The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-10-05
Puts Maxwell on the GriddIe

of The Independent: / was indeed disappointed
when you did not yourself make my criticism OF
your editorial the occasion for further economic
discussion However since Mr. H. B. Maxwell
of Chicago has come to your defense / will take
up the matter with him direct.
First, Mr. Maxwell, there is nothing per-
sonal in this discussion. Individuals drop out of
sight The editor of The Independent needs no
personal defense His economic ideas are not
personal, and because they are met with economic
ideas antagonstic is no sign that anybody IS
angry" This is where the personal ego rises
superior in the disputants to the matter discussed
something that is always subordinate in the
true investigator.
The matter quoted from The Independent
may have appeared optimistic to you and to the
writer but it nevertheless pictured condition
that was pessmistic in fact. First it admits the
lot of the toiler is hard. Even the capitalists
lot is little if any better, there pictured, in his
mad effort to keep his goldpile from being
washed away in the floods OF chance. Ii this
is the language of optimism in what language
will pessemism be expressed? Then, If 80 per
cent of the capitalists (the goal are all strv-
ing to reach) fall as the editorial states isn't
it pretty dark industrialism we are called upon
to contemplate pessemistic? This being the
picture, whether it is pessemistic or not, leave
for the reader to decide
Now, Mr.. Maxwell, the situation is this:
This struggle for subsistence; this struggle for
the retention of already accumulated wealth,
from, what The Independent denominates the
floods of chance'-this struggle is occurring in
an age of material progress under which produc-
ton has increased more than tenfOld in efficiency.
In other words why is it, with skiold increased
efficiency in half century even, such struggle
for existence and for the retention OF wealth
must and does exist, when by the terms OF the
instrumentalites responsible for this increase,
subsistence should be obtained at one-sixth the
effort? That it is not thus obtained, and the
struggle for existence is even more precarlOus
h:c{ov ,chf tn
inspire thinking minds to investigation. 1t was
to awaken the editor of The Independent to what
to me appeared his blindness to these condi-
tions-since nothing in his paper showed that
he was aroused to them-and to the benehcence
OF such economic forces rightfully used, that his
editorial became a text for what you term my
cheated criticism" Now hard questions should
not be called heated" The problem above is
open for you and The Independent to answer.
There is not a grain of socialism in it. 1t is
simply an economic problem forced upon us for
solution that has grown out of the change from
hand" to machine" production incident to this
age. It is growing in intensity to the extent ma
chine is dispossessing hand production. 1t sim
ply calls for solution What the industrial name
of the solution will be is immaterial. But since
the indvidualistic has been gradually receding
before the progress of civilization it looks like
the ultimate can only be universal cooperation
You yourself MI. Maxwell, seem vaguely to ex-
meet this to be the final outcome. II SO why
now refuse to preach it the ultimate? The !.
Inauguration of the cooperative commonwealth
even by overwhelming vote of the people
cannot come instantly. 1t must come by gradual
growth--the passing of the people by referendum
vote of one industry after another in the transit
ton from the competitive to the cooperative.
The great railways and corporations most vitality
affecting all the people will undoubtedly be first
to be disposed Of The manner IN which they
will be disposed of will be according to a majority
vote Of the people, which can be the only law
of a republic
It is not supposed that under cooperative
system or any other system human nature will
be changed. But much that rOuses the worst
traits in our nature will be changed, because the
economic struggle for existence under the com
petitive system has every man at the throat of
his competitor The intensity of this contest,
when selfpreservation depends upon it,
arouse only the animal in our natures Don't
YOU think that system where men wouldn't
Inxrn 40 fol 9th fOr.i OH would eliminate