The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-12-08
LAGER MATTERS.
Legislation Needed In Many Inel
to Improve Condition of Worker.

There alc muu! matters anc.tiug la.
/ bOr AID the >,Itu, of the WHgcWurhcr
/ To which / should like to draw your
|attyI,iu. but AN exhaustive discussion
| OF the problem iu all It's uapc, Is Is not
now necessary. This administration is
nearing b., end. and, moreover under
our tut.i ut government the solution OF
! the prubic.I depends upon the action
OF the states as much as upon the ac-
| ton of the nation. Nevertheless there
are certain considerations which | wish
To set before you. because | hope that
/ our people will more and more keep
them In mind. \ blind ana ignorant
resistance to every effort for the re-
form of abuses aud for the read Just.
/ ment of society to modern industrial
conditions represents not true conscrv.
atism, but an Indictment to the wild
est radiCalism. for wise radcalism
and wise conservatism go hand In
hand. one bent on progress. the other
bent on seeing that no change il made
| unless IN The right direction. believe
In steady effort. or perhaps 1t would
bc more accurate to say In steady cf.
/ forts in many different directions. to
( bring about Il condition of affairs un-
der which the men who work with
/ hand Cr with brain. the laborers. the
| supcrintCudcuts. the men who produce
/ for the market AMI the men who find
a market for the articles produced,
shall own far greater share than at
present Of the wealth they produce
and hc enabled to invest IT in the tools
and Instruments 10y which all work *
carried on. AS flr as possible | hope
to see frank recognition of the ad.
/ vantalcs conferred 10y machinery. or.
ganization aud division of labor ac-
companiod 10y an effort to bring about
a larger share In the ownership by
wageworker of railway. mill and fac
tory. In farming this simply means
that we wish to see the farmer own
his own land. We do not wish To see
the farms SO large that they become
the property of absentee landlords
who farm them by tenants nor yet so
small that the farmer becomes like n
/ European peasant
Again. ne dcpositors IN our savings
our entire population. These are all
| capitalists, who, through the savings
/ banks, loan their money TO the workers
that Is, I'm many cases To themselves
to carry on their various industries
/ The more we Increase their number
! IN" more We intruduC" the principles
! Of cooperation into our industry. Ev-
| cry Increase I'm the number of small
! stock khodcrs In corporations is good
/ thing for the same reasons. AMI where
| the employees are the stockholders the
/ result is particularly good. Very much
/ Of this movement must bc outside ~
/ anything that can Ice accomplished hy
T legislation, hat legislation can do a
good deal. Postal savings banks will
make ID easy for the poorest To keep
| their savings In absolute safety. The
| regulation of the national highways
/ must bc such that they shall serve all
/ people with equal justice Corporate
/ finances must be supervised So as To
/ make II far safer than at present for
[ the man of small means To invest his
| money In stocks. There must be pro-
/ hlbition of child labor. diminution of
| woman labor, shortening of hours of
! al mechanical labor. Stock watering
/ should he prohibited and srDck gam
bling. so far as Is possible. discouraged
There should be u progressive mhcr
/ itance tax On large fortunes. Indus
/ trial education should bc encouraged
As far as possible we should Tighten
the burden Of taxation on the small
man. We should put premium upon
thrift, hard work and business energy
but these qualities cease to be the main
factors In accommodating a fortune long
before ihat fortune reaches point
where II would be seriously affected by
any Inheritance tax such as | propose
II IS eminently right that the nation
should fix the terms upon which the
great fortunes are Inherited They
rarely do good, and they often do
harm to those who inherit them in
their entirety.