Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-12-13

chiefly laws which imposed restyie-
HaNs upon men and which oppressed
particularly the weaker aud feenler
clements in the community
rhe ideas and ideals OF tie found.
ers Of this republic were noble and
10 the conditions OF the
time. The economic ties were few.
The economic life was largely iudiyid.
ualism in theory correspondent with
economic mdividualism in practice,
Great Changes Came,
Contrast, however, the conditions
OF The present time with the condi.
uouS when our national constitution
was adopted our opportunities to
work now depended upon others as
well rs upon ourselves, for our whole
economic life has become great
network in which each serves all
and all serve each, We are bound
20 the other fellow by u multitude
OF ties, and these may be broken ny
a force altogether beyond our control
Think, tor example, OF crises and tho
suffering that they produce Con
uast also child labor ON the farm IN
1889 and child labor in great fac,
tory in New York in 1906 Contrast
the conditions of health ON the farm
and IN tho great cities. Contrast
tho opportunity for Investment wneh
land is the chief form OF wealth ana
the opportunity for Investment WHOM
stocks and bonds constitute large
proportion of all our wealth,
ut early became apparent that
negative measures were not sualelen,
To secure equality of opportunity.
Men have gradually come 10 see that
the great fact in human society -
not equality but inequality, aud mat
inequality Is natural fact Early
In our history Me dominant Thought
was equality of opportunity, but TINS
was interpreted In the light of the
theory that men are naturally equal
The dominant thought with us stit Ia
quality OF opportunity but this il
Ending Interpretation / the light of
the theory that mep are naturally I'M
equal. Consequently the new times
demand measures different from those
OF the odon time. Those who
understand The full meaning OF
natural Inequality among men can
perceive how fun OF meaning ls this
dictm of a contemporary jurat
VIZ, lnerc / no greater inequality
than the equal treatment of un.
equals
II all this Is true we are In a posi-.
ton to answer the question, Who
are the true Jcffcrsoniuns now? rhcy
are not those who ro,evno tho words
Of Jefferson, but they are those who
attempt to accomplish his great pur.
pose by measures appropriate to the
conditions actually existing In Amer.
lea tn tho twentieth century. Men
who denounee labor laws passed In
the interest Of labor are animated by
n spirit abhorrent TO the mon who
when they denounced labor laws had
IN mind those laws aiming 10 upprcRs
and enslavc the wage,earaer
In Education Also.
our entire educational history Is
simply an attempt to realize equality
of opportunity In this country. Step
after step has been taken with this
end IN view. We establish public
schools, we abolish tuition. in many
places we provide free textbooks, IN
order to give all children an opportun.
tty II was a tremendous step IN hui
man history when II was decided
That rich men must educate the chill.
dren of The poor, that men without
children must contribute to the edu
cation Of the children of tho man
with his culver fun of these arrows
of protection l'nc modern university
is triumph of this ideal
THE land policies OF the United
States have been shaped with refer
onco to equality of opportunity. The
last great legislative act increasing
opportunities for land ownership was
that which mlde irrigation national
affair Our INK legislation reveals
the workings of this thought, al.
though men arc not as yet very clear
In their minds how It Is to b., real,
ized IN this special department &C our
public life About one thing mon
are becoming clear In tAe!r minis
and that Is this that inheritance
must TO a greater or less pegree be
regulated by public authority, In on.
der to enable US TO approximate more
nearly TO equality Of opportunity.
This think Is what Is most funda
mental IN the movement Tor the tax
alton OF lnherltanees that Is now
sweeping over the entire civilized
world Finally we may mention the
vigorous efforts to secure control o.
corporations, including the great
ones called trusts. It has been
| clearly seen that the corporate de.
felOpment has oGerd opportunitira IN