The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-12-05

CeSUS, NU HlallST HOW great IL iH's 's'.t'
grow. would work only in the direction
Of Strengthening and giving harsAno55
to the IO.ces OF order. No man Will
ever be restrained from becoming Pre-
Sidcnt by any fear as 10 his pers2"A!
safety. II the risk to the Presidents
lie became great. it would mean that
the Office would more and more ca:na
to be Ml"d by men Of spirit wA.Ci
wCulG make them rcso.ute and nee
less II dealing with every friend OF G.s-
order This great country will nos lal!
into anarchy, and if anarchists should
ever become a serious menace u is
institutions. they would not merely G'
stamped cut but would involve in t1Hl"
own ruin every active or passive SYM
pathizer with their doctrines. The
American people are slow to wrath,
hut when their wrath is once kindled
it burns like consuming flame.
Confidence Restored.
During the last five years business
confidence has been restored. and ;le
Nation is to be congratulated because
OF its present abounding prospcrit-.
Such prosperity can never be crel;c i
by law alone, although it is easy enough
to destroy it by mischievous laws II
the hand Of the Lord is heavy Upcn
any country, if flood or drought comes,
human wisdom is powerless to avert
the calamity. Moreover. no law can
guard us against the consequences OF
oru own folly. The men who are idle ur
cleGuicuS. the men who seek gains
~ ,,I.
hand but by gambling in any form, are
always source Of menace not only to
themselves but to others. If the bnSi-
ness world lC5es its heal, it loses what
legislation cannot supply. Fundameh-
tally the Welfare OF earh citizen, AMI
therefore the welfare of the aggrs gaze
Of citizens which makes the Nation,
must ,est upon individual thrift an&
energy. resolution intelligence. Moth
ing can take the place OF this iLdiVl-
Gual capacity; but wise legislation ani
honest and intelligent administration
can gi"e it the fullest scope, the largest
opportunity to work to good effect.
Corporate Capital.
The tremendous and highly complex
industrial development which went On
with ever accelerated rapidity during
the latter half of the nineteenth cen
tury brings US face to face, at the be.
ginning Of the twentieth, with ve!y
serious social problems. The old Jaws,
and the old customs which had almost
serious social problems. The old laws,
the binding force of law, were ouce
quite sufficient to regulate the accumu-
lation and distribution uf wealth. Since
the Industrial changes which have so
enormously increased the productive
power Of mankind, they are no longer
sufficient.
The growth Of cities has gone on be-
yond comparison faster than the SroW-
tn Of the country, and the upbuildng
Of the great industrial centers mas
meant a startling increase. not merely
in the aggregate OF wealth, but in the
number OF very large individual, and
especially Of very large corporate. for
tunes. The creation Of these great cor
porate fortunes has not been due to
the tariff nor to any other goysrnment-
z al action. brt to natural causes in th
business world. operating In othe
countries rs they operate in our OWE
The process has aroused much an
tagonism, great part OF which
wholly without warrant. 1t Is not tru
that as the rich have grown richer III
poor have grown poorer. On the con
trary, never before has the averaS
man, the wage-earner, the farmer, III
small trader. been SO we'll off as IN thi
country and at the present time :her
have been abuses connected with tn
accumulation Of wealth; yet 1t remain
true that a fortune accumulated Il
legitimate business can be accumulate
by the person specially benefited onl
on condition Of comforting immense In
cidental benefits upon others. Success
full enterprise, Of the type which bcne
fits all mankind, can only exist X III
conditions are such as to offer grea
prizes as the rewards OF success.
The captains of industry who nav
driven the railway systems across tn
continent. who have built up our com
merce, who have developed our manu-
factures, have on the whole done grea
good to our peoples. Without them tn
material development Of which We ar
Justly proud could never have takel
place. Moreover. we should recognz
the immense Importance to this mailer
ial development Of leaving as unhamp
cred as is comaptible with the publ
good the strong and forceful men upol
whom the success OF business opera
tions inevitably rests. The slghtes
study of business conditions will salts
fy anyone capable Of forming a jndS
ment that the personal equation is th'
most important factor in a bushes!
operation; that the business ability o
the man at the head of any busineE:
concern, big or little, is usually the fac
tor which fixes the gulf between strik
ing success and hopeless failure.
An additional reason for caution il
dealing with corporations Is to be founc
in the international commercial con
ditions of today. The same busines:
conditions which have produced ths
great aggregations or corporate and in
dividual wealth have made them very
potent factors in international CONNER
cial competitions. Business colch!n;
which have the largest means at fhci!
disposal and are managed by the ahieSt
men are naturally those which take the
lead in the strife for commercial su
premacy among the nations % The
world. America has only just begun
to assume that commanding posi:icn
in the international business worl1
which ua beIieye will more and moe