Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-04-26
THE PROBLEM OF THE AGE.

Is 1t Possible to Replace IndividualIsm
Upon an Equitable Basis or Must Social
Ism Intervene7
1t used to be a common saying in this
country that the sons of the poor of
one generation were the rich men of
the next, and vice versa. This was
once true to considerable extent.
The sons of rich men would frequently
become reckless and dissipated, and
would run through with the wealth
accumulated by their fathers. In other
cases the sons of rich men were brought
up in ease and luxury, not receiving the
necessary training for successful busi-
ness life, and were not able to hold
their own against the sons of poor men
trained to habits of thrift, industry and
economy.
But the country has entered a new
industrial era. The rule of former
times is now the exception. The rule
to-day is that the rich men of this gen.
Grafton are the sons of the rich men of
the last generation, while the poor of
to-day inherited their poverty.
The idea once SO prevalent in this
country that the poor boy had an equal
opportunity with the son of the million
aire to win wealth, fame and position
has lost its old place in the hearts and
hopes of the masses. The people are
gradually falling into two classes, or
castles, the rich and the poor. Gradual
ly are wealth and position ceasing to
be the reward of superior industry, in
tegrity and economy. The counterpart
is also true. Poverty is gradually
ceasing to be result of faults and fol-
lies on the part of individuals. OF
course there are still exceptions to this
rule, but unless great changes are made
in our industrial system, these excep-
tions will grow fewer in number as the
years pass by, and the division of Amer
lean society into the two castles of rich
and poor will finally be rs well defined
and complete as it is in any of the coun-
tries of the old world.
We have not far to look for the cause
of this change. 1t results partly from
the increased power of organized
wealth, and partly from the increased
accumulation of debts. On account of
the great inventions and discoveries of
the past forty years, the machinery of
production and transportation has nee
essarily fallen into the hands of rich
men. Poor men with small capital are
unable to successfully compete, because
rich men with large capital can take
advantage Of improvements in machin-
cry and methods which only large cap
ital can command. Competition is de-
stroyed, except between the rich, and
they, being few in number, find it easy
to substitute fruitful combination for
ruinous competition. Hence competi-
ton is virtually banished, and monopoly
reigns in its stead.
Again, within the past forty years
debts have accumulated to an appalling
extent. The debts are in the form of
government bonds, state, county, city
and district bonds, bonds of railroads.
and other corporations, and mortgages
on the farms and homes of the people.
To such an extent have debts accumu-
lated that the grand total in this coun-
try probably equals If not exceeds one
half the actual wealth in the country.
These evidences of debt as a rule draw
interest at rates much higher than the
earnings of labor and capital will justi-
y
more than the current increase of
wealth. The end of each year finds the
toiling millions as whole poorer than
at the beginning. while the end of
each year finds the idle debt owners as
a whole richer.
Our economic system has developed
into gigantic machine which works
with clock-like precision to produce
the results already mentioned. 1t is
vain for any individual to resist the
power of this machine. It is idle for
any individual to think that he can es-
cape its influence. Itaffects all, whether
rich, well-to-do or poor.
There is but one remedy for this evil
tendency; there is but one hope for
modern civilization-for the intelli-
gent, patriotic masses to grapple with
the evil through the agency of govern
ment.
The choice of means and methods to
be employed constitutes the greatest
practical problem that human mind was
ever called upon to solve.
The general form this problem now
takes is this: Can the people through
the agency of government crush this
economic machine, and restore the old
system of competition and individual
ism under which every man can take
the place In society to which his mer-
its entitle him, or must the people as a
whole become the owners and opera
tors of this machine, and transform IL
into an engine of production and dis
tribution for the good of the whole
people?
More briefly stated the question is
one between an attempt to restore in
dividualism, and an attempt to adopt
nationalism.
The reform forces at present are di-
vided. The platforms of the alliance
and peoples party contemplate action
on both lines; for instance, they call for
government ownership of railroads "a
step toward nationalism), and the aboli-
ton of trusts ian attempt to restore in
diyidualism). 1t is likely that the re-
form forces of the country, which are
bound to come into power in the not
distant future, viii attempt to work out
the salvation of our country ON both
these lines at once, In that case it will
be question Of the survival of the
fittest -Lineoln tNeb.) Alliance-Inde-
pendent.
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