La Junta tribune., 1912-03-02

.
his family food. clothing. shelter.
Contrast this average income of the
American workinsman with other
incomes amounting to thousands, ten
OF thousands. hundreds Of thousands
Of dollars and often to million dol
lars ay ear. No wonder there is an
unrest. When the earnings OF men
already too little to live on are low
cred still more by the competition Of
children no wonder there are strikes.
Something Is wrong about a social
order that permits infants to be
turned into dividends on the one
hand and men reduced to hunger on
the other hand. Something was
wrong long before the French revolu-
ton; and the question Is whether
we Americans shall profit by history,
Other questions are put to this re
public by our changed conditions.
Nearly all Of them concern the peo-
pies safety and sheer li,ing. Many
Of them affect the saving or plumber
of the peoples substance All OF
them must he answered for the peo-
pies good How may this be done?
Only by the people themselves pass
ing on their own needs. And that is
right. for theirs is the burden, theirs
the suffering, theirs III, lives at
hazard. The people can be trusted
II is they who do the nations work
In peace and the nations fighting in
war. Who can be b tier jud es OF
what is good for the republic than
those who made and saved the repub-
lie?
One hundred and thirty years ago.
there was a revolution ON this con.
tinent for an ideal then so radical
that II startled the world II was.
the ideal OF representative govern
ment. Fifty years ago a dosolating
war was waged for another ideal NJ
that time more radical even than the
one for which Washington and his
ragged continenta's fought Each
of these great conflicts marked an
advance OF human liberty, which the
leaders of each vainly though, was
the end OF human strife. But human
strife never will end. Just as human
progress never will end
Always the powers of cvil adjust
themselves TO the new condition.
which heroes create with their blood
When the people rise against these
new devices. those who wrong tsYm
bark back to the last historic achieve.
ment OF liberty and plan, their stapd.
ard there. For changing conditions
may have made that achievement Ia
bulwark OF wrong"Timc makes anA
cnt good uncouth." And those wht
distrust change ard are w'ary.of hu,
manity's eternal march. sit down.
bcneath that standard Thus IL in
that today good men are wa gg up
their heads at such safeguards of the
rights as the initiarlE. and
referendum. just as Jefferson faced
the same phenomer against tho
declaration OF Independence. just a.
Abraham Lincoln faced the sam. op-
position against the emancipation he
Yet We should w.lcom.
suAum 10 poinom punos Sm
government more perfectly rcprcs"n
Iatiye Of our viii.
Yet these methods OF making ia.
peoples viii effective are not near
|y so radical In our day as those
which the American colonists asked
for In i77G or the one which Abra-
ham Lincoln fought for In 1860 were
In those times. Tha, our business
shall be- dealt with Justly and wise
ly for the good OF all Americans: that
needs and interests OF the masses.
that child labor shall be- handled for
the benefit OF the whole nation; that
oil our problems shall be- solved by
those whom they most concern. let
the peoples common sens. deal With
the peoples common interests and
by passing upon the peoples common
inws.
II II II said that the people can
not deal with their own good. tn,
answer Is that that IL the peoples
business. Surely they can bsttsr deal
with their own good than can polit,
cal bosses. hired by corruptinx infiu-
cnces that pile up unjust millions Of
dollars from the hard earned billions
Of the peoples pennies. II all comes
down TO this; Shall We trust the
good sense and honest Judgment Of
the civic average man or shall ".
rather trust the practiccd craft aud
selfish power Of the political super.
man.
fnr s..n 4 h..,ll.... A.. 49,.