Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-28

prise is profitable that is not in itself
wealth producing, or that is not nee
essarily connected with the production
or exchange Of articles Of necessity, or
that is not vitality related to the vel
fare of humanity. which welfare in
the last resort Is the real source of all
wealth. AS this is a somewhat broad
and comprehensive proposition, will
try to analyze,i so that it's elements
will stand forth distinctly. Let us see
what members of any community
come under the cover Of its protec-
ton.
OF; course the farmer does. He is at
the very fountain head of all wealth.
1t is commonplace among us that when
crops fail, everything fails. He
has never needed any defense from the
days when Adam first pruned his fruit
trees to the day last fall when the tard-
lest farmer picked his last ear of corn.
The artisan comes under this same
case. He takes the raw material that
the farmer produces and converts it
into it's several uses for society's COM
pick purposes. AS civilization grows
more complex the artisan is becoming
an increasing necessity. We there
fore welcome every legitimate bust
ness enterprise in our midst. wish
we might have another packing house,
another Dain plant, another Hardsocg
plant located among us this year. 1t
would contribute to the prosperity of
the city.
But the artisan who works over the
material is helpless without the oper-
ator who furnishes the capital to buy
the raw material, the machinery for
production, and who has the skill to
dispose of the article when it is made.
So there must be the Office force as
well as the shop force.
Then the merchant is indispensable.
Exchange must be carried on. We
cannot eat all the meat Ottumwa pro-
duces, nor would we want any of it
without salt to season it and bread to
equalize it in our system. So the mer-
chant comes in to furnish us the
things we do not manufacture, and he
with his army Of clerks is absolutely
necessary. Shall we stop there? No,
there must be some one who will fur
nish the medium of exchange and help
to balance one season with another,
therefore, we must have our banks.
But men are not always kind and
just. The strong may be disposed to
take advantage of the weak, and rob
the innocent and helpless of their
rights. We must have the officers OF
the law and those learned in it's nitric
acies, those wise to pass judicial judg
ment between disputing parties, those
strong to enforce the dictates of the
law. OF course health must be reck
oned with, and we will call in the man
OF science to help us avoid disease and
to restore us II we fall prey to it's
rayages. All these are necessary for
mans physical welfare.
But long ago it was said: MAN shall
not live by bread alone" There are
the higher things of life that must be
provided. John Milton comes up tc
remind us that: mo man is truly rich
in that he simply carries in his hand
or holds in his pocket; riches are OF
the head and the heart" If the ole
Puritan was right. and think he was
place for such as handle these higher
things. So we will open the door tt
the teacher who helps dispel our igno
rance, to the preacher who helps
strengthen our moral and spiritua
purposes, to the artist who ministers
to our aesthetic nature, to the poe
who sings us song Of cheer, to the
author who inspires us with high ant
holy thoughts, or who entertains us il
our somber moods with fascinating
story.
Are Wealth Producers.
have not by any means exhausted
| the list, but have opened the subject
sufficiently, that each may fill the can
vass to his own taste. Now all of these
are wealth producers and the more
we have of them in any city the better
for The community.
/ There is another class which are not
producers, only consumers who are liv
ing either upon their Accommodations
or those Of their forbears, and who dc
not enter into this economic discus
sion. But there is still another grour
who are beyond question the parasites
of society. They simply play upor
the weakness of the producing classes
and suck out their blood without Civ
ing anything in return.
i Among these are the financial
tricksters who range all the way from
the dizzy heights Of high finance dow
to the green goods man or the vendel
of patent medicine fake. OF course
no one apologies for their chicanery
i We all agree that we would hang then
I-if we could catch them
In this class some would place tn,
saloon keeper. They regard his busi
ness as entirely hurtful and unneces
sary, and insist society would be bet
4 ter without him. Others take an en-
! tirely different view and regard hi
4 business as legitimate as any othe
that deals in the Injuries Of life Pei
A haps neither are right. But all mus
j agree that as far as his business min
listers to excess, encourages waste O
money where it can be lily spared
4 undermines manhood and interrupt
labor it is under this class. So w
have for the present compromised tn
matter as far as the law is concerne
and allow him to do business unde