The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-12


- university warns the country
Il that unless public sentiment
shall proceed to enforce
wholesome limitations upon the tend
ency of commercial and political en-
terprise to centralize under the auto
cratic control of a few men, known in
business as executive officials of trusts
and in politics as bosses, we shall have
an emperor at Washington within
twenty-five years. He tolls us
THE American standard of personal
morality is. on the whole, high. as
compared with other nations and other
ages. We have developed personal vir-
tues through individual conscience very
well. But our actions in politics and
in a social and business sense prove
our moral standards in these dircc-
tons desperately low. There is an ap-
palling contrast between our methods
of dealing with each other as individu-
abs and the low standard observed in
dealings between different parts of the
whole organization of society. Com
practic.ng great cXtortion upon his
neighbor even if he wanted TO, and in
politics we once had at least q rough
form of relative justice. But today
with our industries organized into
trusts and the imperialistic spirit de-
Veluping in politics, the general dcvcl-
opmcnt of the principle of trusteeship
will become appalling, unless we culti-
Vate a higher standard of morality
than ever before. Public affairs can
10 longer be played as game, but
must be directed by an intelligent and
active public conscience. Individual ef-
fort is helpless and hopeless"
That there is d measure of truth in
these words may be conceded without
accepting the admonition as wholly
true OF wholly justified. Every transit
tion period has called forth the same
forcbodngs. They were numerous IN
Washingtons day and led to repeated
riots and instructions during the
period when the newly liberated Thir-
teen states We're fcrmenting i'm the i'm
federation. They reappeared in the
public discussions of events prior to
the war of 1872, with New England
then, as since, a center of distrust and
alarmist rumors. They were a notable
feature of the political literature clus-
tering around the Mexican war and
around the abolition movement. They
were stimulated by the economic
changes resulting from DEVELOPMENTS
of the steam engine and the general
introduction of labor saving machinery.
They punctuatcd the era of business
speculation which began with the dis
cOvery of gold in California and con-
tinued in varying degree throughout
the era of transcontnental railway
building and down to the recent in
dustrial expansion helped forward by
the doctrine of tariff protection. Now
that these same inherent energies Of
the American people are massing for
conquest of the markets Of the world
in cffecting which Capitalization of
capital policy and skill are seen to be
Indispensable, we have the same tradi-
tional objections worked over with a
few changes in nomenclature. The
poor are being crushed. The rich are
seizing power. Liberty is endangered
Individual effort is shackled. The oc-
topuses will get you If you don't watch
out.
Yet through all this incidental tur-
moil American civilization has made
its way steadily and there is scant
reason to fear that it will soon retro
grade.