The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-03-06
rueMAN,s REPLY TO R1Dr,rLO.
EnrroR ARnMoRE1rE:

issue of the 23rd of February.
He starts out by saying: I'VE
all agree that the greatest good to
the greatest number should be the
great object of our mutual welfare. "
This proposition is radically wrong
in principle. Under it the majority
would be justified in inflicting any
kind of injury, outrage or burden, or
even slavery itself. upon the minor
ity. His proposit on is nothing more
nor less than the statement that
might makes right.
The true principle of our govern
ment is that minorities have rights
which majorities are bound to re-
spect, and that it is the duty of the
government to see that special priv
ilepes are tranted to none and exact
Justice is done to all.
The great object and purpose of
government is not to confer rights
and privileges upon men, but is rath-
er to secure them in the enjoyment
of certain great rights which are
founded upon the law of nature and
are, therefore, God-given.
Governments should prevent the
strong from encroachments upon the
natural rights of the weak, and
should, as far as p )ssible, see that
the strong, the wealthy or the infiu-
ential do not monopolize to them
selves the privileges and advantages
of life and thereby place a burden
upon the shoulders of their weaker
brethren.
All that the government can right
fully do for any man is to give him Il
fair show in the great battle of life
and then say to him, work out your
own fortune with the brain and
Drawn which God has given you, un-
der a Just government and equal
laws,
For the government to attempt to
take from the minority and give to
the majority, upon the ground that
it was promoting the greatest good
to the greatest number, would be
both cOWarGly ana corrupt.
am we'll aware of the fact that
the expression used by my friend
Redfield is a kind of catch phrase of
monopolists generally. The advo'
Gates of pools, trusts and syndicates
claim that the effect of their COM
binations is to furnish the people
with better services, better articles
and at cheaper prices, and that,
therefore, they do the greatest good
to the greatest number.
Even if it could be shown that any
particular pool or syndicate did re-
duce prices and thus in one sense
of the word confer a general benefit
upon the people, still l would be op-
posed to it, because its effects would
necessarily be to destroy competition
and strike down individual effort,
self reliance and independence
among the people.
These traits of character are above
price, for it is upon them that we
must rely for the maintenance of oul
liberty and the perpetuity of oul
free institutions. Take away from
the people their spirit of independ'
ence and individualism; teach then
TO rely upon the government or upor
corporations, pools, syndicates ano
trusts, and you have already pre-
pared for their enslavement.
So it is seen that the first ides
enunciated by our friend is directly
at war with the fundamental princi
Piles of our government, as well al
with the plainest teachings of reason
and Justice. Being wrong in his frs
principles, it is not to be wondered
Mt that the further he goes the worse
fix he gets himself into.
Our friend next announces tha
we have Witnessed" a general re
vival of business in the last twelve
months aud asserts that this is due
to the Dingley protective tariff bill
in connection with the gold standard
He does not point out the manner il
which there has been a general re
vival of business. He does asser
that something over three hundred
Thousand employees in various kind
of protected industries in Rhode
Island, Pennsylvania and Alabami
have been put to work by the Ding
ley bill; but as to how the employ
ment of these men benefits the res
of the country he wisely refrainI
from attempting to show and rest
the whole matter upon assertion.
With ali respect to my friend,
must say that he reminds me of
smart boy who attempted to prov,
that every cat had three tails. H,
first asserted that no cat had tw,
tails; he next asserted that every ca