The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-11-27
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Ingersoll Oh hb'rty of tbs Pody.
Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll is such an inter
esting personality in this country that people
delight to read about him, and whatever he has
TO say either in some of tho great monthlies or
from the lecture platform usually commands
attention. This fact viii justify a reference to
q lecture recently delivered by the colonel in
Chicago, on The Liberty of the Body
What mean by the lib erty of the body"
SAID the speaker rs to give to every man what
he earns with his own hands. And this great
question OF division has to be settled in the
United states. Capital takes too much; labor
gets too little. Labor Will not always live in
hut with capital in a palace. Flesh and blood
are more sacred than gold, and the time will
come when the law Will see that every man mas
the right TO life. liberty, and the pursuit. not
only OF happiness, but the right to catch some
OF it before he dies. 1 want TO live until find
an aristocracy of intelligence; aristocracy
OF heart and BRAIN lam sick of the old kind.
L want liberty for every man. 1 do not believe
in the law Of supply and demand as applied to
flesh and blood. If they who toll cannot have
some OF the good things OF this world, then do
not want anybody to have them.
All this is very pretty paper; and even
there it doubtless reflects the kindness OF the
Colonel's heart; but now it is all to be intro
duced into practical life and actually made
reality? There's the rub 1t is easy to say
that in the division of profits arising from the
investment OF capital and the application of
| labor capital takes to much; labor gets too
little;' but how are we to adjust matters SO
that capital will be satisfied with less and
labor secure more? It doubtless took with the
galleries-to which the colonel talks fire.
auently-when he said, Labor will not always
live in a hut with capital in palace" A pleas
ant prophecy, but how shall it be brought 10
passy viii capital build palaces for labor?
Labor, unless it shall be given magic power,
can never builda palace for Itself while any
thing like existing circumstances continue. IL
would help laoor none to destroy the palaces in
which capital now lives. Flesh and blood are
more sacred than gold.' True, o, Colonel,
especially to philanthropist OF political tenn
perment; and yet both flesh and blood
in practical affairs OF life are daily bought
with gold and there is no just proper
tion either between the gold and the flesh and
| blood it buys. THE time will come when the
law win see that every man has the right TO
| life, liberty and the pursuit, not only OF happi-
ness, but the right to catch some OF it before
he dies" On wonderful law, Blessed legisla-
toni Where will your SoLoN be then, 0.
Athensy Where your LUXURIOUS, O, Spata?
Turn green for envy, all ye statesman of past
! generations, the time is coming when Iegs-
lators will arise who viii legislate the people
| into happiness. Does the colonel squint at so
cialism in this?
| II want TO live until find an aristocracy OF in.
telllgence; an aristocracy OF brain and heart.
Why, colonel so do we all-all desire long
life, but in this you beg Almost for
Immortality sick OF the old kindr So are
| a -
colonel? "I do not believe in the law of supply
and demand as applied to flesh aud blood
that is, as applied to labor. Yet colonel, the
cold fact confronts us, disagreeable as it may
seem. cruel as it sounds when put in your pc
culiarly taking phraseology-the cold fact con
fronts us that labor. flesh and blood" has to
take it's chances in the markets of this country
and of the world upon the basis OF supply and
demand; ard the wisdom OF statesmen and
philanthropists have struggled in vain TO place
it on any other basis Have you anything prac-
teal to offer on the subject, colonelg
| If they who toll cannot have some Of the
| good things OF the world. then l do not want
anybody to have them. What shall we do
then, colonel: If the game don't so to suit US,
kick over the play house and walk away in
disgust? Since we cannot have the wealth
distributed as our sense of Justice would think
stroy the wealth SO that nobody shall have it?
All, no, colonel; you don't mean that Such
Conduct would be contrary to your own manly
/ character The exuoerance OF your splendid
oratory carried you into one OF your fine poetic
moods when you strung together these SEN
| fences which reveal the tenderness of your
heart. your real aud honest sympathy with the
unfortunate among mapklnd-but alas colonel
while all you have said here is beautiful. you
| fail to tell us how 10 attain it. That being
the case of what use are your well turned
phrases. They are but empty sounds signify
ing nothing.
The world is wide, colonel no denying that.
Things seem not just right; but human wisdom
SO far has proved itself incompetent to bring to
pass tho changes necessary to produce even
what we can conceive human happiness ought
TO be; and you wish your splendid talents
have pursuaded hosts of people to believe there
is no higher power than human intelligence to
regulate these things, you crush out the hopes
that there viii be any material change for the
better. It's world that has gone wrong,
colonel, and 1t requires the wisdom and power
OF God to set it right. But you ridicule the
idea OF there being God, you scof at religion,
and mock its sancity. The very means that
would best produce, and in fact which only can
produce the conditions in society and govern
ment you desire TO see, you cast aside.
Belief in and reverence for GOD, together with
e belief in mans immortality and moral re-
sponsibility to GoD are the basic principles
upon which reforms can best be founded.
To this foundation even Colonel ING ERsoLL
must turn if he would see labor paid more and
capital content with less; capital in a more
humble home, labor IN o better one; flesh and
blood more sacred than gold;" man not only in
pursuit OF happiness. but actually catching
some of it before he dies: see an aristocracy
based on intelligence-heart and brain, ana
they who toll get some OF the good things OF this
| life.