The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-19
ARE WE ON THE RIGHT TRACks

The time seems TO have come when the
American people should ask themselves If
they are dealing justly and wisely with
the labor question, whether they have done
anything that needs undoing or taken any
steps that should be retraced. The great
inevitable that IL should in the establish
ment Of the supremacy of law. This was
necessary because the attack on that prin-
ciple made it's complete vindication para
mount to all other considerations, and it
inevitable because there could be no
doubt as TO the power Of the State and ma
tional governments to suppress a vastly
more formidable insurrection than this
was.
But the establishment by force Of the
supremacy of the law does not touch the
moral issues OF the original controversy.
1t is always necessary to enforce the law.
but in order to make the enforcement of
law popular and prevent the necessity of
dangerously frequent resort to force in
establishing it's supremacy 1t is necessary
that the laws themselves should, as far as
possible. be the highest expression of wis
dom and justice. Now that anarchism has
found a distinct name and line of action
there will always be some opposition to the
enforcement of any law; but there is a
form of popular opposition to the enforce
ment of law which, in a republic, is more
dangerous than anarchism. This is when
convinced that the legislation of the coun-
try. however right or honestly intended.
is radically wrong that one class is being
favored at the expense of another that in
dividual liberty is being sacrificed to cor
porate greed, and that private enterprise
Is hopelessly handicapped in the race
against consolidated capital Whenever this
conviction becomes firmly fixed in the
minds Of large portion of the people
there will be continual difficulty i'm en-
forcing the laws and when a majority
come to this way of thinking the obnoxious
laws cannot be enforced at all except by
measures equivalent to the establishment
of a military despotism. 1t should be the
desire and aim of all good citizens TO ward
off such a condition, and to this end they
should always be ready to inquire if they
are on the right track and going in the
right direction to attain that which should
be the aim of all government, the greatest
good Of the greatest number.
1t is the opinion of some of the best
thinkers of the day that the encouragement
which modern legislation gives to the in
| corporation of all kinds of enterprises re-
| curing the use of considerable capital has
become serious evil in the facilities which
| 1t affords for the accumulation Of corporate
wealth and in the disadvantage which it
| imposes on unincorporated capital and in
| dividual enterprise. 1t is argued that the
rapid growth of corporate wealth and the
undue advantage thus conferred upon cap
! ital is largely the cause of tyrannical labor
organizations. and that between the two in
dividual liberty, which is the cornerstone
of civil liberty and the chief pride of Amer
| lean citizenship, is being obliterat ted. Mere
| ly TO state these propositions is to enforce
| upon every patriotic citizen the duty of CIV
| view, if the alleged evil does exist, of
timely reform. One thing is certain: the
end of the strike does not settle the labor
| question. 1t emphasizes the duty of in
.t.s -
recurrence OF such controversies between
labor and capital. and such collisions be-
tween the people and the government.