The Jamesburg record., 1899-09-30
Increasing Dependence.


posed pension system of the Pennsyl
vania railroad. An examination Of
the proposition discovers many points
of merit. beneficial to all faithful EN-.
ployes of the road. One commenta
tor saws that the scheme foreshadows
the ultimate pensioning of all indus
trious people when they have reached
an age beyond active service; and
Germany's compulsory insurance
law is instanced as a suitable model
for similar legislation in this country.
While granting many good points
in all such measures we can see all
too clearly indications which will
prevail before many more decades
have passed. The continued forma
ton of new trusts and corporations
is every day reducing the number of
business concerns and concentrating
more and more into the hands of a
few the wealth and business of the
country Time was when there was
room and profit for individual effort
in almost any line of industry or
trade, but with the present rapid de-
velopement of trusts it is every day
becoming more and more difficult for
individuals to commence business,
or, having cecommenced, to main
tain themselves successfully.
The only remaining alternative is
for young men to place themselves
as best they may under one or an
other of the great corporations con-
trolling almost every avenue of trade,
and be content with whatever price
their services may seem to be worth
to such corporations. 1t may be
urged that attainments and natural
talents will win for the young men
the places they deserve, but it needs
little disCernment to see that success
in the employ of any such corpora
ton will beeasily kept within certain
limits which selfinterest may seem
to dictate to the men in control. So
that the young man himself ambitious
to become proprietor and employer
will be obliged to overcome almost
insuperable obstacles before the at
tainment of his desires.
There are characters of such force
and originality in every generation as
to triumph over all obstacles, but
these bear but small proportion to
the entire mass. Ifpresenttendencies
continue we may expect to see
largely increasing class dependent
upon great corporations for mainten-
ance and support. This would not
be deplorable except for the fact that
in proportion as the greater part of
such employees are more and more con-
vinced of their inability to rise from
employees to employers will the spirit
of individual effort and self reliance
decline. 1t may be very just, that a
large corporation, having profted by
the industry and faithfulness of an
employe eduring theyears of his activi-
ty should provide for him in his latter
days. But the statement of that
proposition brings out in bold re-
lief the fact that the profits of his
active life have not suficed for the
necessities of old age and that under
our new conditions the dependent
class will be continually growing
larger.
To this will be answered that the
masses in ages have been rich, which
riches have been gained by political
favoritism, conquest in war, or by
business sagacity in peace 1t is the
desire to call attention here to the
fact that present tendencies are to in
crease the dependent class at the ex-
pense of the well being of the future
state. Compulsory insurance may
serve for a paternal government like
that of Germany where ages of
feudalism have taught the people to
look up to and depend upon the
nobility and the government for the
regulation of their private concerns.
Yet we do not think it needs much
argument, in the light of history, to
prove that this paternal government
has hampered the growth ofthe coun-
try and driven many of its people
over the sea to this and other coun-
tries where the best government is
considered to be that which vexes