The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-02-23


a government Of checks and balances
Rat this should only mean that these
checks and balances obtain as among
the several different kinds of repre-
sentatives of the people-judicial, ex-
ecutive and legislatve-to whom the
| people have delegated certain portions
Of their power 1t does not mean that
! the people have parted with their pow
er or cannot resume II. The division
Of powers" is merely the division
among the representatives OF the pow
ers delegated TO them. The term
must not he held to mean that the
people have divided their power with
their delegates. The power is the peo-
pies and only the peoples.
Make Popular Rule Effective.
| ] hold II to be the duty of every
public servant and of every man who
In public or in private life holds posi-
ton OF leadership In thought or action
to endcavor honestly and fcarlessly to
guide his fellow countrymen to right
decisions, but I emphatically dissent
from the view that It is either wise or
necessary to try to devise methods
which under the constitution will auto
matically prevent the people from de-
Gliding for themselves what govern
mental action they deem just and prop
er. 1t is impossible to invent constitu-
tional devices which will prevent the
popular will from being effective for
wrong without also preventing 1t from
being effective for right. The only safe
course to follow in this great American
democracy is to provide for making the
popular judgment really effective.
Lincoln, with his clear vision, his in
grained sense Of justice and his spirit
of kindly friendliness TO all, forecast
our present struggle and saw the way
out. What he said should be pondered
by capitalist and vorkingman alike.
He spoke as follows Il condenser:
hold that while man exists it is his
duty to improve not only his condition,
but to assist in ameliorating mankind
Labor Is prior to and independent Of cap
ital. Labor is the superior of capital and
deserves much the higher consideration
Capital has Its rights, which are as worthy
of protection as any other rights. Nor
should this lead TO a war upon property
Property is the fruit OF labor. Property
is desirable, Is a positive good in the
world. Let not him who is houseless pull
down the house Of another, but let him
work diligently and build one for himself
thus by example assuring that his own
shall be safe from violence when built.
This last sentence characteristically
shows Lincoln's homely, kindly COM
mon sense. His is the attitude that we
ought to take. He showed the proper
sense Of proportion in his relative esti-
mates OF capital and labor, of human
rights and the rights Of wealth.
Prosperity Must Be Distributed.
The ends of good government in our
democracy are to secure by genuine
popular rule q high average Of moral
and material well being among our
citizens. 1t has been we'll said that in
the past we have paid attention only
to the accumulation Of prosperity, and
that from henceforth we must pay
equal attention to the proper diStribu-
ton Of prosperity. This Is true. The
only prosperity worth having Is that
which affects the mass of the people.
We are bound to strive for the fair dis
tribution OF prosperity But it be-
hoove5 Us to remember that there is no
use iu devising methods for the proper
distribution Of prosperity unless the
prosperity IS there to distribute. l hold
it to be our duty to see that the wage
worker, the small producer the ordi-
nary consumer shall get their fair
,l,n of hn pP hrtc
perity. But it either is or ought to be
evident to every one that business has
to prosper before anybody can get any
benefit from it. Therefore 1 hold that
lie is the real progressive, that he Is
the genuine champion Of the people,
who endeavors to shape the policy alike
OF the nation and Of the several states
so as to encourage legitimate honest
business at the same time that he wars
against all crookedness and injustice
and unfairness and tyranny in the bust.
ness world, for Of course we can only
get business put on basis Of perma-
nent prosperity when the element of in
justice Is taken out Of it. This is the
reason why | have for so many years
I insisted as regdruS our udtlolul SON-
ernment that it is both futile and mis-
chevous to endeavor TO correct the
evils OF big business by an attempt TO
restore business conditions as they
were in the middle of the last century,
before railways and telegraphs had rem
lered larger business organizations both
4 inevitable and desirable.
The effort to restore such conditions
and to trust for justice solely to such
proposed restoration is as foolish as If
we should attempt to arm our troops
with the flintlocks of Washington'S
Continentals instead of wit modern
weapons Of precision. Flintlock legis-
lat.on Of the kind that seeks to pro-
hibit all combinations good or bad, is
bound to fail, and the effort, in so far
as it accompl hes anything at all,
merely means that some of the worst
combinations are not checked and that
honest business Is checked. What Is
needed is, first. the recognition that
modern businaSS conditions have come