The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-05-09
A MANS RIGHT TO BE RICH.
Mr.. Hewitt in Speech Says the Posses
sion of Great Fortunes Is An Indication
that Society is Performing Its
Work Successfully-This is
the Golden Age.
New York Sun, 3d.

New York Sun, 3d.
In the meeting room Of the Genera
! Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen
/ at IS East Sixteenth street bron re
| tablet in honor Of the founders of the
society was unveiled last night. 1t was
after regular meeting of the society
and a large assemblage was gathered
| not so much to take part in the meet
| ing or to witness the unveiilng, which
was very simple and lasted but few
minutes, as to lear eX-Mayor Abram
s. Hewitt, who had been announced as
one of the speakers. Mr.. Hewitt's
speech touched upon some Of the eco
nomic questions of the day. His views
were set forth forcibly and were vigor-
ously applauded.
Beginning with a brief description Of
| the funeral of Jesse Seligman, which be
! had attended in the morning, MIR.
Hewitt said:
ut is safe to say that the assemblage
of men who came to do honor TO the
| memory Of Mr.. Seligman represented
more wealth than all the accumulated
property of the city Of New York in
| 1855, when this society was founded.
| doubt whether among all the twenty
two men whose names appear upon
| this bronze tablet there was the ability
to raise 81 900 at that time.
81 his society has accumulated all
that it has to-day by what is called the
unearned increment; very properly
called unearned, for the growth in the
value of it's real estate, which con-
! stitutes, Isuppose, the foundation upon
which the society now rests, has been
contcmporaneous with the growth of
the city of New York; and ii people
were not allowed to get the ad vantage
which comes to property from growth
of population ] take it that population
| would go someW here else where the
operation Of its growth would be ad-
vautageous to the people. The first
principle of the Constitution of the
| United States is the right of man TO
| control his OWE actions subject only to
bis not interfering with the rights of
other men to control their own actions.
Now what is the first right OF an indi-
vidual?
1T is to work in any direction to
which he may see fit to direct his ener-
gies, and if be works he works for the
purpose of producing something, and
that something is property. Therefore,
the essence of individu ual liberty is the
right to property. Now, the right to
have property involves and requires
the right to organize for the protection
of property, and hence associations both
of employers and Of 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 prin-
| ciple is absolutely embedded in the
| Constitution of the United States.
During the last twenty years there
| has been a disposition on the part of
public men 70 overlook this fundamen-
tai principle, and to yield to clamor. In
| other wvrds; from being statesmen
many men in public life have become
denagogues, and they have gradually
stricken down in the law the protection
which was afforded by it for the rights
| of citizens and individuals. 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 uf the
| public economy Of this country. aud it
has gradually got to be thought that it
| is right or may he right for employers
| to exercise force and violence by means
of lockOuts and other similar appli-
| ances to cOerce their Workmen, and
that it is right for workmen by the use
of force to compel the stoppage Of en-
| terprise and, what is worse than all,
to interfere with other men who are
willing and desirous to work.
| Calling names will do no good. /
see no method Of overcoming the evils
which threaten as but to instruct the
young in the principles Of government.
| 1t is mainly for that reason that have
brought the subject to the notice ofthis
you are now doing in educating young
| mechanics and artisans should DC en-
larged. I think you should establish a
class in civics. Steps will be taken at
| the institution with which I am con-
nected-Cooper Union-to give this
instruction on a very considerable scale.
I ain glad TO say that the enlightened
administration of Columbia College is
prepared to cooperate in this move.
meut. The example Of these great in
stitutions should be performed on such
a large scale as to spread this instruc-
ton throughout the length and breadth
of the land. 1t is the antidote to com.
munism, to anarchism and to populism
which are diseases so epidemic and so
fatal that unless they are checked IN
time they will destroy society. The
small fraction which has made itself sc
CONSPICUOUS and so noxlous during the
last ten years must he chec ,ied and
regulated to its proper position in the
social scale. If they will wclk let them
eat. If they will not work let them
starve.
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 well how to admins
ter, and it may seem to be an evil thai
some of these great fortunes should
exist, especially where they have beer
gained by fraud, but it would be an in
tinitely greater evil if, in order to gel
rid of the exceptional instances which
are the subject, perhaps, of just crlil
clSm, we were 10 unueTilliue lue SeCu
rity of property, and take away from
the young the incentive which success:
alone tffers to them for life of indus
try, of enterprise, and Of honesty.
Il want to give you an illustrator
on this particular point, because there
is so much misapprehension in th:
public mind upon this subject.
doubt not that it exists in the minds o
most Of the conscientious men i'll thi
room, and l myself have often felt :
sense of grievance, which aimos
amounted to impatience, that son'
men could have so much more thar
other men. But that is only an indi
cation that society is doing its worf
successfully, for if these very ricl
men, the supertluously rich men
did not exist there would be yer,
few people who would have
competence, and it so happens that th
great mass of mankind enjoy more 0
the comforts of life than they hav
possessed at any period Of human bis
tory. This is the golden age Of man
| l. i l., /, .ott !,