New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-07-29
The Nucleus of
Social Progress.

Mr.. Bryan never probed more deep
ly into the evils that exist today, and
never disclosed more clearly the ulti-
mate end of progress, than he did the
other day in an address to a body Of
normal school students at Lincoln
when he said:
eff you will examine the platform
adopted at Denver, you will find that
it closes with an appeal to those who
desire to see this government a govern
ment Of the people, by the people and
for the people, and so administered
that it will, so far as human wisdom
can, secure to each individual re-
ward from society proportionate to
the contribution which that person
makes to the welfare of society,""
That sentiment, in the opinion of the
Duluth Herald, embodies the ideal
which underlies all movements for
economic and social progress. This
government will not be a government
of, for and by the people until it Sc
cures to every individual a fair re-
turn for his efforts in behalf of So
ciety, until it insures that society will
pay each individual according to his
gifts to society, and not withhold from
those who produce to give to those
who do not produce but who thrive
and prosper through special privi-
ieges.
''To my mind, said Mr.. Bryan,
fthis is the ideal toward which a
government should strive. One of
our complaints against present condi-
tions is that the rewards of society
are not properly distributed. Com
pare the work and compensation of
teachers, for instance, with the com
pensation and work of those who have
secured privileges and favoritism.
Compare your work and your reward
with those who have secured control
of some great industry and who, by
means Of this control, are able to
reach their hands into the pockets of
eighty millions of people and by fix
ing arbitrarily the price of that which
they sell and which the people must
have, are able to gather reward
larger than they earn
If one man receives a greater re-
ward than he earns, it means that
many others must lose a part Of their
deserts in order to make up the differ
ence. If one man receives less than
he earns, it means that some other
man, through the special privileges
that have been secured by stealth and
corruption, is getting more than he
deserves
The plans of those who would make
the government secure to each man a
return for his labors proportionatet to
their benefit to society are damned as
"paternalistic, tsocialistic, = or
anarchistic. =
What should be said, then, of the
operations of government functions
that have taken from the many that
W44iOll tIiOY ldpOA CdlICOj SlYCl5 III
to the few who did not earn it?
If it is paternalistic to regulate the
rewards OF society SO tina. each shall
get his just deserts, what is it to take
from the many that which they have
earned, and give it to the few who
riot in shameful splendor by the use
of riches which they have not created
or earned?
Mr.. Bryan has touched the core OF
the economic problem, and has placed
before the American people the ideal
toward which they should strive.
Liberty will be travesty, oppor-
tunity joke and equality grim sar-
casm until that ideal is attained.
Fl. f. Setter, the Tracy banker, was
visitor in the city Monday.