St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-01-02
PHILOSOPHY or DEMOCRACY.
Opposition to tho Building Up of the
Moneyed Glass.

1
Moneyed Glass.
Democracy, that is to say, a form of
government in which sovereignty and
supreme power is held by the people
| the first in their Individual capacit.. and
| the second collectively-has to do with
ethics as well as economics. A sound
| basis is as essential for progressive
social life as it is for building up and ex-
tending commercial and industrial en-
| terprises. Therefore the consistent
democrat is not only deeply interested
| in the growth of national wealth-os
| the people as a whole--but he is equally
| concerned in how it is distributed A
consistent democrat could not with SAT-
isfaction witness trade expansion and
industrial growth unless the distribu-
ton OF the profits accruing was some
what IN ratio to the wort th of the sev~
eral productive forces which partiei-
| pated in the operation and movement
as capital, skill and labor True
democracy teaches that while the aim
of the people collectively should be the
promotion of the nations welfare, the
desired end is reached only through in
dividual prosperity, and that it is the
aggregate prosperity of the people
which gives the nation strength and
character.
It is clearly democratic to oppose this
employment Of any agency that is cal
culated to build up separate and fa-
vored classes. That is to say, it is not
democratic to permit the building up of
or the maintenance of a social or COM
mercial status with plutocracy at the
top and proletariat at the bottom. In
deed, democracy would look upon such
conditions of existence for the people as
the most Objectionable of all :orns of
arisoeracy, for those at the top would
be there because of their greed and ay-7
arice, and not at all because of moral or
Intellectual excellence or patriotic at
tachnent to the institutions of the
country, while those below might rep
resent in themselves all the elements OF
true manhood-so much so, indeed, that
their high sense of individual right con-
duct forbade them entering q struggle
for property holding supremacy which
could be made to end in victory only by
sacrificing the rights and appropriating
the opportunities of others.
The central principle of democracy,
and around which all Others cluster, is
that in ratio to the good reasons which
producers of nlerchantable commodi-
ties-iabor-have to be eontented is the
stability of the government and the
liberties of the people assured. In other
words, If any of the increase in national
wealth is arbitrarily made to drift into
the hands Of few, there IS oppression
in the administration Of the public af-
fairs of the people, and what should be
n national blessing is a national curse.
That is an ideal or democratic system
Of wealth growth which broadens and
eleFates the manhood of each and every
one who participates in the work. It's
democratic principles practically ap-
piled when each producer or wage
Garner receives of the profits accruing
from his production the utmost of his
deserving. Democracy repudiates the
economic theory that there can be per-
mananey in anation which permits one
class of it's people to accumulate wealth
while another class sinks in want and
misery. Democracy teaches that when a
system Of legislation is fastened upon
the skill, the brain and the Drawn of
country which is productive of such re-
suits, the time has come for the people
to rise in their nigh and overthrow and
oyerturn and rebuild, but upon lines Of
peace and good will.-Los Angeles Her