The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-09-08
No. 29I.

such arbitrary line OF division as
that separating one class from another,
one locality from another, or men with
a certain degrse Of property from those
Of a less degree, Of property.
The good citizen is the man who, what
ever his wealth of his poverty. strives
manfully 10 do his duty to himself. to-
his family. to his neighbor, to the state;
who is incapable Of the baseness which
nanifests Itself either In arrogance or
IN envy. but who while demanding JUS
tice for himself is no less scrupuious to
90 justice TO others. 1t is because the
| average American citizen, rich or poor.
IL OF Just this type that we have cause
for our profound faith In the future OF
the Republic.
Ours is IA government OF liberty, by.
through, and under the law. Lawlcss-
ness and connivance at law breaking
whether the law-breaklng take the
form Of crime Of greed and cunning or
nf a crime OF violence are destructive
not only of order. but OF the true lib
critics which can only come through or
der. II alive to their true interests rich
and poor alike Will set their faces like
iIlnt against the spirit which seeks per-
snnal advantage by overriding the laws.
without regari 10 whether this spirit
shows Itself In the form OF bodily vio-
lrnce by one set Of men or In the form
oG vulpins cunning by another set of
men.
.tI .l.s shf AL
be the old familiar watchwords of hon
esty, decency. fair-dealing and common
sense. The qualities denoted by these
words are essential to all of ns. as we
deal with tha complex Industrial prob
loms Of toiay. the problems affecting
mt merely the accumulation but even
more the visa distribution OF wealth.
We ask no mans permission when we
require him 10 obey the law: neither
the permission Of the poor man nor yet
ol tie rich man. Least OF all can the
man Of great wealth afford to break the
law, even for his own financial advan-
tage: for the law is his prop and sup
port, and II is both foolish and pro-
foundly unpatriotic In him to fail In Civ
ing hearty support to those who show
that there liz In very fact one law. and
one law only, alike for the rich and the
Inor, for the great and the small.
Men sincerely interested In the due
protection OF property. and men sin
cerely interested i'm seeing that the just
rights Of labor are guaranteed, should
alike remember not only that In the long
run neither the capitalist nor the wage
worker can be helped IN healthy fash
Ion save by helping the other: but also
that to require either side to obey the
law and do its full duty toward ths
is emphatically to that
sides real interest.
There Is no worse enemy OF the wage
worker than the man who condones
mob violence in any shape or who
class hatred; and surely the
slightest acquaintance with our indus
rial history should teach even the most
short sighted that the times of most
suffering for our people as whole, the
times when business is stagnant, and
capital suffers from shrinkage ana gets
30 return from its Investments, are ex-
lctly the times OF hardship, and want,
ma grim disaster among the poor. II
III the existing instrumentalities OF
wealth could be abolished. the first and
'everest suffering would come among
nose OF us who are least well off at
lresent. The wage-worker is well Off
'nly when the rest of the country is
Well Oft: and he can best contribute to
his general well-belng by showing
anity and a firm purpose to do justice
o others.
In his turn the capitalist who is real
y conservative,the man who has fore
hought as well as patriotism, should
earthly welcome every effort, legislative
# otherwise. which has for Its object
o secure fair dealing by capital. cor
'orate or individual, toward the public
nd toward the employee. Such laws
s the franchise-tax law in this state,
'hich the court of appeals recently u
animously decided constitutional such
law as that passed in congress last
ear for the purpose OF establishing
apartment of commerce and labor, un-
er which there should be bureau to
verse; and secure publicity from the
reat corporations which do an inter-
ate business-such law as that pass
4 at the time for the regulation OF the
reat highways of commerce so as to
eep these roads clear on fair terms to
II producers in getting their goods to
laws are in the interests
ot merely of the people as whole, but