The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-06-17

hot shFuAk Afoh Inc task. Much
has been done-much, no doubt, stiii
remains to debut the great under
Lying principles have been establish
ed and upon them we can build. as
necessity arises. carefully and DELHI
erately,
Seriousness OF Situation.
have spoken OF the seriousness
of the situation with which the coun-
TRY was confronted Its gravity can
hardly be oyer-estimated. II grew
out OF conditions and was the result
of forces beyond the control OF men.
Science and invention, the two great
factors in this situation. have not on
ly altered radically. human environ
ment and our relations to nature. but
in their application, they have revo-
lutionized economic conditions. These
lchanged economic conditions have. in
turn. affected profoundly society and
politics. They have led, among other
things, to combinations OF capital and
labor on scale and with a power
never before witnessed. They have
opened the way to accumulations of
wealth in masses beyond the dreams
of ayarice and never before contem-
plated by men.
| New Problems.
The social and political problems
thus created. are wholly new. 1t is
a fallacy to suppose that because the
elements are old the problem itself
must, therefore, differ only in degree
from those which have gone before.
The elements may be old but the
problem presented by change in the
proportion of the elements may be,
and, in this case is, entirely new.
Great individual fortunes and rich
men are. it is true, as old as record
ed history. Nearly two thousand
years ago the tax farmers of Rome
formed trust" for their own profit
and protection; the English people,
three centuries ago, revolted against
the patents and monopolies granted
by Elizabeth and James to their
courtiers and monopolists, forestall-
ers and spectators In the necessities
of life were curse in our revolution
and bitterly denounced by Washing
ton. Yet, 1t is none the less true
that the same things today present
questions different in kind as well as
in degree from their predecessors.
Brought by Huge Fortunes.
1t is the huge size of private for
tunes, the vast extent and power of
modern combinations of capital, made
possible by present conditions, which
have brought upon us, in these later
years, problems portentous in their
possibilities, and threatening. not on
ly our social and political welfare. but
even our personal freedom, II they
are not boldly met and wisely solved.
The great body Of American people,
neither very rich nor very poor, the
honest, the thrifty, the hard working.
the men and women who work and
save, have no base envy-no fanatlcal
hatred of wealth, whether individ-
ual or corporate, II 1t has been
Honestly Gained.
And is wisely and generously employ
ed with a sense Of responsibility to
the public But this great body of
our people. by habit and instinct
alike, wisely conservative, these peo-
Pile, who are the bone and sinew of
our country and upon whom its for
tunes and its safety rest, began to OBJ
serve, with deep alarm, the recent
manifestations of the new economic
conditions. More and more they
came to believe that these vast for
tunes and these huge combinations Of
capital were formed and built up by
tortuous and dishonest means and
through a cynical disregard of the
very laws which the mass of people
were compelled to obey They began
to fear that political power was being
reft from their hands and put into
possession of the money holders.
that their dearest rights We're In
danger. that their hopes of success
and Advancement were cut or by the
business systems which they could
not understand but which the indi-
vidual was sacrificed and held down.
Violence Condemned
To those who looked beneath the
surface an omtnous unrest was ap-
parent. The violent counsels of vto-
lent men. who aimed at the destruct-
ion of property and the overthrow OF
law, began to be heard and bark
ened to- The great order-loving. in
dustrious masses Of American people
turned away from these advocates OF
violence but. at the same time, de-
manded that their government should
give them, in lawful. and reasonable
ways, the protection to which they
We're entitled. against the dangers
they justly apprehended.
The great duty OF fulfilling these
righteous demands. like all the great
public services of the last half CEN
fury. was imposed upon the Repub-
lican party and they have not finch
ed from the burden: Under the lead
of the President. the Republican party
has grappled with the new problems,
born of the new conditions. 1t has
been no light task. Dangerous eS-
tremes threatened on either hand.
On the one side were the radicals OF
raotG0n ,yba rasistad INV change Mt