Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1910-04-27

the body polite. But only less de.
sirable as citizen is his nominal
opponent and real ally, the man
Of fantastic vision who makes the
impossible better forever the enemy
Of the possible good.
We can Just ~ little afford TO
follow the doctrinaires Of an extreme
individualism as the doctrinaires OF
an extreme socialism. Individual ini-
tiatiye. so far from being discour
aged should be stimulated; and yet
we should remember that, rs society
develops and grows more complex, we
continually find that things which
once 10 wa. desirable To leave TO
individual initiative can, under the
changed conditions, he performed with
better results by common effort II
is quite impossible, and equally un-
desirable. 10 draw in the theory a
hard and fast line which shall al
WAYS divide the two sets OF cases.
This every one who is not cursed
with the pride Of the closet philos'
opher will see, IL he will only take
the trouble 20 think about some OF
our commonest phenomena. For in.
stance, when people live on isolated
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 n
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
questions Of drainage and water sup
ply have 10 be considered from the
common standpoint. II is not n
matter for abstract dogmatizing to
decide when this point is reached;
il il a matter to he tested by prac.
teal experiment. Much Of the dis
cu.sion about socialism and individ-
ualism is entirely pointless, because
Of failure TO agree on terminoiogy.
II il not good TO be the slave Of
names. | am q strong. individualist
nv personal habit, inheritance, and
convictions; but II is mere matter
Of common sense TO recognize that
the State, the community, the citi'
zens acting together. can do mum
Der Of things better than IL they
were left 10 individual action. The
individualism which finds its express
sion in the abuse Of physical force
is checked very early in the growth
of civilization. and we Of today should
in our turn strive 10 shaekle or
destroy that individualism 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 equal.
ity of opportunity. to turn the tool
user more and more into the tool
owner, to shift burdens so that they
can be more equitably borne. The
effect on any race Of the
adoption Of a logical and extreme
socialistie system could not be over.
stated; IL would spell sheer destruc-
ton; il would produce grosser wrong
and outrage, fouler immortality, than
any existing system. But this does
not mean that we may not with
great advantage adopt certain Of the
principles professed by some given
set Of men who happen to call them.
selves Socialists; to he afraid to do
so would be TO make n mark of weak
ness on our part.
But we should not take part in
acting a lie any more than in telling
n lie. We should not say that men
are equal where they are not equal,
nor proceed upon the assumption that
there is an equality where it does
not exist; but we should strive to
bring about measurable equality,
at least to the extent Of preventing
the inequality which is due to force
or fraud. Abraham Lincoln. n man
OF the plain people blood of their
blood and bone Of their bone, who
all his life toiled and wrought and
suffered for them, and mt the end
died for them, who always strove
TO represent them, who would never
tell an untruth to or for them. spoke
Of the doctrine Of equality with his
usual mixture Of idealism and sound
sense. lie said U omit what
was of merely local significance): "I|
think the authors Of the Declaration
~ Independence intended to include
all men, but that they did not mean
TO declare all men equal in all res
poets. They did not mean To say men
were equal in color, size. intellect.
moral development, or social capacity.
They defined with tolerable distinct
ness in what they did consider all
men created equal-equsl in certain
lnaiienable rights, among which are
life, liberty, and the pursuit Of hap.
piness. This they said, and this
hey meant. They did not mean 10
assert that obvious untruth that all
were then actually enjoying that
equality, or yet that they were about
70 confer II Immediately upon them.
They meant TO set up n standard
maxim for free society which should
~ familiar to all--eonstantly looked
10. constantly labored for, and, even
though never perfectly attained, con.
SANITY Appropriated, and thereby
constantly spreading and deepening
rs Influence. and augmentingthe hap.
piness and value of life to all people. |
We are bound In honor TO refuse
10 listen to those men who would |
make MS desist from the effort 10
10 away with the inequality which
means Injustice. tho inannaI,ty - /