The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-09-04

Is apt to be the mans. own fault II he
does not grow to feel for them very
hearty regard. and. moreover. grow to
understand that on the great ques-
lions that lie ut the root OF human
well-being, he and they feel alike.
4 Should Work Together.
Our prime need as q nation is that
every American should understand and
work with HIS fellow citizens, getting
into touch with them SO that: by actual
contact he may learn that fundamen-
tally, he and they have the same inter-
ests, needs and aspirations.
or course, different sections OF the
community have different needs. The
gravest questions that are before US.
thesqucsuons that are for all time, az.
feet US all alike. But there are sepa-.
rate needs which affect separate groups
ofrmen Just. there are separate needs
affect, each Individual man. It
Is Just as unwise to forget the one fact
asSit is to forget the other. The spe-
claiizatlon OF our modern Industrial,
life its high development and COM.
pick character, means q corresponding
specialization in needs and interests.
While we should, so long as we can
safely, do so, give to,each individual the
largest possible liberty, a liberty which
necessarily includes Initiative md re-
sponsibillty, yet We must not hesitate
to interfere whenever 1t Is clearly seen
that harm comes from excessive indi-.
vidualism. We cannot afford to be
empirical oneSway-or the other. In the
country districts the surroundings are
such that man can usually work out
his own fate by himself to the best ad-
vantage. In our citias. or. where men
congregate in masses, It Is often neces-
sary to work. in combination. that is,
through associations; and here 1t is
that We see the great good conferred
by labor organizations. by trade un-
Ions. OF course, II managed ,unwlsely.
the very power OF such n union or or
gnnlzation. makes 1t capable OF doing
much harm; but on the whole. It would
be hard to oyerestlmnie the good these
organizations have done in the past,
and still harder to estimate the good
they can do In the future, II handled
with resolution forethought. honesty
and sanity. Il N =
Impossible to Lay Down Rule.
1t is not possible to lay down hard
md fnst rule, logically perfect, us TO
when the state shall, and when the In
dIyldual shall be left unhamprrcd and
unhelped. h, t,-fa III
We hive exactly the same right to
regulate tho conditions OF life and work
In factories and tenement houses that
wn have to regulate IRE escapes and the
like In. other houses. In certain COM
munitles tho existence of thoroughly
efficient department Of factory inspec-
tIon Is Just MS essential as the estab-
llsnment OF q fire department. How
far we shall so if, regulating the hours
Of labor, or the liabilities OF employers,
Is n matter of expedcncy. aud each
case must be determined on its own
merits. exactly nsli II is n matter OF ex-
pediency to determine what so.callcd
public utilities" tho community shall
Itself own and what ones It shall leave
to private or corporate ownership, &C.
curing to Itself merely the right to reg
ulatc, sometimes ono course Is expo
dent, sometimes tho other.
In my own statc during tho last half
dozen ycnrs we have made number
OF notable strides in labor Legislation,
and, with very few exceptions, tho
laws have worked well. This is, OF
course, partly because we have not
tried TO do too MUCH and have proceed
cd cautiously. feeling our way, and
while always advancing. yet taking