The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-06-21


Ewhich4hey osnotSlves butso else:
wherero snrnthappiness onenme
rich workas hard togetShappiness
as they to acquire wealth Great
riches areo often abur5en while ex-
irene poverty IS curse Poverty
and want viii yet be banished from
the world This end wiz be reach
ed some day. The world Is making
progress IN this direction The 81
lent but most powerful forces Of so
ciety are working noiselessly. but IN
ceasinSly IN this direction 1t was q
long distance to travel from the cave
dwellers. ignorant OF the uses Of fire
and the metals, to present conditions.
to our mastery over the forces Of
nature, sumptuous homes and high
civilization Yet.man, through trials,
hardShips. sacrifices. ups and downs,
has made this long journey. and he
will yet make the still more difficult
one Of reaching the point, where pow
erty will be abolished, where none
will want, and all viii have enough
Great inequalities n conditions Will
largely be overcome In banishinS
poverty from the world. some Of Tie
burdens must be lifted from the Shout
ders OF wealth. There IS enough
wealth in the world now 10 prevent
poverty but We have not yet learned
how to distribute it We understand
the ways of accumulation. but not OF
distribution. Society and government
are constantly struggling with great
questions. Society. under a free gov
eminent has reached the point where
it can in the end Set what 1t demands.
what is best for it, and protect 1tSeI1
without force. There is a new light
arising out of the ocean of The past:
We see it but dimly, but it is growing
brighter and brighter.
We have heard OF an income tax.
and lately Of a progressive 1nherl-
lance tax from a high source down
in Washington, and for the past three
or our years up here in the mountains
We have heard Of and had to do with
another kind Of tax. Taxation has
always been 4 fruitful source Of trou-
bic whatever form it takes
Great questions give society no re-
pose. Shall we have an income tax
first and then an inheritance tax? The
twentieth century Will witness a StruS-
gle between individuals and col1ec-
tivism. Socialism. in its present form.
as We understand il, j been a fail
ure. 1t does not have on its present
basis the cohesion of definite purpose.
To be better, fit society. and be sue
cessful. it will have to be modified
Competition and i~ndividualisn1 so
hand in haid. Competition, up to a
point, has always been whole
some and beneficial in commerce and
business. Beyond this point unre-
strained competition defeats itself
crushes out opposition, and absorbs
everything before it.
Unrestrained competition In h
business world throws society back
on the cruel law Of the survival Of h
lttest. and in the end the strong pre-
vail and dominate Competition and
individualiSm are the parents of pres
ent conditions. of trusts. combina-
tons and colossal fortunes. 1mmeaS-
urable benefits to society have come
through individualiSm. But the
is has individualism reached
the point in the development Of bust
ness and social conditions when, with
its great usefulness and benefits. great
evils necessarily follow in its train
The twentieth century is getting
ready for some reimbursement. some
great in the interest Of hui
for some new rule. some mod
permit holding on to the benefits 1t
Idcatson OF individualiSm that Will
brings but prevent the evils that
grow up with these benefits. Theo-
lore Roosevelt, Of whom You have all
heard. once said that ne thought a
between individualism
and socialism would be best. l re-
olied that apparently h might be
!, solution. but how could society get
id OF the evils OF 10Th while holding
~ to their benefits?