Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-03-24
MANKIND NOT DOOMED.
Economic Equality and Liberty
May BE Regained.
WHERE FREEDOM FINDS a HOME.

Power and Property should Not BE AL
lowed to BE Concentrated In the Hands
of Few a Small Percentage OF Popu-
lstion Governs This Country Despotism
Versus Popular Government.
"All history" Holt says, "tells us
the same story Of the ultimate failures
Of republics to do any better than have
monarchies and despotism. For very
little while there was satisfaction and
peace then came wretchedness among
the masses. reyolts, wars and lapses
into dcspotism. In truth history shows
Us that the longest period Of satisfac-
ton. peace and general happiness
among mankind have been experienced
under despoti>m. and why so: Because
for time the despot ruled by almost
universal consent and fairly represent
ed the whole people For it cannot be
doubted that whether one man be chosen
by the people or many men the will of
the people in the choice governs all the
same. 1t is popular government in the
otdl just tiiC sttiiit dli1 W cAnCtly LILO
same extent"
Gibbon says if he were called on to
select any period when mankind enjoy
cd greatest comfort he would select the
long reign of Augustus Caesar. All free
men had their rights. Justice and
mercy prevailed. Even the Jews, who
for ages had been prosecuted and banned
everywhere, were guarded by his firm
and kindly hand-the only ruler that
ever treated them justify, says Philo.
The cause Of failure under all govern
ment is, firstly, no government has ever
been permanently founded on the will
of the people. Individuals have been
placed in tho rulc by the voice of the
people, but after that the rule has fallen
into tie hands Of the few by the very
Laws of existence. Take France and the
United States for examples. Who are
the voters? Only the males that are of
age-in effect, one-seventh of the peo-
pie. Now the real rulers are tho law
makers, and here these arc selected by
one-seventh theoretically. But practi-
cally onlya majority of the one-seventh
select the representatives. So we are far
from being government by the people.
Examining still closer, who of this
one-fourteenth do the real selecting or
choosing Of the law? Look around you.
Who does the nominating on the aver
age? A few party bosses. Yes. So our
government by the people is really a
government by few party bosses and
lobby members not the one-thousandth
Of the people. Under these circum-
stances it is only question of time
when all the power falls into the hands
of the very few. The richest, fairest
parts Of the earth have thus become the
prey Of the few. But is it necessary
that this should be the case. No. A
wider study shows that there are ex.
ceptions If you would know where
these are, you must go to the soil and
chimes which by their responsiveness
have excluded the luxury loving and
avariciously cunning.
High up in the Alps and other noun
tain regions are great valleys where the
people have always lived in comfort
and content and perfect equality. No
one has been tempted to monopolizc
more Of the rough, unfertile soils than
he could personally manage. No laws
have ever been enforced that could
gradually place all the means of life
into the possessions Of q few. Amid
such regions no one is poor, no one very
rich. 1t is there that the spirit Of lib
erty and the example of equality have
ever lived, and it is from these heights
that the spirit Of liberty has so often
descended, like their own avalanches
upon the slumbering worlds below,
creating universal crash and consterna-
ton. And it is because of the existence
Of these communities and because his.
tory is forever pointing to them that
the assertions made by rascals and cred
tied by fools that mankind is doomed
forever to live amid their bells Of prop
erty and crime contrasting with other
bells of luxury, riot and licentiousness
have not found universal and despair
creating belief. Get Mills Political
Economy" and read book second, vol
ume /, if you would learn Of these com.
munities. Truly he says by way Of in
PRODUCTION, if as much pains as have
been taken by Us to aggravate the in.
equality Of mankind had been taken to
moderate it, if diffusion instead of con.
centration of property had been favored
by law, how happy mankind might be.