East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-04-23

We can lust as little afford to fol-
How the doctrinaires of an extreme in
ldividualism as the doctrinaires of an
extreme socialism, Individual inita-
tive, so far from being discouraged,
should be stimulated; and yet we
should remember that, as society de-
velops and grows more complex we
continually find that things which
i once it was desirable to leave to in
| dividual initiative can, under the
changed conditions, be performed with
| better results by common effort. 1t is
| quite impossible, and equally unde-
| sirable. to draw in theory n hard and
| fast line which shall always divide the
| two sets of cases. This every one who
| is not cursed with the pride of the
| closet philosopher will see, if he Will
only take the trouble to think about
some of our commonest phenomena.
| For instance, when people live on iso-
| lated farms or in little hamlets, each
| house can be left to attend to its own
| drainage and water supply, but the
mere multiplication of families in a
| given area produces new problems
| which, because they differ in size, are
| found to differ not only in degree but
| in kind from the old; and the ques-
tions of drainage and water supply
have to be considered from the COM
mon standpoint. 1t is not a matter
| for abstract dogmatizing to decide
when this point is reached; it is a
matter to be tested by practical ex
| pertinent Much of the discussion
about socialism and individualism is
| entirely pointless, because of failure
| to agree on Technology. 1t is not
good to be the slave of names. 1 am
a strong individualist by personal ha-
bit inheritance, and conviction; but
it is mere matter of common sense
| to recognize that the state, the COM
munity, the citizens acting together,
can do a number of things better than
if they were left to individual action.
The indivdualism which finds its eX-
preston in the abuse of physical force
is checked very early in the growth
of civilization, and We of today should
in our turn strive to shackle or de-
stroy that individualsm which tri-
umphs by greed and cunning. which
exploits the weak by craft instead OF
ruling them by brutality. We ought
to go with any man in the effort to
bring about justice and the equality
of opportunity, to turn the tool user
more and more into the tool owner
to shift burdens so that they can be
more equitably horne. The deaden-
ing effect on any race of the adop-
ton of a logical and extreme social
istic system could not be overstated;
it would spell sheer destruction;
would produce grosser wrong and
outrage. fouler immortality, than any
; existing system. But this does not
mean that We may not with greai
advantage adopt certain of the prin'
ciples professed by some given Sc
; of men who happen to call them
selves socialists; to be afraid to do 81
would be to make mark of weakness!
on our part.
: Regarding Equality.
But we should not take part in act
ing a lie any more than in telling
a lie. We should not say that mer
: are equal where they are not equal
E nor proceed upon the assumption tina
there is an equality where it does no
l exist, but we should strive to brinl
y about a measurable equality, at leas
to the extent of preventing the in
V equality which is due to force o
n fraud Abraham Lincoln, a man o
I the plain people, blood of their bloo'
d and bone of their bone, who all hi
y life toiled and wrought and suffere
| OF h.
them. who always strove to represen
: them. who would never tell an un
G truth to or for them, spoke of tn
= doctrine of equality with his usua
o mixture of idealism and sound com
: mon sense. He said q omit what wa
+ of merely local sgnificance):
: think the authors of the Declaration
# OF independence intended to includ
% all men, but that they did not mea
J. to declare all men equal in all re
= spects. They did mean to say all me
J. were equal in color, size, intellec
n moral development, or social capacity
,s They defined with tolerable distinct
+ ness in what they did consider a
"a men created equal-equal in certai
N inalienable rights. among which ar
r lie, liberty ana tne pursuit VI Hdpp
r ness. This they said, and this the
IN meant. They did not mean to assei
70 the obvious untruth that all were the
j. actually enjoying that equality, or yt
l. that they were about to confer it i'm
Ia mediately upon them. They NEAR
~ to set UP a standard maxim for FIRE
al society which should be familiar
p all--constantly looked to, constant
IN labored for and, even though neve
m perfectly attained, constantly approx
N imated, and thereby constant
ot spreading and deepening its influenc
and augmenting the happiness an
s, value Of life to all people, ever
70 where"
r. We are bound in honor to refus
rs to listen to those men who woul
s. make us desist from the effort to
Id away with the inequality which mear
lie injustice; the inequality of right,
f. opportunity, of privilege: We a.
le bound in honor to strive to bring ev'
al nearer the day when, as far as is HI
n manly possible, we shall be able
In realize the ideal that each man sha
We have an equal opportunity to sho