The times., 1899-04-03
AMERICA MENhCBD BY
TRUSTS and CAPITAL
Views of Prof. Small, Of the
Chicago University.
The Heaviest Human Tasks Loom-
Ing Ahead of Mankind.
of Noney-None Wise Enough To
Define tho Future.

Chicago, H., April 2.-Prof. Albion w.
Small, head of the department OF sociology
and director Of affiliated work in the Uni
versity of Chicago. founded 10y John d.
Rockefeller has given cut a statement as to
his position and views on socialism, trusts,
and kindred subjects.
Professor Small's address before the Rock
River Conference of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church On the same topics on Tuesday
last has aroused so much interest and ere
ated such discussion that he feels the ex-
cerpts published of his statements on that
occasion have hardly done justice TO the
subject. In response to requests he there
fore prepared statement that embodes
fully his views Ii reads as follows:
In the first place, there is not n pessi-
mistic note in the whole gamut OF my social
philosophy. | believe that the world is be-
ing pushed onward and upward by forces
that nothing can stay. | believe that big
ger and better men are bred today in the
United States, England. and Germany, at
least, than were ever before born in any
such proportional numbers anywhere in the
world. | believe that mems work today
requires more brains to planning and lead
ing than ever before; our complex life pro-
duces also more highly developed con-
sciences and more lofty and thorough
standards of morality
Il believe that the heaviest human tasks
are ahead Of us. not behind and that
beneicent evolution is making us size up to
the standard OF fitness that will keep on
taking care of one human task after an
other so long as the world lasts. The crit
les who have labeled my opinions pes
simistic have adopted a very roundabout
way of confessing that they cannot or will
not see the relations OF the things / have
said
"Second-I am not Socialist unless that
term is made to stand for the everything
and nothing sort of wistfulness that simply
wants, if possible, TO get for everybody
better deal in life without any definite
notion how. In that sense we are all more
or less Socialists, l suppose. But If by
socialist you mean any of those various
bodies of innocents who have programme
that would eliminate problems from human
life, or make things that are not equal to
the same thing equal to each other, must
be counted very far out.
Third am not a denouncer of capital
Economic fakirs tell the people that capital
is not essential TO production. because saw
ages produce food by digging roots and
picking wild fruit. with no help from
capital. The kind of production that saw
ages carry on does not require capital, it
is true, but the inference which Henry
George and Karl Marx before him drew
from the fact is draft on an overdrawn
deposit.
1T is inhuman to make honest people be-
iieye that civilized production can go On
without capital The more civilized the
more intimate is our dependence on
capital. That does not necessarily mean
that capital must increase in amount in
direct proportion with advance of -cjyiliza-
tion; ii means that the more advanced we
are in the arts of life the more we need to
use accumulated wealth in further produce
ton
FOURTH am not among those who say.
on, yes, capital is all right, but the cap
italists have no business to exist To be
sure, it is too late in the day TO pretend
that the socialistic conception of society is
unthinkable. The idea of making all
wealth used in production the undivided
patrimony of all the producers or OF all
the industries is by no means a self-evident
contradiction Of the nature OF things Re
gardless of the technical obstacles 10 such
a readjustment, and supposing the change
accomplished human life might go on in
definitely under a socialistic or even com
munistic adjustment of property relations.
When | decline TO adopt the socialistic
programme, therefore. it is not because |
pretend to consider ii unthnkable. In ad-
dition to the decisive fact that the majori-
/ ty OF people at present do not want II,
/ simply do not consider H. the conduction
l of human relations which would be likely
I in the long run to bring out the best in
I human nature. For that reason it does
not seem TO me the best mark for us to
| aim at when we are trying to set up
standards of improved society.
Not n DeEoupcer OF Tru>ts.
Fifth am not n denouncer of trusts.
| Since steam was harnessed to machinery,
no discovery that / can name has added as
much 10 human resources as the discovery
/ of the possibilities and advantages of in
| dustrial organization.
Instinct had taught us these adyan ages
! already in politics. Modern constitutional
/ States are gigantic political trusts. in ace
/ Of earlier anarchy and OF later feuda ism
The United States escaped civic suicide by
merging thirteen petty, jealous, compe ing
corporations into Federal trust that has
! successfully managed zone OF the CONT
1 nent. When we get human industries into
the best working order that | am alb tc
imagine, very important elements in The
arrangement will be adaptations of the
I trust idea.
Capitalists EIru Their Nnp.-s
The capitalist that does the work earns
his wages. If | wanted an easy Job
should look long time in the ranks OF
labor rather than take up the burden OF
most of the capitalists. My personal view
is that in the best ordered society which
men can ever arrange there will be a very
much larger proportional number of in
dependent capitalists than there are to-
day, together with a very much larger ag-
gregate amount of public capital operated
not in the interest of individuals, but fOI
that of the people as whole
''As an abstract principle. | should say
that the capitalist begins to be a mere
pretender in the place of the performer Of
function al the point where he ceases
TO be personal manager OF his capital, ant
therefore personally responsible for the
policy of management. So soon as thai
point is passed the capitalist begins Il
be an incubus and menace.
notwithstanding that these negative
guard me sufficiently against the various
sorts OF charges that one is likely to NEE
if he ventures to express a doubt that wha
is is altogether right, / venture TO testif!
my opinion that capitalism is the mos
soul destroying fetch that human being
have ever worshpGD and il is capitalism
to which we are ali paying our homag
and offering up our sacrifices every wax
ing hour of every day.
by capitalism l mean the tacit, fun
damental assumption of every modern com
mercial nation that the supreme aid O
human life to which all other aims mus
bend is, first 10 pay dividends on exist
ing capital, and second, TO increase th
capital.
ITO show the reversal of moral va,u il
all this | need not stir the carrion OF In
whole hyena system of creating fict tiou