The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-14

turtles. If Christianity, widespread,
and popular education have not
brought all the good they promised,
and satisfied every craving of the
human heart, it is because the goal
is not yet reached. Our grains en-
able us to see more clearly what we
yet lack.
"In the United States, and in the
United Kingdom Of Great Britain and
Ireland, with whose condition, next
to our own country, | am Fest ac-
quainted, there is no wide, and un-
bridgable gulf between the very rich
and the very poor; but a graduation of
widely distributed wealth. Here with
us, more than eight million families
are land owners. OF the thirteen
million families, among whom the
wealth of the country is divided
eleven million belong to the wage
earning class.
According TO the statistics COM
piled by Prof. Levi, of England who
is "a recognized authority, the labor
ers condition in England has shown
a gradual improvement for the last
| 500 years. From 1858 to 1900 there
was an increase of less than so per
cent in the number of laborers, and
an increase of six hundred per cent
| in their total earnings. From 1900 to
| 1883 workers increased a little over
| four hundred per cent and their in
come about six hundred per cent.
'"The root principle of the new
socialism as set forth by Marx, and
before him by Ricardo that labor is
the sole source of value, and that,
therefore capital, is robbery is ac-
cording to the best informed and
most liberal minded political econo-
mists of the day and untenable prin-
ciple.
Capital is as essential for labor as
labor is for production. No man can
work without material on which to
work, and capital is required to pro-
cure material. 1t may be said that
capital is the result of labor; but it
is still more true that it is the result
of abstinence from consumption. The
honest laborer who consumes not
the equivalent of his entire work
gradually becomes capitalist, and
has the same right to profitably in.
vest it that he had to save it. How
ever, painfully the unequal distribu.
ton of wealth affects us, it is not
our privilege to disregard the rights
of others in the hope that greater dis
triubutive justice may obtain.
1.-The nations that have emerged
from barbarism and made and obeyed
laws have attained their present day
civilization by slowly amending their
crude code to make it meet the re.
quirements of advancing civilization
"1f the Capitalization of power, and
the massing of great wealth is the
sole and efficient cause of inf1icting
upon the multitude who toll the
wrongs they complain of, why does
socialism advocate a still more radi-
cal step in that direction as a rem
edy? The best fruit of civilization is
the personal responsibility with
which it inspires every individual that
goes to make up the nation by con-
ferring on him the liberty of indie
pendent action. In the socialistic
state, paint it bright hued as you
may, when the wealth of the nation
is wrested from the capitalists who
today skilfully employ it in profit
able enterprise, and case into the
dependent action will be a vanished
dream and liberty thing of memory.
No one is foolish enough to think
that socialism could long endure
without laws, and laws imply a pow
er having authority to enforce obedi-
ence. The whole people would be
marshalled like an arnv, unquestion-
ing obedience would be demanded
and enforced The right of the peo-
nIn m n1not thoir off l. 81
no assurance that their favOrites
were worthy or capable. Since So
cialism necessarily excludes the idea
of parties those who once got control
of the vast and complete machinery
of socialism would remain in power.
We have always been convinced that
the governing power is best EN-,
ployed, not in providing for all men,
but in teaching and training all men
to take care Of themselves.
The aim of good government is to
make government less necessary. So
cialists cannot say you condemn us
without trial, because they propose
no remedy for the evil they complain
OF, that has not been tried and found
wanting. While the influence which
the church exercises over the minds
OF men, even in temporal affairs, be-
cause of her devotion to the duty
Christ imposed upon her, has fire.
9uently been employed to mitigate
the conflict between the rich and
Door. the socialists, however earnest,
however anxious and honest they
may be in their effort to bring re-
lief from poverty to the vast army
of toilers, will have to adopt means
more conformable to the immutable
laws of eternal justice before they
can hope for her approval.
"The Industrious husbandman sows |
the seed of the tree the fruit of
which he never expects to see. The !
pioneers of Christianity carried with
them into barbarous nations the seed
of civilization, with infinite hardship.
They cultivated and cared for the |
tender plant whose fruit we see and |
enjoy. Upon the top clinging to it's
highest branches is found the ripest |
and sweetest fruit. The successors
of those who planted, cultivated and
cared for that tree are the rightful
inheritors and constituted guardians |
of its life. To those who would cut
it down that they might the more |
easily pluck from it what is best |
the guardians say-you must not, |
that fruit is not for you, but is re-
served for those who are willing to
reach it by laboriously and honestly |