Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1904-01-02
MINING
Ihs Natural Basis
For
SCIENTIFIC ECONOMICS
In The
WEST.

iNOOhJ niONiiOdAAi lcdlSS, 10, QllqOoClOn-
ably, the natural and, consequently,
the inevitable basis for a system of
scientific economies, in view of realizing
American ideas in the organized indus
tries and modern economic forces of our
great nation.
When our declaration of independence
was promulgated, our Constitution
framed and our Union founded, the I'M
occupied lands and u~nexplored regions,
on or within our borders, were naturally
such that it seemed to the founders of
our Republic that the time would never
come, so to speak, when all thrifty and
worthy American citizens could not
easily find, if they would, Independent
and practically free homes for them
selves and families.
Such indeed was the case up to with
in the last twenty-five or thirty years.
Thus the extent of our government
lands, open practically to free settle
.ment, has been such, that the economic
or industrial liberty, as I may call it, of
the average American citizen and fam
ily-center among our great common
people was as securely guaranteed to
all our citizens alike, by the very ma
ture of economic conditions formerly
existing in our midst, and to the same
extent, relatively, as civil and religious
liberty were guaranteed US by our
National Constitution.
Indeed, had it been otherwise, this
most precious and indispensable of all
our industrial liberties-namely that of
gaining and assuring a competence for
ones self and family-would have also
been especially guaranteed to all Amer
ican citizens, as a constitutional pre-
rogative of the highest order and on a
par with the civil and religious liberties
we enjoy. Indeed, economic liberty for
the American citizen and wage Garner,
through an independent-living wage,
constitutes, certainly, the ultimate aim
and the browning glory of all u liber-
ties, as we'll as the final goal of Ameri-
can democracy and re~publicanism. In
other words, what the very nature of
former economic conditions has, thus
far, been doing for the average Amer
lean citizen in favor of his economic
liberty must, on the contrary,
henceforth be systematically realized
for him, through scientific economics,
along democratic and progressive lines,
in all our ruling economic organizations
with this great end specially in view.
and. Furthermore, it must be understood
by the vast majority of our citizens,
that economic liberty for u great
common people thro' Independent living
wages is to be the priceless boon our
e~vengalical and scientific civilization is
to bestow as rapidly as possible on the
immense and most worthy army of
organized American labor.
Surely, ours being the democratic
civilization and republic ''par excel
lence," the irresistible tendencies of the
present hour, so manifest on all sides,
towards a scientific organization of all
our industrial forces, whether of capital
or labor, must inevitably lead to the
above final and most fortunate result.
Consequently no greater national calam-
ity could befall our country than fol
our generals of finance and captains OF
INDUSTRY, 10 DC DliiiAlSu do " bNC NbA
mate and inevitable democratic mission
and destiny of what is now commonly
called the American Trust System.
In new and %undeveloped countries
especially, unregulated competition il
economics is the best available guarai
tee to economic liberty for the thrifty
and worthy, because its natural tenden
cy is then to raise wages.
Thus it has been truly said that
Competition is the life of trade.
But this fortunate period once passed
and when the supply of labor exceed
the demand-as in the old world and al
ready to a certain extent in thi
country-then, on the contrary, instea
of being the life of trade, unregulate
competition in an over-charged labo
market is certain death to all norma
trade and, relatively speaking, to tn
wage-earners as well, because it fatal
tends to lower all wages toward tn
starvation scale, thus decreasing cor
sumption below a normal and health
level and all commercial activity an
social happiness arlong the great CON
Apn people accordingly.
That is why the came as unrestraine