The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1901-11-12
Industrial Democracy.

Economic development has brought
us to that point where we must, as a
nation, choose between an industrial
democracy and an industrial plutocracy /;
and in view ,f the present and past
experiences, it looks to me as If 1t would
be bad business policy to choose the
plutocracy.
An industrial democracy or a plutoc-
racy-which shall we have in America?
Shall we have in America an industrial
democracy-a nation OF sovereign equals !;
each one of whom is on an equality, in
point OF opportunity, with every other
at every point of human need; each one
of whom has every material thing that
his needs require; each one OF whom is
Joint owner in an estate whose value is
beyond computation each one OF whom
is cooperating with those about him for
the elevation of all, thereby creating Tor
themselves and all their fellows that
environment most favorab BILE to the devel-
opment of their better nature, as well as
that which is necessary to their peace
and happiness?
Or, shall we have an industrial plutoc-
racy-a nation comprising of few indi-
viduals who are fabuously rich, and the
remainder isdustrial and political serfs,
who are competing, or rather fighting
with each other for the right of access
to the means OF life, tramping each other
down, down, deeper and deeper, until at
last they must perish of hunger and cold
while surrounded by warehouses filled
to overlooking with produce of their own
hands? Shall we have cooperation,
equality of opportunity and national
advancement, or competition, monopoly
of opportunity and national decline?
The immortal Lincoln once said that no
nation could long endure half bond and
half free, and the history of the world
stands monument in evidence, that
individual freedom can be maintained
only by national adherence to demo-
cratic principles. The entire history of
mankind is but the tale OF struggle for
tunity. The principles of democracy are
the simple principles of justice, and JUS
tice demands equality of opportunity.
In all ages the elevation of justice has
preceded the elevation of societies in
general it is the one cornerstone that
must be rightly laid; it is the star of
Bethlehem which the wise men of the
west, as we'll as those OF the east must
follow if any better condition OF society
than that which exists at present is ever
to be gained
The entire path over which mankind
has journeyed from savagery up to the
present civilization, is dotted at brief
intervals with the graves OF governments
that one after another have been goaded
to destruction by centralized power, and
the signs OF the times indicate that
unless some change be speedily made in
the fundamental principles upon which
the industries OF our country are found
ed, this government OF sis destined to
meet the same doom.
Our forefathers perceived this danger
when they wrote the constitution, under
which we still live; and it is evident
from the record OF their acts, that they
used all the means within their power
to so frame their government that the
cause OF dissolution would not be con-
tanned in it. In its infancy the govern
-, 81
est approach to democracy that the
world had ever seen. They were sur
rounded on every side with what then
seemed inexhaustabe quantities OF free
land. The tools OF the workers were
very simple and very cheap. The shoe
maker had his last and awl and the car