Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-04-05
PRoTgcTIoN PRODUCTS.
Republican Rule Responsible for Sofia
tstlc DemonstratIons-

Republican Rule Responsible for Social
tstlc Demonstrations
The Coxey movement is chiefly sig
nifcant as an expression of the social
istic tendencies that have developed
under republican rule and protecsioniss
principles In France the doctrine Of
protection has been accepted by the
socialists in its logical consequences.
and men are saying to the state: ''Since
protection makes prices high. give us
also protection for wages Fix mini
mum scale. and let the state compel
employers to observe it,
There was no principle more essen
TALLY EN- bodied in the foundations OF
American liberty than the principle of
individual nberty-the independence
OF the citizen The state was SOW
ereign only because he. the citizen,
gave it of his own sovereignty. IL
was his creation; he owed moth
ing to the state but loyalty and
obedience to necessary laws The state
owed all to him. This spirit gave
the dignity and strength that char
acterized the men of America In its
destruction there has been no influence
more potent than the doctrine of pro-
lection In its very essence it assumes
that one set Of individuals is not as
strong as another set of individuals,
that man isn't able to stand up be-
fore the world and win his own way
through it. In practice, it has fostered
the idea that one class must be made
to contribute to another and far small
er class; that the government has the
right to interfere in the affairs of its
citizens and determine how much of
one mans goods shall be given to an
other man It has made the govern
ment part of and a party to the
money-getting machinery of the fav-
ored class, and has made money getting
| a governmental function. leaving the
minds of the citizens with no sense of
their personal independence and indi-
vidual responsibilities We are no
longer a nation of sovereigns, but of
dependents So paternalism drifts into
| socialism, and SO protection comes back
to the protected in the appeal of
Coxey's army" for help.
In this country the masses have not
yet learned to apply the logic of the
situation; but they are fast learning it
1t is no new idea; the inevitable conse-
quences of protection were foreseen
years ago by students of sociological
| tendencies So long ago as 1851 Csvour.
the Italian economist said:
81 maintain that The most powerful ally OF
socialism in its logical relations, is the doctrine
OF protection It sets out from absolutely the
same principle Reduced to its simplest terms,
it af1rms the right and duty of government to
intervene in the employment anu dis tr1Dutfon
of capital; it afiTms that the function and mis-
sion OF government are to subsut It's more
enlightened decisions for thefreedeeision Of the
individual If these principles should become
recognized as incontestably true. do not see
what answer could be made to the working
classes and their representatives when they
came to the government and said: You believe
in the right and duty of regulating the dis
rribution Of capitol: why not also take up the
regulation of production and wagesg Why not
establish government workshops""
Germany and France, and now the
United States, have verified these
words The proposition is SO self-evi-
dent that it scaecely needs discussion.
Speaking of Mr.. Leon Says PROPOSE
ton that protection insensibly leads to
''nationalism," a French authority on
economical questions lays down the
principle that between protection and
socialism the line of distinction is very
| difficult to- perceive" A Frenchman
defined the difference as being that
the protectionist was a richs man,
while the socialist was pauper.
Undoubtedly, if the robber barons
are right, Coxey is also right, and SO
are the populists, and with more JUS
tice on the side of the latter, for their
needs are greater. The populists are
but the natural outgrowth of republic
anism and protection.
Let Coxey blow his trumpet long aud
Justify at the gates of the robbsr
barons. It is hts turn now.-Louisvilie
Courier-Journal