The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-02-18

- HOO III G0u GLOu$6Lluu ou uOU
under the discipline and direction of a
commander. There is not a wide diff
ference in common soldiers, but it is a
matter of vast consf qlence who the
commander is, and still more whether
there be any commander or not. So
a thousand labOring men set upon a
business enterprise without a c0mpe-
tent leader will accomplish next to
nothing; and the competence necessary
IN q leader IS possessed by only a few
men. The claim that because the man
OF great producing ability is dependent
upon the manual laborer, and that,
therefore, the value OF the latter il
equal to that Of the former, finds a
complete parallel in the claim of the
organ blower, that inasmuch as the
man who m~anipulates the keys is de
pendent on him; therefore, he is eUti-
tied TO equal credit for the musical
performance. 1t Is ~tolerably clear that
there IS no ethical Improperly in the
accumulation Of wealth where this is
the result of superior ability.
1t may, further, be easily made to
appear that 1t Is not only a right, but
a duty, for a mln thus endowed to &C
cumutate. Such q talent signifies some
thing. If power is given to a person
to achieve great things in science, or
to be an orator, a statesman, a great
teacher or preacher, he may not limo
Gently neglect the gifC that is in him
So of the ability to create wealth. Il
Is impossible for any except a miser,
who boards and hides his acquisitions.
to produce wealth and not in s)ma way
benefit the community at large. Even
II he expeDd d it exCravagsntiy in self,
Indulgence, a large proportion Of IL
u come into the hands Of the labor
ing man, and he is made the richer
thereby; how much more if the prop
erty gained is converted into capital,
and so made q permanent means OF
employment 10 many Iab1rers!
1t Is also ordinarily better morally
and socially for the community that
the wealth 50 acquired should be in the
control Of the producer, than that 1T
be distributed at large among those
who have not produced it. The masses
of men are far better eff for such accu-
mutations.
1t Is further demanded of those who
engage in the struggle for wealth that
their acquisitions be not mere accumu-
lations, but actual production. In GER
taio pursuits, more especially in COM
mercI9l business, some men are &C
counted successful because they Sc
cure trade that would naturally and
legiCimaUely come into the hands of
Others. A sharp, ehrewd, and not too
scrupulous manager may draw Gus
tom from his nelghbors by certain aces
at which he il az adept, and 50 build
up a colossal business, forcing his less
crafty, and perhaps more Conscientious,
competitors TO the wall In other
wo-d4, he may become rich, not wholly
perhaps, but mainly, because others
are made poor. Public sentiment does
not usually condemn such practices,
partly because its moral tone is not sut-
ticIently elevated, and partly because
1t is diff :ulG to discriminate between
genuine and legitimate business talent
and the cunning artIfce whica makes
competition suO5ervient to sOrdid and
selfish eEd3. Yet strict Istice must
put its stamp Of reprobaUIOn on much
of this sort of acquisition.
In other ways men may and often
do violate the law of righteousness, as
we'll as the fundamental principles of
social we'll being. They secure labor
at less than its equivalent by taking
advantage of the necessities of those
dependant upon them; for the sake of
additional gain they place their work
men under perilOus conditions, both
in respect to health and liability to &C
cident; they compel them by various
devices to labor more time than ls Just;
they bring in women and little chill,
dren, and thus make adult employment
more precarioas and wages lower.
They thus add to their own wealth by
s~ubtracting from that which properly
belongs to others. Much has been
done by legislation to prevent this IN
justice and this virtual robbery Of the
poor; but much yet remains to be
done.
After eliminating all these and SIM
liar instances, there will still remain
many who Iegitimately and to the ad
vantage of society have accumulated