The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1901-12-06

dents life became great, II would mean
that the once would more and more come
to be filled by men OF q spirit which wsuld
make them reselute and mereileeS In deal
ing with every friend Of disorder. This
great country will not fall into anarchy.
and ~ anarchists should ever become a
serious menace to its institutions they
would not merely be stamped out but
would involve in their own ruin every
active or passive sympathiz~r with their
doctrines. The American people are slow
to wrath. but when thSr wrath Is once
kindIed IL burns IKE q consuming fame.
Business Conditions.
During the last five years business con-
ndence has been restored. and the nation
Is to be CONGRATULATED because of its pres
ont Astounding prosperity. Such prosper
ity can never be created by law alone, al
though IL is easy enough to destroy 1t by
mischievous laws. II the hand OF the
Lord is heavy upon any country, IL Hood
or drought comes, human wisdom Is pow
erless to avert the calamity. Moreover, no
law can guard us against the consequen-
ces of our own folly. The men who are
idle or credulous, the men who seek gains
not by genuine work with head or hand.
but by gambling in any form, are always
a source Of menace not only to them
world loses Its head, Ii loses what legfSla-
ton cannot supply. Fundamentally the
welfare of each citizen and therefore the
welfare Of the aggregate of citizens which
makes the nation must rest upon individ-
ual thrift and energy, resolution and In
teIligence. Nothing can take the place or
this Individual capacity, but wise legisla-
ton and honest and intelligent admins
tration can give it the fullest scope, the
largest opportunity to work to good effect
The tremendous and highly complex in
dustrial development which went on with
| ever accelerated rapidty during the latter
half of the nineteenth century brings US
, face to face al the beginning OF the TWEEN
tieth with very serious social problems.
The old laws and the old customs which
had almost the binding force of law were
once quite sufficient to regulate the accu-
mutation and distribution Of wealth. Since
the industrial changes which have so
enormously increased the productive pow
er of mankind they are no longer sufh-
cient.
The growth of cities has gone on beyond
comparison faster than the growth OF the
| country and the upbuilding or the great
| Industrial centers has meant startling
| increase not merely in the aggregate or
wealth. but in the number or very large
| individual and especially OF very large
corporate fortunes. The creation or these
| great corporate fortunes has not been due
| to the tariff nor to any other government
tai action, but to natural causes IN the
| business world, operating in other coun-
| tries as they operate in our own.
The process has aroused much antago-
nism, a great part of which is wholly
without warrant. 1t is not true that as
J the rich have grown richer the poor have
grown poorer. On the contrary, never be-
| fore has the average man, the wageworh-
er, the farmer the small trader peeh SO
/ well off as in this country and at the pres
! ent time. There have been abuses con-
J nectcd with the accumulation of wealth.
| vet it remains true that a fortune accu-
mulated in legitimate business can be ac-
clIrauiated by the person specially benefit
ed only on condition of comforting I'M
! mense incidental benefits upon others.
! Successful enterprise of the type when
| benefits all mankind can only exist If the
| conditions are such as to orfer great prizes
as the rewards OF success.
Reasons For Caution.
! ,Tba captaius of industry who have driv
! on the railway systems across this CONT
nent who have built up cur commerce
| who have developed our manufactures,
| have on the whole done great good to our
| people Without them the material deFel-
! opmept of which We are SO justly proud
/ could never have taken place. Moreover.
| We should recognize the immense lmpor.
/ lance TO this material development or
/ leaving as unhampered as is compatible
| with the public good the strong and force
full men upon whom the success or busl-
| ness operations inevitably rests Inc
| slightest study of business conditions VIII
| satisfy any one capable OF forming Il
| Judgment that the personal equation IS
| the most important factor in business
| operation; that the business ability OF the
| man at the head of any business concern
\ big or little. is usually the factor WHICH
| fixes the gulf between striking success
and hopeless failure.
, An additional reason for caution IN ueai-
| ing with corporations is to be found in the
international commercial conditions Oh 10
. dav The same business condltionS WHICH
have produced the great aggregationS OF
/ corporate and individual wealth. nave
! mad, them very potent factors In inter
national commercial competition. Busi-
| ness concerns which nave the largest
| means at their disposal and are managed
! nv the ablest men are naturally those
! which take the lead in the STRIFE Tor CON-
! mercial supremacy among the NATIONS VI
/ the, world America has only just begun
10 assume that commanding position ia
! the international business world winch
| we believe will more and more be hers IL
| 10 IF the utmost Importance that this po-
| si.ion ne not ieopa rded especially al time
! when the overlooking abundance OF our
own natural resources and the skill. buSl-
| ness energy and mechanlcHt applique VI
| our people make foreign markets essen
1 tial. Under such conditions 1t wouid De
| most unwise to cramp or to fetter the
| youthful strength of our nation.
Ipferests Of All Endangered.
! Moreover. it cannot too often be pointed
! ont that to strike with ignorant violence
; at the interests OF one set OF men almost
! inevitably endangers the interests OF All
/ The fundamental rule in our national lie.
J the rule which underlies all others, is that
J on the whole and in the long run we shaii
| go up or down together. There are excep-
! tons and in times of prosperity some VIII
! prosper far more and in times of ADVERSE
! tv some will suffer far more than others:
/ hut. speaking generally a period OF good
/ times means that all share more or less
i'm them and in a period of hard times all
+ feel the stress to a greater or less degree
1t surely ought not to be necessary TO en-
ter into any proof of this statement. me
memory OF the lean years which began IN
1893 is still vivid, and We can contrast
them with the conditions in this very year
which is now closing. Disaster to great
hoN "a T.