Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-02-17
GETTING BACK 10 rlKsf PRINCIPLES

Riding between Portland and Salem,
one can see through the car windows
fields of idle land; fields that once
yielded the wealth transmitted by the
chemistry Of commerce into the brick
building, the paved streets and thu
electric lights of the valley towns. Th.
wealth we zee about us on every hand
has come in It's ultimate origin from
the soil or the waters Of Oregon. L;
has been drawn from the streams OF
dug out in some form or other. Somt
Of 1t was fshed out; some sluiced and
panned; some chopped and sawed;
Rome planted and plowed out; somt
sowed and harvested. Borrowing
money and speculatIng In town lot
had no part In the making OF Oregon
In much favor these latter years, their
possibilities Of usefulness seem, for th,
present, at least, TO have been about
exhausted. We have been borrowing
money of each other and trading jack.
knives with each other about as long
as those occupations can be made to
yield any revenue. Now we must get
back to first prlnciples.-Oregonian
Feb. 18th.
The Oregonian then proceeds to tell
how more money must be made out OF
the soil, and how much soil there is
left to make more money out of, ETC.,
ETC., lad infinitim."
II admits that wealth has its only
"ultimate" origin in the soil. The
word ultimate Is not very clearly
used there, for 1t means final" "ele-
mental" We take 1t the Oregonian
means tina. all wealth has it's origin In
productive labor drawing aud convert
ing out Of the resources of the earth
the products which, when converted
into money, build cities, railroads,
hanks, factories and all the long chains
Of enterprises by which society exists
and civilization subslsts.
Now II productive labor exists at ali
the others can exist and do exist. II
those who produce out OF the soil, the
mine, the forest, the rivers aud seas
can live by their labor, all the indus
tries and business enterprises that come
after them and utilize the raw mater
ial produced by labor will flourish.
The mlddIemen, the skilled laborers,
the lawyers, the dealers, the bankers,
the transporters-these all live by mar
gins OF profit on what labor has already
produced as basis.
II ia said that primarily the purpose
OF government to alleviate the condi,
tions Of any class ought to apply to
those who produce by laOor out Of the
soil the necessary Ingredients of all
other wealth. Government ought not
lay Its heaviest burdens upon the farm
or and the laborer and It's llghtest on
those whs live OF them. II govern.
ment does this It 10 manifestly unjust.
To certain extent our government
has done this. The low state Of agri.
and wage earRers today Is due
~ much TO the laws regulating our
financial system aud public lands and
corporations as II Is 10 the tarifH. We
allow plutocrAtic tendencies 10 90 up. |
checked. We allow more laws TO be
made favoring amassing immense
fortunes out Of rnanipnlation OF mono.
poles In the public service. We allow
such unjust laws now made 20 stand.
Then do we not discriminate against
farmer and laborei9 II Is the old strug.
gle OF enriching the few by govern
nent and impoverlshing the masses
Here 10 q little railroad In Oregon.
Hundreds OF lNborers who perform the
work are poorly paid or not at all. A
ew corporation lawyers take out
lundred thousand dollars for alleged
eryices. The manipulators Of the
tock and bonds have made millions.
NJ this ia 10 the name Of law. VII.
Ard and q few Others made three mil.
ons pot Of the North Pacific.
honpands Of labOrers are working on
'dpcpd pAyTolls. The producers all
opg the line must pay tho cost OF all
less exlofiions in the name Of Law, out
re products Of the coll. To amply
'Ing more spil under cultivation. 10
~ more ofopa, cot more lumber, dig
ore gold. silver, o0al and iron, 10 sim
y ~ biIoW he faekmas sFs under the
eeonl agniem ~ take more tolls, make
~ mIi|iQnal create more plutOcrats d
q leave more pappelA. more lnlpov- =
Aned iHrnffe, uQra destitute nnem. a
lY1u iobuIefA Wolnllsl get bach 10 a
" principles ~ equality before the
a9d stop enriohing q fsW By spo.
pfigllsgss n