Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-01-21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" >~N>-N>~N>r]\~~e~N~~N~S
whiskers will come-if the razor ham
die don't break. (No apology is due
the editor of Colony Notes" for he
couldn't afford to part with his whis-
Don't you believe for minute that
the fittest always survives. Things
that are worth having require care
and cultivation. They survive only
because some outside independent
agent destroys their less fit rivals, not
from any inherent power that the
good or beautiful has to flourish un-
der adverse conditions. AS well might
you leave your flower gardens to
struggle against noxious weeds or the
lambs at the mercy of the wolves, as
try to shirk economic questions by
pleading the law of the survival of
the fittest.
'But his, or her, motives are good
But don't care continental,if they
are. Unless they lead to good results
they don't cut any more ice than bad
motives. 1t may be little easier on
their individual conscience but it don't
help anyone else out any. 1t is rea-
sonable to expect a good many shots
to fall short of the mark but, when
they go in another direction it takes
lots of faith to believe in the marks
manship of the gunner. There is al
ways hope of converting rascal but
it is difficult to utilize fool.
Industrial cooperators declare that
you must have in
BOTH ARE dustrial freedom be-
RIGHT. fore you can have
political emancipa-
ton; while political cooperators are
equally certain that the political
bonds must be broken before the la
boring man can be industrially free.
heartily agree with both schools
of thought This may seem paradox
ical, but little thing like agreeing
with both parties to a controversy
does not bother me- On the one hand
it seems to me impossible to have
aught of political bondage remains,
and that political emancipation, on
the other, would be hollow mock
cry if accompanied by economic de-
pendence.
Do | despair, then of the one or the
other? Certainly not. AS to the i'm
portance of the two questions, | I'M
hesitatingly award the palm to in
dustrial freedom. | care not who
makes the laws, or the songs, of a
country if | have free access to the
tools of production and Just share
in the distribution of the products.
Because complete changein curl laws
is necessary to secure this very desir-
able end, see no harm in securing all
one can under existing laws.
The lesson | draw from the intimate
connection between industrial and
political freedom and the absolute ne
cessity for both, is that all possible
effort should be put forth along both
lines. Talents differ A person may
be able to do great good along one
line to whom the other appeals not
at all, or man may be situated so
as to work effectively for one who can
not do much for the other.
There is no occasion that can see
for any quarrel between them My
interest III one Is as great as III INC
other If | could do anything, my
services would be rendered to the one
as cheerfully as to the other. The Ill
innate triumph of both will come at
one and the same time, Then, at any
rate, if not before, the industrial CO.
operator, freed from the restraint of
hampering laws, will join hards with
the political cooperator, emancipated
from the dictation of his economic
master, and send up united jubilee
chorus.