The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-06-02
THE KIMBALL GRAPHIC
CLATE r. TINAN.
The Official Paper Of S.gle County,
a .Ian's rs,rht ne n,cn.

soclety, one OF the speakers. Abram S
Hewitt, touched upon some OF the econo.
mic questions of the day in most lorc-
lble manner; and in view OF the vast
amount Of demagcism now running riot
over this country for political effect, his
remarks were peculiarly timely. Mr.
Hewitt said that the possession of great
fortunes was an indication that society
is performing its work successfully
Speaking Of the right of the individual
he said in part:
1T is to work in any direction to which
he may see fit to direct his energies, and
and If he works he works for the purpose
OF producing something, and that some.
thing is property. Therefore, the essence
of individual liberty is the right to prop
erty. Now, the right to have property
involves and requires the right to organ
lze for the protection of property, and
hence associations both of employers and
those who are recipients of wages. But
the right to associate for the protection
OF property does not give the right to
interfere with those who do not choose to
associate themselves for that purpose.
This principle is absolutely imbedded in
the Constitution of the United States.
During the last twenty years there has
been disposition on the part of public
men to overlook this fundamental princi-
pie, and to yield to clam0r. In other
words, from being statesmen many men
in pubic life have become demagogues
and they have gradually striken down in
the law the protection which was offord-
ed by it for the rights of citizens and in
dividuals. The result is the conflict
commonly called the conflict between
capital and labor, the most deplorable
result Of which is that intimidation has
become part of the public economy of
this country, and it has gradually got to
be thought that it is right or may be
right for employers to exercise force
and violence by means of lockouts and
other similar appliances to coerce their
Workmen, and that it is right for work
men by the use Of force to compel the
stoppage of enterprise and, what is worse
than all, to interfere with other men who
are willing and desirous to work.
ut is true that some men, not many,
are born to fortune. 1t is true that some
men have much larger fortune than
they know we'll how to administer, and it
may seem to be an evil that some of these
great fortunes should exist, especially
| where they have been gained hy fraud,
but it would be an infinitely greater:evil
if, in order to get rid of these exceptional
instances which are the subject, perhaps,
OF just criticism, we were to undermine
the security of property, and take away
from the young the incentive which sue
cess alone offers to them for life of in
dustry, of enterprise, and of honesty.
Il want to give you an illustration on
this particular point, because there is SO
much misapprehension in the public
mind upon this subject. doubt not that
it exists in the mind of most of the con-
scientious men it this room, and l my
self have often felt sense OF grievance,
which almost amounted to impatience
that some men could have so much more
than other men. But that is only an in
dication that society is doing its work
successfully, for If these very rich men
the superfluOusly rich men, did not exist
there would be very few people who
would have competence, and 1T so hap
pens that the great mass OF mankind
enjoy more OF the comforts of life than
they have possessed at any period of hu
man history. This is the golden age Of
mankind. Don't be misled by the fact
that there is misery and suffering in the
world. There is. But it is easier for g
tramp to get living in this world to day
than it was hundred years ago for al
honest man,
You all know about the Bessemer in.
yention of steel. 1t was made in 1856
by student in his laboratory. He pro
pounded his idea to the world, but i,
took fifteen years before it was success
fully put in operation. know Mr.. Bes
semer very we'll. He is modest mar
who never sought to make a fortune
but he has taken the reward of his grea,
invention, and he told me the last time
l saw him in London that he had go
out of his invention e2,O0O,OOO-nearly
S1O,OO0,000. The contribution which hi
made to the world by that invention il
the saying 1t has effected in the ordinary
operations of society is simply incalcul
able. II was to say that we were say
ing S1.0O0,O00,O0O a year in this country
alone as the result OF that invention
applied to every branch Of industry, par
ticularly in the transportation of til,
goods and the products of the country,
should certainly underestimate tn,
amount. And now I am going to sa,
something even more surprising. TAX
ing tho world together, tho saving effect
ed by that invention is greater than til,
total value of all the movable capital O.
the world one hundred years ago.
zone man. by single Invention, ha.
| contributed 10 tne aggregate wealth Of
the world more value than existed tift,
years before his birth. Now he has 90,
ten millions of dollars. 1t isa great sum
He will leave it to his children, who have
done nothing, have contributed nothing
to the acquisition of this money. Whom
has lie robbed2 Whom will his children
rob? Who would be the gamer had he
never received penny for his great dis.
covery? How much would the distribu
tion OF his $1O.OOO,OOO over the face OF
society add to the fortune OF any single
individual. and how much has his inyen.
ton added to the fortunes of all makind;
"Not that would not impress upon the
| possessers Of these great fortunes their
obligation and duty. but, even il men
refuses to perform those duties, it is an
extraordinary thing that the laws Of Ma.
ture would step in and compel them to
[ do it, A man with fortune of sifn noo.