The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1903-03-04
DEMOCRACY
AND MONOPOLY.

j Dldu 10 uOt q OLO0OVA3 Nv 10 I'll "a
changer. a converter He origi-
mates nothing; he simply changes
!. the form of things. He can create
neither air, nor land, nor water, nor
anything that is contained within
them. He can, however, change
the form and utility of matter by
ayniillion devices and contrivances
, of his hand and brain. He can
convert the trees of the forest and
\ the minerals of the earth into such
h forms as to make them serve un
b countable uses for himself and fell
lows. Out of water he can draw
forth steam power and out of the
air electricity; quarries he can
convert into stately palaces, i'm
mense bridges, great cities; the
wool of the sheep he can convert
into the clothing Of his kind, and
by the application of his labor to
the soil he can supply the food of
We entire community. In short,
he can give value to, or put to
profitable use, through conversion
or exchange, almost every conceiv
able element of matter which he
can get within his grasp.
But it is only through CONVEX
sion or exchange that he can do
these things. Alone and singly
men can do but little. BY working
in unison with MS fellows, man ac-
complishes almost superhuman
tasks; alone, unaided, he accom-
plishes little or nothing. The best
that man alone and unaided can do
is to keep himself alive.
In modern civilization, however,
all are aided, to degree, directly
or tadirectly. 1t is only in the
eavage state that man must depend
entirely upon himself. Then he
must feed and clothe and house
himself directly, and, unlike the
more civilized being, he cannot buy
his bread ready baked, nor his
meat prepared for use He can &C
cumulate nothing and he can ex-
change nothing. The modern be-
ing, through system of co-opera-
tion with his fellows, can ex-
change his labor or the rusult of
his labor) for the result of other
labor; but the savage or prim-
tive man must consume the result
of his labor, there being no system
whereby he can exchange it for
NSSther labor. Neither can he store
il up. And even if he could "store
it up" it would be of no use to him ;
for the results of his labor, beyond
an amount sufficient to provide for
the necessities of his own exis-
/. tence, would, of course, be of no
profit or value in condition of So
oiety where there was no system Of
exchange or corporation.
Thus, simply stated, we find
that society itself is merely a
process of conversion or exchange.
Civilization is the logical outcome
of collective industry the develop
I ment of the inherent power and
tendency in man TO crafty his de-
sires both small and great) through
cooperation and exchange, with
the least possible exertion.
At the basis of mans industry is
ambition or desire. He inherently
has ambitions and desires which
S distinguish him from every other
form of being in the animal world.
Hence, he is moving, progressive
animal. But, constituted as he is,
he could be neither moving nor
progressive, in any large sense,
were it not for the fact that he in
stinctively seeks to crafty his
wishes or ambitions with the least
possible labor or effort on his own
part. 1t is this characteristic in
man which makes for progress.
He taxes his resources to accom-
plish his purposes swiftly, cheaply,
simply. This is at least the tend
ency, and the degree in which he
does it lin free state of society
is measured by the intelligence