The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-02

Of men. have found that wisdom was
essential and no longer recognize the
claimant merely with call" Medi-
cine followed law and raised barriers
against the mere empirlc who adapted
Ills to his remedies instead Of RENE
ever, go but half way. They develop
requirements, but the ability to uti-
lie what has been acquired by study
Is something no examination can bring
out. SO we have incompetent lawyers
and doctors, such not because of what
they do not know, but because they
cannot apply what they know.
In the great field of economics, COW
ering government, finances, trade, pro-
duction, prices, money, labor, the
whole domain of human activities,
there Is absolutely no precaution
raised by society against the danger
Gus man who talks without wisdom"
Here is the singular spectacle present
ed of seventy millions of se1f-govern-
ing people, having the absolute direc-
ton of all their public affairs, charged
with the awful responsibility Of bring
ing good or Ill, prosperity or disaster,
upon themselves; who have raised
barriers against the incompetents who
would advise them as to their legal
rights, give them spiritual advice or
prescribe remedies for the Ills Of the
fesh,. but give the widest scope
and freest opportunity to the men
who assume to direct their govern
ments. without requiring the slightest
preparation or proof of capacity. Not
only this, but in a country where the
most important economic questions,
to popular vote, the educational sys-
tenn by which nfne-tenths of the
youth are prepared for citizenship
makes no provision for instruction in
those simple. fundamental principles
and laws of economics, whose observ-
ance brings welfare, and whose VIC
lation brings the inevitable penalty.
Is it cause for surprise, then, that the
economic quack is so numerous and
finds always so large a following? Is
It strange that he finds his sophis-
tries so readily accepted by the multi
tude, who have not been taught the
tests that distinguish the real from
the fanciful? AS in the physical world
distress. comes from violations of nat
ural law, so it comes to men and
nations from disobedience Of economic
law. Human nature is prone to cast
blame for it's derelictions on anything
but it's own folly, and when, in times
of financial distress, the quack assures
the people that their ills are not due
to their own trespasses ON immutabIe
law, but are the result of foul CON
spiracies of selfish men; that there is
no law IN economics save their own
imperial will, is it strange that peo-
pie follow him, lured by the glitter of
his baubles, as the children of Hame-
lin were by the notes of the Pied
Piper Bunting into the cavern of Kop-
penberg? Is it strangeathat multftudes
believe one empiric when he tells
them that the foreigner pays the
tax, or another when he tells them
that the governments stamp of the
mint on metal or the imprint of it's
press on paper creates value? In a
country where free speech is indispen-
sable no bar can be raised against
the quack in economics. Is society
then helpless; is there no remedy?
The only anti-toxin is education. and
society can only be made immune
against economic heresies when that
remedy is administered in the com
mon schools.