The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-01

up lneSe institutions, they would say:
| We established them not to destroy
| competition. but to maintain ito
help make it free. so that all may have
| IN equal chance in the struggle of
| life. And we may we'll believe ~.lat
these institutions make for equal OPP
portunity and not for socialism.
| The old line Democrat is wrong also
both in his suspicion of government
and in thinking that every extension
| of governmental functions is neces-
sarily socialistic. While the old line
Democrat is neither a socialist nor an
| anarchist, in his views of government
| he is much more akin to the anarch-
| ist than to the socialist because he
inherits his views from an English
school of thought which shares with
| he anarchist the anarchists aversion
| 20 government. Adam Smith ana
| Ricardo are the classic representatives
| Of this school, and Herbert Spencer
| It's scientific exponent. The schooi
gets its name from quotation which
expresses it's central idea: "Laissez-
| faire-let things alone. This com.
nand is addressed to government. The
iaissez-faire philosophers distrust gov
eminent. Spencer. like the anarch-
SITS. teaches that government s. evil:
| out he would not-as they would
abolish 1t. because men are also evil.
and government is needed to restrain
them from doing violence to each 9TH
ler Hence government is a necessary
evil 1t is worthy of note in passing
that anarchists quote Spencer with
many signs of approval.
You will sec that this laiSSez-faire
doctrine restricts governmental activ-
ity to the performance of police du-
ties. Somebody has wittily remarked
that the laissez-faire fellows have
made of government a very lazy affair.
t1,s,
mcnt. ii is natural that the disciples
If Smith and Ricardo should take the
opposite view of competition to the So
7ialists While the socialists look upon
competition as wholly evil---the cause
IF industrial Ills these regard It as
wholly beneficent. and assert that from
is unrestricted play will emerge the
highest good of all--the best possible
social relations
The thought must strike you just
here. This let-alone theory is no.
Where realized. No civilized govern
ment is restricted to the performance
of police duties. The English govern
nent does more, ours in its varied
forms does more. We have estan-
ished many public institutions, and
We have regulated competition here.
md abolished 1t altogether there.
serenely unconscious all the while that
We We're violating in practice the prin-
eiples of a political science echoed in
our party platforms and stump
speeches.
The truth is. hard headed statesmen
have felt rather than perceived the
fallacy of this negative philosophy.
get us expose the fallacy, following
Prof. Henry G. Adams. Cast into
logical form the laissez-faire doctrine
:uus thus: "All human interests are
The same: each man knows his own
interests, and if left to himself. will
follow them; therefore the best pos
sible form of social relations will
emerge from the unrestricted play of
industrial freedom But it is not true
that the interests of the individual are
necessarily the interests of all of So
eiety. Speculation in it's varied forms.
the effort TO gain possession of more
value than one creates" may enhance
the interests of the individual. but does
not benefit society. society ~ a
unity and its gains are Gre
atoms of values. its losses distinctions
of values. THE entire railroad his
tor of this country. as of evers
country which has endeavored to real
ize in construction and management
the doctrine of restricted governmental !
control. serves 10 illustrate how false
is such claim"--that when a man
advance his own interests, he there
by necessarily advances the interests
OF society
Even in England this let-alone doc
rlne is no longer held as a scientific
principle. There as here il has long
been merely maxim which embodies
the Anglo-Saxor' mistaken devotion
to individual liberty. Hence the pre-
sumption is always against the extern
sion OF governmental function: ana
yet, face to face with Industrial evils. !
we go right along extending these
functions. seeing no other remedy in
sight. SO strong still. however. is the |
suspicion of all governmental ACTIVITY
that we have inherited from this ex-
pioded dogma that we take every such
step with fear and trembling; and SO
deep in the minds of our old line
Democratic friends is this suspicion
still, that every such remedy suggested
raises before their distended eyes the
specter of socialism.
Il have often wondered, sir. as yon
must have. whether the Democratic. !
party's perpetual attitude of obstruc-
ton cannot be traced directly TO this I
doctrine of negation--this let-alonz
theory. Be that as it may, it is not |
to be wondered at that our party has |
SO long stood helpless and pessimistiu
before the great Problem of Monopoly |
since our only guide to legislative ac- |
ton has been the uncertain light Of |
an economic doctrine which has been |
reduced from the dignity of a science |
based on a princ'~le to a philosophy |
based on MAXIM"
But. sir. while We must reject alike !.
the socialistic and the let-alone views |
OF government. we are not helpless 4 |
truer doctrine lies ready to the hanG I
OF the progressive Democracy as thc |
basis of constructive policy--a doc. /
trine which stands opposed to an
archy on the one hand. which is in |
dividualism gone to seed; and to So |
cia.ism on the other which both his- |
torically and logically. is revolt |
against the superficial claims and per- |
nicious consequences of laissez- faire
Let us take : new starting point. |
Society says Prof. Adams, lis the /
organic entity about which all our |
should CENTER" society, as q |
living, growing organism is "the ulti- |
mate thing disclosed by an ANALYSIS of {
human relations" individuals and the
government are parts OF one organic; !
whole. and both state action and the |
Industrial activity Of individuals are I
functions of the complete social or |
sanism. Therefore, neither is the |
government a necessary evil nor is it, |
an organism complete within itself