Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-10-06
NO CAUSE FOR
UNREST ABOUT
IHECOND|1|ONS

Washington, Oct. 5.6-That there Is
nothing in the present conditions
throughout the United States to cause
unrest, gloominess or excitemen,
among business men, is the belief Of
George E. Roberts, director OF the
mint of the United States. He admits
that there exists today a certain
amount of uneasiness and confusion
but from his observations he fails to
see where there is any ground for It.
He attributes this state OF affairs
largely to the development of our IN.
dustrial and political machine ahead
of our capacity to run 1t.
Speaking today on the subject d.
rector Roberts said: There is moth
ing in present conditions or the tend
ency of things to make anybody
gloomy or excited. There are prob
lens to be dealt with, as there always
have been, and always must be IN a
developing society. Changes and re-
adjustments are continually necessary
and most of the so-called problems are
incidental to beneficial changes. The
problem of regulating the railways,
for instance, is not much when COM
pared with the problem OF getting
along without railways"
AS to his opinion upon recent
magazine article on conservation OF
common sense" he said: " There Is
of course, always a chance to argue
whether or not the average man Is
getting his full share Of the benefits
of progress, but that he is getting a
large and increasing share Is certain.
Common, unorganized iasbor such as
we have in the kitchen and on the
farm, is getting twice as much as 1t
was thirty years ago. The manufac-
turer IN every line of industry is in a
constant struggle to offset the rise OF
wages by the investment Of more cap
ital and the Introduction Of new meth
DDS. If there is single branch Of In
dustry which during the last ten years
the price Of the finished product has
kept pace with the advance in the
labor and raw materials that enter into
it, that branch is an exception to the
rule"
These are not theories; they are
facts familiar to all business men. The
head of every industry is under pres
sure to improve his methods and find
more capital for his business in order
to maintain himself. The census fig.
ures show that from 1890 to 1900 the
amount of capital invested in manu-
features increased sos per cent, the
number Of Wage-earners employed is
manufacture increased 24.9 per cent
and the value of the output increased
1915 per cent. When it is considered
that the increased output was absorb
ed by the masses of the people it is
apparent that the average man gained
in his share. 1t is an old principle that
labor obtains a constantly increasing
share Of a constantly increasing pro-
duct; it holds good today and, of
course it always must hold good so
long as capitals increases faster than
population.
The fact is that progress doesn't
wait on legislation or political lead
ership. 1t is in the constitution of
things and waits only on individual
development and the growth of cap
acity for organization and cooperation.
The trouble just now is that We have
developed our industrial and political
machine temporarily ahead Of our
capacity to run it. Every step from
barbarism into civilization requires
men to become more dependent upon
each other, and have faith in each
other. That is the first requisite of CO.
operative effort, and We are practi-
cally stalled just now by want Of
confidence. We are afraid to trust
each other with the power needed for
more elective organization. We put
up with a practically unorganized and
helpless banking system rather than
have an organization such as in every
other country affords protection simp.
ly because we are afraid of organi-
zation IN banking. It is generally rec
ognized that railways must make the
same rates between competing points
but we are afraid to authorize agree
ments to that end. Garfield investi-
gated the Beef industry and found that
it was effectively organized and serv-
ing the public on terms very favorable
to the latter but the public chose to
disbelieve it. When a people distrust
their owsn ability to supervise and
regulate, and refuse to accept the find
ings of their own agents, they are up
to the limit of progress for the time
being. OF course, we shall go on for
there is only one way to go but tenn.
pOrarily we are in confusion.