschritt) consists not only In
the discovery and application of the
new but much more in sloughing off
and leaving behind the old and worn.
1t is simply the doctrines of evolution,
which has solved SO many riddles else
where applied in the field of economics.
The evolution of society is accomplish
ed by grdualIy letting go the obsolete
and useless by wise and timely legisla-
ton, or by bloody revolutions. The
latter we are to celebrate in Paris next
summer. The former is abundantiy
exemplified in the history of England.
England has lasted SO long because her
rulers know when to bend, says Lord
Brougham. The progress at whatever
cost is sure to come. This is the teach
ing of history.
PROTECTION AND FREE TRADE.
But what does Professor Roscher say
of protection tariffs and free tradeY
He has lived and written and taught
under strong centralized govern
ment, where an intense spirit of ma
tionality, still more intensified by the
Franco Prussion war, has taught the
people to despise everything not Ger
man, and where protection consequent
ly in an exaggerated form has been the
rule. He must, therefore, be pro-
tectionist, since no man can rise
superior to his age and country. Not
at all. There are no protectionist
political economists. He says to both
free traders and protectionists: "A
plague O. both your houses You are
both wrong. No hard and fast rule
can be laid down in the premises. 1t
is wholly a question of time and place
and circumstances. His lectures
under this head remind me much of
President Cleveland's message which
lost him a reelection. ut is not at all
question between protection and free
trade, but a question whether the peo-
pie are to he taxed beyond the needs of
government, and if not whether the
retrenchment in taxation is to be made
in the necessaries Of life or in luxuries. -
President Cleveland said take the taxes
off the necessaries of life, ndulost the
election on that single issue.
Professor Roscher, with President
Cleveland, favors taxing luxurles even
at the cost of 1.-The surrender of some
part of our protective SYSTEM If the
circumstances are such that the public
interest is not promoted by the existing
tariff it is to be modified as the case
may require. If it can be shown for
example that the protection of any
private interest is hostile to the public
interest the private interest must yield.
And in case Of the United States to say
one private interest after another is to
be dropped from the ''pool' till every
man is obliged to earn his own living
and not look to the state for the same
that is to other people, all except, OF
course, paupers and kings. These art
privileged classes and stand together
on the same platform and look to the
state for support.
CAPITALISM AND CONMUNISN,
When in a country the class of mod.
crate wealth has disappeared, and the
whole nation has become divided into
a few excessively rich and numberless
extremely poor, we have what Is called
plutOcracy. Such condition OF
society las all the hardness and none