The advocate., 1894-09-05
THE PHILOSOPHY Of THE OMAHA PLATFORM
NOT PATERNALISM, BUT FRATERNALISM.
BY G. G. Clemens.
PART 1.
is PROGRESS IN GOVERNMENT IMPOSSIBLE?
The world advances, and In time outgroWs
The laws that In our fathers days were best.


WRITER'S government is ancient handorgan into which
its antedeluvsn manufacturers put certain tunes which
must be changed 1t ceaSeessy gnds out the Tariff
schotsche the GoldSVer Parity waltz the Revenue
polka, the exhilerating gaIop-"Our Foreign Relations
and the soothing measures of CATER Us the Deluge And
heretofore all political contests have been wagd the
single, mighty issue "Who shall turn the crsnk? When
ever growing tired Of the endless mOnotony the people have
demanded change of program they have been assured
that the handogan all right that the trouble was with
the unsked negligent wretch who was grinding the
machne but matter how often the operator has been
changed suffering humanys ears have still been greeted
with the old tunes which doubtless popular with
their prOgentors some centuries before the food.
| At last party has arisen to demand more radical
change which says to the people, Let remodel the old
organ somewhat to adapt to modern music put
into entirely new set of tunes Let us substitute for
this antquated noise the beautiful strains of THE Earth
Was Made for AL and All Men Are Brothers Now and
the grand haeujah chorus, "Poverty Is No More But
the champions of prehistoric melody exclam in horror
The mpOus innOVators going to change our cOnse-
tunes and overhaul the sacred machne Let
us redeem the holy noisebox from the blasphemous
wretches.'
The world in modern times has witnessed marvellous
change There has been phenomenal progress every de-
parment of knowledge and of life Steam and electricity
have brdged and made continents shrink till all peo
pie Of all nations nexdoor neghbors the invention
abOsang machinery has made the slave an ncumbrance
and by its increase Of productive power has virtually multi
piled the human race isolated China has thrown open her
ports to the of the world the steamboat has been
the tabled Ne railroad construction pushes onward
toward the northern regions of eternal ce sons and daugh
ters of the Orient make out their curious waShbis
American cities and the erst wild Indian plays baseb
and sings plays the piano. reads essays and delivers oratons
at college commencemens education has been revolution
ized the insane formerly treated social enemies are
Ilto
treated public nuSances gathered into schools and
taught to speak phanhrophy pleads for the criminal
as the victim Of heredty Of social conditions and prisons
aremore humane to-day than schools for children were
even religion has experienced development ward so
remarkable that last year. all the warning and
cutting creed cults and sects of the whole earth met har.
moniously at Chicago in "Wods Parliament of Reg,
ion everywhere in everything, in all institutions great
progress has been madeSaUe m go0ernnent alone That
ancient machine remains unchanged in world of change
The ancents had mOnarches and republics; so have We
The ancient governments appealed the reason
heart to obedience but always and only to fear
The policy pursued to-day The ancient statesmen
were busted with grave questions of tariff and parity
while the people camored for bread Our statesmen are
busy with the questions under the same circumstances
The sncients settled questions of right by killing each
other in So do the nations of to-day Under the an
cent governments all wealth concentrated in the hands of
the governing few while the millions deyed and starved
Precisely the conditions exist under modern gov
enments too 1t the old theory that the rich should
govern the poor obey and that the starving poor should
sacred the laws made by the rich Our
ment operates the theory STILL In all former times
under all governments the poor rebeed at last and reds
ributed the national wealth. Our statesmen say by their
conduct at least that government must wait helpless
and supne till Justice with the bloody hands
again All life has changed society has changed customs
ideas feelings sentiments have changed trade
and agriculture have changed the entire industrial system
has changed Can we live with the old notions and