The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-05-30
GRANGE DEPARTMENT.
Conducted by w. F. Alexander, r r.
.. No. q, Owosso.


owosso Township: First and third Tuesday
in each month at / 80 p m; Richardson's hall
Owosso.
New Lothrop: Second and fourth Tuesday,
afternoon in each month.
Bennington: First and third Saturday after
noon In each month:
Hazel Green: First and third Friday OF each
month; Henderson.
Burns: Every Tuesday evening, Knaggs'
Bridge.
Unicn: Each Alternate Friday evening;
Chapin.
SENATOR ROBSON HIS OWN SUCCESSOR.
The following resolution was pre-
sented by w. F. Alexander and adopted
by the ,Owosso township republican
caucus, May 10, 1902.
The important business of law making
should be conducted by men of honor
and ability, is rendered more efficient
by experience, and as the Hon. John
Robson is an honest man and has made
good senator:
Resolved, That the republicans of
Owosso township favor his renomina-
ton.
Owosso Township Grange will do de-
gree work at its next meeting, Tuesday,
June 3. Each officer and all members
should be present.
rich. would approach nearer to what the
poet calls, 1.-The noblest work of God
an honest man, if they would profit by
the advice given in the following article
from The Independent and be truthful
with the assessor.
A WORK FOR RICH MEN.
From time to time we have commented
upon the large gifts that the millionaires
are making to philanthropic objects, to
art and to education. On one occasion
we pointed out the limits which such
benefactions cannot pass We showed
that rich men collectively cannot fol-
low Andrew Carnegie's advice to give
away their entire fortunes-otherwise
than by dividing them up among the
relatively poor-unless the public is
willing to convert private ownership
of great business undertakings into a
public ownership. The greater part of
the private fortunes of modern times
must continue to exist in the form Of
industrial capital. To transform a re-
latively large part of it into museums,
art collections, libraries and universities
would impair the productive mechanism
of the world, and, in the long run, i'm
poverish humanity. Rich men cannot
give away their fortunes in a wholesale
fashion, in lump sums, unless the COM
munity is prepared to accept them in
their present concrete form of business
property.
We desire now to make one practical
application of this elementary economic
truth. The time obviously has not
come for a sweeping substitution of a
public for private ownership of indus;
trial enterprises. Whether it ever will
come, we do not know. Nobody knows.
! The rich men, therefore, cannot hope to
follow Andrew Carnegie's advice so far
as to convert their fortunes in the
aggregate into great public benefactions.
| They must continue to be "magnates, F"
or they must divide their property
among less wealthy individuals, who
will continue to employ it in business.
No one would think for moment of
advocating the latter course. Must the
rich man, then, presently find himself
compelled to leave the major part of his
accumulations to his heirs, who may or
may not be fit to assume great response
bilities, and will the growth of private
fortunes be limited in coming years as
it has been limited in the past chiefly by
the spendthrift habits of dissolute sons
One way out of this impasse appears
to us. Rich men have shown q praise
worthy desire to minister to the suffer
ing and the needy; to encourage art and
science; and, above all, to promote edu-
cation. All these are worthy objects.
They areInot, however, the noblest OBJ
ject toward which man can strive. A
good conscience, mankind has often re-
marked, is better than riches. Personal
and civic honor are more to be desired
than reputation for an easy going
generosity. And one thing there is,
that nations need more than they need
culture. Better than prosperity, better
even than elegant attainment, is Justice,
that rugged social virtue without which
no degree of prosperity or of refinement
cGn bring happiness to people, or in.
sure the staying power of a nation.
To what better use, then, could on,
rich men devote share of their wealth
than the promotion of justice2 1t is 9
fine thing to endow hospitals. Is is 9
magnificent thing to create great univer
sites. But nobler thing than the
most godlike rich man has ever yet
tried to create would be substantial Jus
tice firmly established throughout
great, commonwealth or nation.
Does anyone ask how the rich man
by any use of his wealth, can establish
JusticeY Does anyone object that the
establishing and the maintaining of JUS
tice are work for legislatures and fol
| cOurtg2 We at onca od,n;t +1,o4 1.x.:.I.