Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-08-23
Rockefeller Versus the Professor.


Charles Zueblin, professor of Soci-
ology at the University of Chicago,
according to the Rccod-Wr"id. in
recent issue, delivered himself in an
address before his students, as fol-
lows:
THE real friends of Socialism to-day
are Rockefeller, Morgan and Hartman,
men who are organizing great interna-
tional Industries, Eventually. it will
be comparatively easy matter for the
Government to take these industries
over.
"The Socialistic zeaiots are enemies
to their creed, as compared with these
men. The man who conceives his mis-
sion to be to get up whenever opportuni-
ty oilers and say that Socialism is the
only thing that will save society, is
retarding evolutionary Socialism. The
people who are trying to be altruistic,
trying to keep their minds open and
ready to accept a modified new society
are the ones who are forcing us into new
lines OF thought, and not the people who
get up with their shibboleth and hope
by saving few mystic words to steer
the masses who have not thought the
thing out.
"When the Standard Oil Company had
imposed on it great fine the other day
it was following popular drift when its
defense was that everybody does it -
This il the defense for all kinds of busi-
ness chicaneTy. Many business men
have made the same defense for Banker
Walsh, who happened to he caught,
although it was maintained that all the
other bankers were doing the same
thing. This defense is one of the re-
suits of economic othordoxy."
This language is significant, for it
has been heralded by the press that
the above institution is largely en-
dowed by John D. himself, whose
contributions have assisted very ma
terially towards paying this profcs-
sOr's high salary. 1t would seem if
our John d. believed in the teachings
of his professor, we would learn that
he proposes to contribute literally
towards keeping such agitatOrs as
Debs, Holquit, Titus rt ais, in the
field; but the old man is too practical
to be misled by university ScholaSti-
ciSm. Therefore these SociaiStic
speakers and their friends will have
to pay their bills, for all the assist
ance they will receive from the Rock
efeller, Morgan and Hartman crowd
can be put in postage stamp recep-
tacle.
When Mr. Bryan returned to this
country after having taken his trip
around the world, he remarked that
in all parts of the civilized world
which he had visited, he found the
spirit of Democracy active. This
fact is much in evidence in our cOun-
try. The time has come when the
people do not lie down as quietly and
readily before arbitrary Federal au-
thority as they used to. On the 9TH
er hand, this governmental branch is
coming more in touch with the de-
sires of the people of the individual
States i'll this respect; instance the
hesitancy of the Federal courts, with
few exceptions, in interfering with
State railway rate regulations. This
is only the beginning of the applica-
tiOn of beneficcnt principle that
the States should manage their own
local affairs.
All of this proves that, if the
States can keep railroads from ex-
plotting the people within their boun-
daries, why can they not deal with
the trusts just rs effectively? 1t
need not be surprising that the evils
from which we now suffer will in the
future receive harder hits from State
action than from any other source.
When the people once get awakened
they move and do things. 1t goes
without saying, the nearer a govern
ment can be brought to tbs doors of
the people the better; in which case
they are better equipped to watch
the actions of their officials and rep
resentatives, and insist that their
rights be respected and maintained.
The abuses of Federal authority being
so for removed from the habitations
of the common people, it is difficult
to get at their source, or invoke and
apply the proper remedies for their
correction.