The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-07-16
An Eye for an Eye

An Eye for an Eye
aye have heard that it hath said, eye an
eye ard tooth for tooth
"6ut say you, That ye resist evil: but who
shall sme thee thy right cheek to him the
other aIso."-St Matthew $3.50.
Those prophetic words of Jesus Christ are as
true today as when he first uttered them. In
fact, the truth of their meaning is as old as the
world. And it is because the inhabitants of the
world have always gone contrariwse to this doc
trine that injustice rules from the seats of the
mighty.
The "eye for an eye" policy rules our country
today.
For years have been governed by the Re
publican party. During those years grew up I'M
fettered the hideous monster, monopoly, that has
foully done away with competition and foisted an
inefficient, expensive and oppressive industrial
system on the nation. A system that enriches
the few and impoVerishes the many.
Today the Democrats are in power; placed
there by the votes of the oppressed seeking
freedom
Are they turning the other cheek by enacting
legislation founded the principles of equal JUS
tice? No, theirs is the old, old policy of eye for
eye and tooth for tooth.
Witness the graduated income tax provision
of the pending tariff bill and Attorney General
McReynolds' brilliant plan founded on the same
idea of leaving the root undisturbed while whack-
ing away at the branches, of settling the trust
question by graduated tax on industries. The
latter was that the larger the gross business the
higher the tax on percentage basis that gov
eminent should levy.
For concentrated essence of assninity and
he If Nc q
idea deserves the prize!
If McReynold's would but reverse his tele-
scope and look through the right end, he would
see that the root of the inequality lies in allowing
discounts rebates to prevail in industry. 1t
is the greater discount obtained through its larg-
er purchasing power that enables trust to mo-
nopolize' it's particular branch of industry.
Abolish the discount and monopoly's only
foundation vanishes and regulated and fair and
constructive competition takes it's place.
How much better off we would be as a people
if high government officials would exercise their
talents in solving questions according to the prin-
cples of justice
For instance, instead of trying to equalize
conditions between the poorly paid and those well
off by exempting the one from any income tax
how much better and fairer all the way round it
would be to establish a government minimum
wage law. Such measure would protect all la
DOR against wage cutting. 1t would be great
benefit to the entire country as WE'LL because ev-
cry cut in wages lessons the consumptive power
OF the nation just as much as the cut amounts to-
BY following this provision with it's corollary
unemployment insurance, the citizenship of the
country would be placed on basis where a uni
form equal income tax could be levied and ev-
cry citizen would meet just that share of govern
ment's expenses that the benefits he derived I'M
der it necessitated.
Equality of opportunity Gods fathery de-
sire for His children on earth, will be long in COM
ing if we search for it by looking through the
wrong end of the telescope all the time
1t will be impossible of attainment as long as
political parties and classes shortsightedly use
their power in passing retaliatory legislation
Retaliation as principle of law, spells injustice
And you can not correct one injustice by sub
stituting for it another injustice.
Mr.. Bryan's Salary