The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-07-08
A COUNTRY WITH
OUT POVERTY
INDEPENDENCE RESULT OF
PLACING MAN ABOVE
THE DOLLAR.
Experiences. That Ought. to-. Incite
Americans to Action to Curb the
Growing Power of Plutocracy.

Over at kalamazoo there is a pub
hsiled daily newspaper called The
Evening Press 1t is owned, publish
ed and edited by son Oh the author
of the Dingley tariff, which is now
in process of revision. Mr. Dingley,
the Press editor, has served several
terms in THE Michigan Legislature as
a Republican. Last year he had very
strong backing for the Republican
nomination for representative in con-
gress.
In a recent issue OF The Evening
Press Mr. Dingley printed in large
type the following significant editor
ial:
A Law Without Poverty.
Benefcaries of deforrned political
and economic conditions ard their
contemplate toadies are much given
to decrying the political experiments
OF New Zealand, and to declare that
that great experiment station in So
GEOLOGY as a miserable failure. They
are so earnest about 1t that it is NO
wonder that those who are NOT con-
tented with economic conditions as
they exist in this country frequently
turn an inqtriring eye to NEW Zealand
and wonder how the plain penple for
whom the earth was made, but from
whom so much OF it has been taken
,way, are getting on over there.
New Zealand has tried about every
scheme OF a progressive nature tina,
has been proposed, except downright
socialism, and among its experiments
are many that are invariably greeted,
when they are proposed to this coun-
try, with shrieks OF horror, and thai
are always dismissed here as Social
istic, ''Populistic," ''Anar dhistic," or
worse, ii there be anything worse.
Not all OF these experiments have
worked out successfully yet That
was not to be expected. Some oil
hem the people were not ready for,
perhaps; others they never will be
ready for, because they are not prac-
teal and sound But many OF them
work very well, indeed, the con
OF plutocracy TO the contrary not
with sta nding, and the net result oil
sll that has been done is that in New
Zealand there is little inordlnate
wealth and no poverty condition
chat should attract the attention OF a
country that has very mulch inordi-
nately congested wealth and great
and growing poverty. There can't be
nOrdinate wealth without inor dinate
poverty; they go together in every
Ease, and they grow greater together
Hugh II. Lusk. in an article in the
Springfield Republican, tells some
hing about conditions in New Zea-
land According to the records Of the
rebate court in that country annual
ly ten to a dozen persons die whose
estates are valued at 100000 to
100000 or over, not more than three
or four OF these going over the half
million. The greater number OF estate
proved in court-and the number as
said to be large compared with the
number of recorded deaths-are valu-
ed at $4,000 to $4,000.
| Says Mr. Lusk: Thus 1T wild ap-
ear that the people OF New Zealand
are not rich. On the other hand, it
Is an unquestionsble fact that, UNI
like almost any Other civilized or un-
civilized country, there is no class
OF the very poor, hardly any that
would elsewhere be considered poor
al all. There is work and to spare
for everybody who is able to work
and when old age overtakes them
and finds them unprov6ded for, the
nation at a cost OF 81 per head in
each year, finds them a pension which
places them beyond the risk oil
want"
| No inordinate wealth, little grea,
wealth plenty OF employment, nc
extreme poverty, and old age pen
sions-surely that is a condition worth
striving for. No nation can be saic
to be completely civilized in which
with plenty to go around, there j:
perennial poverty due to inequitabls
distribution
In fifteen years New Zealand ha:
increased one third in population ane
doubled in prosperity Fifteen year.
ago one person i'm five had a saving:
bank account averaging $136, ant
last year one out of three had a say
ings bank averaging 1882
OF course these results have beer
made possible only by a good dea
OF meddling by the government witt
private affairs by an utter disregard
OF the American doctrine that CAPT
tai has a right to get all it can b,
any means that ct pleases and by
shocking disregard OF the superiorit,
of property rights to human rights