The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-04-09
THE TRUE THEORY.
The Social Science Club Attempts to
Find What 1t Is rs Regards the
State.
w. e. Young Reads an Intere sting
Paper on the Subject, and Holds
There's None But "Try."

| lOuuRfedQ an Interesting paper on Une
subject, which drew out an interest,
ing and spirited discussion. Mr.. Young
opened his paper by stating that "the
state is an aggregation of individuals
having absolute right and power OF
self determination. The state is not
necessarily a nation, and nation is
not always state. The Jews, Poles,
NOrwegians and Irish are nations
without being states. Great Britain,
Russia and Austria are notable eX-
ampleS of states composed of many
nationalities. Writers differ as to
the origin of the state. But it may
be accepted as certain that it grew
out of the fact that the strong tres
passed upon the rights of the weak.
This drove men to combination, and
this resulted in the ultimate fOrma-
| tiOn of the state. Government was at
first rude and despotic. The doctrine
of the ancients was that power and
sovereignty discends, that govern
ment was divine origin, that the state
was everything, the individual Moth
ing. The last three centuries has
witnessed the emergence Of The indi-
vidual from that vast sea Of obscurity.
The doctrine of divine right of kings
is dead, and the fact now recognized
is that power and authority come
from the people, Once men sought
the privilege to exist, now they de-
mand the right to enjoy. He then
touched upon the relation OF the state
to the individual. He gave the views
of the two schools Of economists as to
what the state should and should not
do for the individual. One that it
shall do everything, the other JhaS it
shall do little. He held that there
was fallacy in both positions. In
this age when production is carried on
by vast organizations Of capital, and
there is disposition to purchase labor
for less than living price, the state
has or should have authority to pre-
vent such eXtOrtiOn on the part of the
powerful. Men are created unequal in
intellectual powers, but that is no
reason why the less favored should
suffer, and he believed it the duty of
the state to, so far as possible, not
only to secure to each individual the
right to live, earn living and pursue
happiness. but also the privilege of
doing So The question of how far
the state should go in matter brings
one to that class who hold that the
state should do everything. Who
practically hold that if men are not
equal, the law should make them so,
that the faculties Of the brainy men
should be used to assist the man
without brains. They hold that rail-
roads, etc., should be owned by the
state, that because men have made
fortunes out of these new con-
ditiOns, and have often used these
fortunes to further burden labor, the
state should prevent private owner
ship. They overlook the fact that the
state is but an aggregation of indi-
vidual carrying into the service of the
state the same brains and lack of
honesty that he employed in the con-
duct of his private affairs; that while
theoretically the state represents the
people, it's affairs are conducted by
the few. In all private business the
people run the chance Of being i'm
posed upon, so that if the theory of
this school is correct, the state must
engage in all business and all enter
priSes to the exclusion of the indi-
vidual. There is no place to draw the
line. Indulge in state ownership and
YOU remove the greatest incentive to
industry, frugality, thrift and pro-
gress known to the human race. Take
the prospect of Individual success
from man and his motive for action is
gone. And with the state in control
how will each mans adaptibility be
ascertained? The true theory of the
state has never been satisfactorily |
and it is impossible for man to
"draft perfect or even thoroughly |
practical plan of government which
shall stand unaltered for any con-
siderable length of time" 1t may be
suggested, the framework may be
made, but it is soon found that it
needs reconstruction. He had no
theory to put forth. The world has
waited for centuries for the philoso-
piers WHO can formulate true theory
of the state, but they have not come.
''The only true theory of state which
we have been able to formulate and
which is at all satisfactory to our
selves, is written in one sentence and
can be spoken in one word, viz: try"
Prof. Koehler opened the discussion
which proved very interesting one
and was engaged in by large number
Of the members.
The next regular meeting of the
club will be held on Tuesday evening /,
April 10th, when DR.. J. w. Andrews