St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-06
Polls Open at 6 and Close at 8.
THE FIGHT FOR SELF.
Mr.. Doubieday's Great Problem
Discussed at Length.

the communication which you pub.
lished in the GLOBE written by Mr..
Doubleday. He touches on problem
which is being turned over in the minds
of many earnest, thoughtful citizens
wi til intense energy; and we may well
believe that upon the conclusions
reached in those minds depends i'll
certain measure the future of our coun-
try. Will you then kindly per-
nit me to venture, without any
assumption of authoritative knowl-
edge on matters SO important and pro-
found, to add few remarks? / doubt
not that the writer referred to repre-
sentS an immense number Of our cltl-
zens who put forth in their own minds
the same query as he does, but are yet
awaiting some satisfactory = answer to
their thoughts. An exchange of ideas,
eondu cted in the moderate, gentlemanly
and wholly imperSonal manner of which
he sets such an admirable but unfortu-
nately rare example, is perhaps never
without its good and lasting frui in
some quarter. Did | not at least hope
SO, should waste no time over heSe
lines.
l have been impressed with the
thought that Mr.. Doubleday sees and
dIISlt MlGII uO COIlCluuCS. A0S 4
understand him) from the extent ana
magnitude of the patent evils which lie
points Out-evils all the more striking
in country of the we'll nigh unlimited
natural resources and immense area f
these United States-that the mere eX =
iStence of a protective tariff is not su +
ficient to account for them or solely e.
Sponsible for them. In other words, ma y
we not conclude justly that We ar n
considering no mere question OF poiltl-N
Cal economy: but that state OF affairs
so universal as he shows it to be exist
ing in all parts of our country aud
affecting indiscriminately all classes of
its population, and by which 96 per
cent of the inhabitants are seemingly
placed at the disposal Of the remaining
per cent: that such state of affairs
must have a common or first cause
equally universal. and Of sufficient force
or power to produce such direful effects?
understand the gentleman to possess
a mind expansive enough to grasp this
great idea; and with h' arty sympathy
place myself by his side OF a ground of
inquiry so worthy of dt ep thought and
earnest study. Alone could not hope
to get very far in such study; but with
the aid of his suggestions we may reach
OOlllC IOl ttS1NS
with him in a desire to rise above all
secondary causes to the. one great de-
feet or first cause which is to blame for
so strange a canker in the very heart of
so fair and promising land.
Now, assuming the truth of all his
facts, which | am in no way DESTROYS of
diSputing or minimizing, it asSuredly is
of paramount Importance to discover
the true effective and universal cause,
if there be one; and then we could hope
to be in better position for seeking
out remedy equally effective and uni
verSal: remedy powerful enough to
neutraliZe and overthrow SO powerful a
cause.
First, then, we unite in asking: What
is the true cause OF the evils stated as
existing here?
BY way of suggestion would ask an
other question. Can we separate the
physical or material from the in
tellectual or spiritual part in treating of
man? For example. can we consider a
pendent of his thoughts, or his thoughts
as entirely without connection with his
deeds? If man carries on plan of
action in commerce or in agricult-
that simply as material mat
ter, independent of his intelli-
gence and will? Surely not. In
so doing our conclusions must neces-
sarily be worthless and devoid of all
practical value or utility. You may not
see the object of all this, but what de-
sire to illustrate and suggest as first
principle in our study is that the nth
just stated in regard to the individual
man holds equally true in regard to a
community or entire people. Society is
only combination, as it were, of indi-
vidual men, and just as the individual
man is composed of mind and matter,
which, when acting in harmony
make the perfect man, so society is
made up of combined intelligence or
mind, united with combined bodies or
matter: and just as the intelligence in
the individual man must rule the body,
so the mental or intellectual faculties
combined in society must rule the ma
terial. If then we find certain seemingly
material or ply steal evils existing in
society, or certain combinations which
seem injurious to men, we can safely
conclude that it is caused by some false
principles or some faulty application of
true principles by men.
Now | venture to assert that the evils
which the communication referred to
describes are the result of disregard
of principles of right and justice be-
tween man and man. Are we likely to
differ as to the fact that our evils come
from want of principle in man? In the
case of the owner Of the mine what is
there to cause him to cease his oppres-
sion of the miner on the one hand, or
his forcing Of prices on the other? Is
not his one thought and aim to care for
self, and not for his fellow man? l
sincerely think that we are on the
verge of a great discovery. though
perhaps by no means new
one, viz, that expressions or injustices
are the results either of an imperfectly
or wrongly-developed intelligence, or
rather of a wrong motive for our actions.
Man is possessed of will power; and the
great universal cause of all injustice or
oppression | claim to be in the use or
misuse of his will. The principle that
might makes right prevails to-day as
1t did in the days when the populace
were slaves and the few ruled. The
per cent rule the GO per cent by virtue
of superior talents and the assertion of
self as the one end Of life on this earth.
Now if this be true, how, would ask.
are the &c per cent to free themselves
from the oppression Of the per cent?
1t may be answered: BY the enactment
of just laws. But what constitutes a
just law; or how are we to make our
opinion of what is just prevail over
powerful interests which we have no
means of resisting? Mere force of
numbers evidently does not suffice; for
ancient peoples remained enslaved for
centuries despite their complaints; and
if they threw off one combination of OPP
pTessors it was simply an exchange to
another.
1t may be said that there are certain
generally recognized principles of JUS
tice and human rights which all should
obey. Granting this, the fact still re-
mains that those rights are set at naught,
and money and INSCRIPTIONS talent rule
the people.
From all this I conclude that virtuous
men alone will respect the rights of
their fellow men, and only the virtuouS
man can make the good citizen. A
training, then, in virtue and sound prin-
ciple is essential to good citizenship:
and the very fact of the existence in
this country of the evils which we de-
plore is preof conclusive that