Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-10-03

NEW ROLE THAT OFFERS TO Ma
PoLEoNS OF EVERY CALLING.
If the Reign of Organization Con-
,tinues the Ultimate triumph OF
Communism Seems Assured.

vidual wither and the world be more
and more?" is one of the vital questions
which humanity must face in this most
strenuous Of all ages.
The present is pregnant with mighty
issues, amongst which the social ques-
ton stands predominant The rush OF
events is flowing to some important
goal with an ever increasing momen-
tum.
All civilized people are striving to-
day to bring about millenium-an
era of universal comfort and happi-
ness
The great opposing forces of capital
and labor are only grinding each others
faces in order to bring about the most
perfect evolution Of the social prob
lem.
Pens and words are doing the work
of guns and bayonets, but any day the
situation may be reversed and the
struggle for existence bring out the
fiercost passions Of mankind.
There Is no more knotty problem
before us today than that covered by
Tennyson's remarkable lines. The fol-
lowing kecnly analytical article on
the subject from the pen of the distin-
guished Western prof ssor, John Armi-
tage, while it does not decide whether
the poet is right or wrong In his con-
clusion, places the subject In very
clear light before the ordinary thinker.
THE great steel strike, the free dis
cusslng topics cognate, and the uneasi-
ness that Is felt on all sides over the
existence and activity Of secret lodges
wherein death Is planned. and allotted
to those whom the people delight TO
honor-these and other circumstances
combine to add interest to the INDUS
trial question as a whole, and most
particularly to that practical detail that
is concerned with the near future.
What Is the industrial world, the so
cial governmental world, the social
order? What are they tending to-
what are we to expect from them next
Mutterings we have heard, environ
ments and circumstances we have seen
and noted down the very thri!l-as or
majestic power-of something COM
ing towards the planet ont OF the mid
die distance that lies in the front OF MS
this thrill the average mind has felt
ut tir'os. and it all comes hack to our
centers in the relating Of civilized
man to civilized man in the civilized
state.
1t is the world -old-ard over new
industrial question And how shall
men govern themselves and get along
in harmony when the future brings It's
own special difficulties?
The time has come when thinking
men no longer discuss abstract Qucs-
lions in connection with this subject.
The trend OF their yca Soning and Specu-
lations now Is, What is coming next?
They are studying recent phases Of in
dustrial development as concrete facts,
that must be succeeded by other facts
that no human power can modify much
less forestall.
We know two such facts so definitely
and so incontrovertihly that we can use
them to go abroad with. and not ms open
questions. These facts are that O.
In great industrial enterprises, there
is no longer any such thing as individ-
Nal capital. ana that (2) Labor Is or
eanizng also, though not yet, like
capital. on the iont-stock corporate
plan but in form sufficient To DO away
with the old stage Of master and SER
vant-thc stage Of inllvdunliSm among
workmen.
Thus we find that capital is under the
tbnlTOl, ana lndl ldNpl - b'lI'HNf
coming under the control OF central
lied power. Now social control Is the.
foundation of social order, so the super
Tor potency of both capital aud labor
in our timc-as compared with former
days--is due entirely to the fact Of cen
tralizaton. and the merging of indi-
Nidualism in the sum total OF organ
lied energy. whether OF capital or Of
labor.
We have seen great firms formed by
men of genius go to the wall. We have
seen men as individuals starving IN a
land Of plenty denied eva the right 70
travel the streets and highways, and
we awe seen that infamous tramp law
in several states rCampled into the
dust. and it's authors made infamous
for all time by the efforts OF organized
labor The capitalist soon learned that
the great corporation. having ma soul
made an error on the side of sentiment,
and he soon came to see also that II
was useless for him, an individual, TO
contend against IT, The Opprrssor OF
the poor. the man who has no use for
his fellow man tramping the streets,
gradually came 10 understand tina. there
was a labor 'OlEt here lnd there
throughout the country who could hit
back with terrible effect
So the capitalist, the oppressor and
the heartless man OF a few dollars got
into the corporations as quietly rs pos
sihlc So also. the man out of work,
when no retrieved his fortunes sought
the nearest labor union and Joined Il.
There are few workmeu still left who
adhere 20 iudJvidualiam, aud some OF