The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-10-04
BATTLE AGAINST THE POWER OF WEALTH
The Social Question of day Compared with the Great
Issues of Ages Past.
OF PROF HOWERTH'S SIX LECTURES
"Once Men fought Religious and Political Dominancy
Now, the Power of Wealth


question, namely, the religious, the |
political and the industrial or eco
nomic. Always it has been ques
tion OF democracy. To-day, it is,
roughly speaking, the problem OF Sc
curing a more equitable distribution
Of the abundance Of economic goods
made possible by your improved
methods Of production.
"Obserye that our modernn social
question is a question Of producing
wealth as well as the problem OF dis
tribnting it. We pride ourselves
upon the immense product Of our in
dus,ry, but we overlook The fearful
waste of materials and energy and
life involved 10 it. If our Industrial
forces were intelligently organized
and directed so as to eliminate the
waste Of modern industry, we might
easily produce double the amount Of
wealth we now create, The problem
Of a more equitable distribution Of
wealth is, however, the most immedi-
ate question confronting us. No one
viii seriously contend that at present
wealth flows TO the producers Vi it in
exact proportion to their services in
wealth production. How to apportion
wealth SO that individual reward will
correspond to individual merit is the
practical social question of to-day.
4GW CONTROL MUCH.
And this question in spite of the
boasted equality which prevails il
this country, has assumed the nature
Of a class question. True, we have
no hereditary class privileges il
America, and no caste ia tile OrientA
sense, but we have comparatively
small number Of people who contro
the material instruments Of produc
tion, and whose Immediate interest
seem to lie in the strict preservation
of the modern Industrial order; whil
on the other hand, we have the ma
jority of our people dependent TO
their livelihood upon their success il
gaining access to the means Of pre-
duction, that is TO say dependen
: upon those who control these means
The immediate interests of this ma
jority are involved 10 change of th
e present Industrial order in the direC
. tion of economic democracy, rathe
than in its preservation in its presen
e form. 1t is, therefore useless to tai
: OF an identity Of interests between tn
! laborer and the capitalist. There
ii no strict identity, and those VIII
e claim it are the victims of looS
u thinking, OF are unconsciously biase
: by their own immediate interests.
II Socialists who claim that 'tt
T. whole history Of mankind since I'll
e dissolution Of primitive tribal societ,
e holding land in common ownership
s has beeua history of struggles, col
IS tests between exploiting and e,
y plotted, ruling and oppressed classes
Is and our labor organizations whiC
v urge the development Of labor ca
e. consciousness are more nearly CORE,
is in their conception Of the preseI
situation than those who, fancying
complete harmony Of interests, G.
n peace, when there is 40 peace. 1t
r true that human progress has be'
s? due TO some extent to class conflic
Of just as 1t has been partially due
OF intertribal, international and inte
a. racial conflict. The great mistak
es however, Is in supposing that futu
p social progress must necessarily
so brought about by the sort Of confl
IN Of which history furnishes us so mai
In examples We have now reached
1t stage Of development when probler
he involving a conflict Of class interes
or may be thought out instead Of bell
ic fought out. Both the struggle
er classes and class denomination ha
he been factors in social improvemer
e- In critlcll p4riod Of society, as,
he instance, in war it is an advania
ch 10 have ruling class that will orga
lie it Tor military purposes. Such
II, organization necessarily means {
e. domination Of the many by the fe
en- When such critlcal times are pa