New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-20

Iy K that these profits shall not exceed average
American people: Il wish to devote myself 10 your
the common property for such service" The
American people, in their generosity answer; w,
oc The United States: and wlile we give him the
II To- YOU for the active years Of your life IT
is difficult 10 see" adds, with amusing nalvete
any energy or ability of a benedcent character
The law were TO limit the possible gains ,S 81 sca
year and to place a. corresponding limit On the
amount Of capital which could be bequeathed.
THE INVENTORS INDICTMENT.
Now let US suppose that the American people to.
day strike some such bargain with the inventor OF
some means of traction which Will increase
pense and danger. The invention works well, and
proht allowed namely %".,V year. bul Illt t9
while he has seen his way to making hin invention
ferent kind and even more generally penehcla y
only the community Will offer him the required
ageInent, to do so But if matters are conducted
according to the principles of X the commu f
in its generosity, win allow him; and though his
further exertions might enrich it with untold mill
ions. his country will be obliged to tell him that
he shall keep a cent of these for himself. What
then Will happen? II the original compensation was
necessary, Y assumes it was in order 10 encour-
age the man to achieve his first great success. tne
impossibiity of his receiving any such encourage
ment again will be equally operative In dscourag-
short. If the principle of which \ so glibly says
II
in actual lie its most obvious effect would be to
dustrial life which was early and premature in
proportion as their ability was productive for IN
their Efforts would have gained for them the ut
encoura cement, would allow them either TO enjoy
OF the astonishing Iooseness of reasoning which
the arguments of y eXempIifv let me poslt to
one example more. he implies that the people OF
the United States would be generous-would be Of
.eling more man the occasion really reqnlreao
leave 10 the inventor the great industrial organ
dent. He lere makes the same kind Of mistake
that the ordinary socialist makes IN arguing from
President of the United States carries with it as
nee sltt 10 the man who occupies II powers be
President Of the T-njted sltas has univ perba3 s
elohe. For the President his income is the mere
the engine Of it All this the phiios S5p1S" Of
9verlooks; and this philosophy is merely scholar
" and cultivated development Of the kind of phos
"pny when prevails among the more educated eX-
with the hard facs Of e fbe %f c Ge2 bese 9 e
with the vap9rs Of vague sentiment and. carried
for the hard rocks Of fact.
Continuing. Mr.. Mallock declared that the
formal legislation Of minorities. beyond certain
limits IS impotent" He compared society to an
electromagnetic engine Men pulled into
their primary activities by their more or less equal
needs" As an example. he said:
Let US suppose that the main desire which moved
exceptional men TO devote their capacities to the
desire by retaining at least considerable proper
ton of their products, retire from the bust
careers as possible and to join class 81 which.
whether idle or active Observation-Disclosures devoted
lightened patronage Of the arts, to speculative
altogether unproductive Now in order to Join such
class, and TO work with view of joining It.
Exist and the fact Of it's eSstenoe would constitute
@ W5a5 MAGNET TRc t on 9ur
Of the highest kind of economic power. Such being
which, though at first sight it may seem paradox
will be found reflection TO be self-evident-ths
sidered by itsen is absolutely productive may.
when taken IN connection with the social system
the working machinery Of production, supplying.
the magnetic or attractive power by which the
was kept in motion.
He said this might be an extreme case but with
qualifications differing IN different countries 1t had
It's counterpart Continuing. he said played
an important part in all economic questions He
continued:
It is doubt QUITE possible that the inducements
II present offered TO industrial ability may be, In
some cases, excessive, and could be diminished to
: certain extent without rendering the ability any
the less active. Bur should this prove TO be the
,3Se, ana should the majority pass measures on
The assumption that it was so, it would not be the
but because the. assumption happened to coincide
with the psychological traits OF the minority.
ssocite Win All concentions If Oh n.y. l ti 5
,or or3i[- eocaIiete b otbere on nc agco1(St -,
Dc inclined TO reject It with impotence. think I
,ery much mistaken, and that the exceptional
powers Of dictatton possessed in some respects by
ne minority are so lar from being inconsistent
with the real powers of the majority that the
stood DO but Illustrate the nature OF the former,
and are, indeed, their counterpart. For though
10 not possess we shall find that majorities do
actually possess others N some ways very much
powers has been implied in what / have said al
ready: but now propose to deal with them in a
more direct and more explicit way. I have said
terms 10 any body Of legislators which desires to
secure their services because they alone de-
MOTIVE to exert themselves WRa hoid d good %6e Of
he minority as b opposed TO the majority holds good
If the majority as opposed to the minority.
RELIGION AND ECONOMICS.
Let me begin with an example from. sphere
great individuals been vast. far reaching so
mention Of such personalities as Buddha zoroaster'
Mahomet and another greater than all of them Will
nay add the Apostles. philosophers and theoIogans
1es intrusted to them and given by their sanity
ives examples of the value Of their teaching But.
while nowhere is the power Of the few more con,
zpicuous than In the domain OF religion nowhere
s the power Of the m7ny more conspicuous also.
No religion has ever become established and inhu
: ced the lives Of men unless its doctrines and it's
spirit have appealed to those spiritual which
nave been shared to a degree approximately equal
by all the multitudes among whom the religion in
question has been established. Thus the Christian
doctrine Of the atonement would have been
accepted by men-it would never, indeed have CON
'eyed any meaning TO them-if there had been
something IN their nature corresponding a sense
If sin; and the universal effect which this doctrine
aad all classes alike throughout the Christian
world shows that this something which correspond
I'd with sense of sin was Of those character
sites in respect of which there a general
equality. and that the acceptance of the doctrine
was. therefore. true act Of democracy. For true
democratic action is. in its essence this-an action
lrising from n spontaneous coincidence OF multi
ILL., --h-L-H- 1