Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-08-06
EDISON, SATURDAY, AUG. 6, 1898.
The First Question. As each one has


physical birthday. so each reformer
has his moral birthday. My own
awakening was closely connected
with the sentiment expressed by Hor-
ace Greeley's famous saying, go
west, young man" As the west
then stood for wilderness. the saying
really meant. Young man, if you
want a good chance go beyond the
limits of civilization" Wild, untamed
nature is more kindly than human
society. Here only a few succeed,
and your children are likely to grow
up in dwarlish want. If you wish to
give your children the best chance go
west. Go beyond the railroad, beyond
the last school house out of the sound
of the church bell, far away from the
postof1ice, where neighbors give place
to Indians. and wolves are more nu-
merous than sheep And the worst
thing about the whole matter is that
such advice was good: was the very
best possible under the circumstance,
that is under the present civilization.
But what an arraignment of our civ
ilzation is the fact that the very
best thing poor young man can do
with it is to leave it, One is first in
clined to blame invention, machinery,
but a very little insight shows him
that it is not invention but SPECIAL
PRIVILEGE that turns civilization to
a curse. When we as nation ''go
away from special privilege our
young men will not need to go west
for a good chance to live" but on the
contrary the higher our civilization
the easier for any willing-hearted
worker to provide for himself and
his loved ones the comforts of life.
"Will be hard on the idler, do you
say" Oh. yes, doubtless. But In
dustrial Freedom is not conducted in
the interest of the idler
4 + Z
Freedom Tyranny Freedom is, not
opportunity to do as one pleases, but
rather opportunity to grow, to de-
velop, to make the II ost of ones self.
Perfect freedom is the best possible
chance to become perfect. This i'm
plies abundant food. clothing, shell
ter, books. art, teachers, etc, etc. In
community where there is not
enough food for all there cannot be
perfect freedom for all: but where
there is enough for all if any suffer
lack, except a. punishment for per-
dom, but tyranny, for tyranny con-
sists in denying to some human being
his right to grow, to become noble.
We will forever be confronted by the
questions: What is noble? ard What
is necessary to enable US TO develop
nobly? If the answer is given by
single individual we call him variously
father, master king, priest. If he
helps to develop those under him his
rule is blessed: otherwise he is a
tyrant. In d democracy the ques-
tons What Is noble; and What is
necessary to develop nobility: are de-
cided by the majority. As the youth
attains his majority and passes out
from his fathers control. so the race
has outgrown its primitive need of
kingly and priestly goyernance and is
adopting democracy In matters po-
litical. We Socialists hold that civil
lized peoples have also outgrown the
need Of capitalist government and
are ready tor democracy in matters
economic. \ democracy may become
tyrannical, even a. young man may
behave foolishly. but democracy is as
inevitable for the race a. is manhood
for the youth.