Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-01-02
Year Closes With Many Reasons For
Encouragement Which Did Not
Exist When 1t Began.
PROBLEMS BEING SOLVED
SAYS CLEWS IN REVIEW
No Financial Legislation Of So Much
Importance Since Sound Money
Campaign of 1886.
BY HENRY CLEWS.

New York, Jan. 2.-No intelligent OBJ.
server taking mental stock of the year
1913 can escape the conviction that we
have positively entered a new era of
great political, social and economic pos
sibilities. This remark does not apply
TO the United States alone, but to all
Europe and to the Orient quite as much
as to the Occident. Civilization is pro.
crossing at a tremendous pace, and
the year 1918 will go down into history
as one of the most marked in social and
political changes in several generations.
The striking feature of this movement
has been the rise of democracy, and an
almose universal effort to bring govern
ment and people closer together. Edu-
cation has been the handspring of this
movement. New ambitions and new
wants have been awakened by this ST.
lent but uplifting force; while art,
science, industry and capital are doing
their utmost to satisfy ever increasing
demands. New ideas have been spread
broadcast, a few of which might be
classes as sound, but large proportion
of which arc certainly illusionary, dan
gerous and unworkable while human
nature continues what it is. This move
ment towards democracy, usually styled
social unrest, Ike all sCclal movements
is exceedingly complex and has many
reasons for its existence. Chief of these
is the desire for material betterment.
In this respect there is a steady ad-
vance; the average man never having
had more to enjoy than today and this
IN spite of the sOcalled increased cost
of living, which not frequently has been
due to higher standards of living and
lack Of thrift. What the outcome of
this movement will be, it is of course
impossible to predict, In the long run
it is likely to prove beneficial and to
lead to higher standards of conduct,
and wider distribution of material
benefits than heretofore. To those in
the thick of the battle it is not always
easy to see the progress already made.
Nevertheless, within the past decade big
forward strides have been taken. In
spite of popular denunciatiOn, business
standards were never so high as today.
Many abuses have been permanently
eliminated. Much legislation has been
enacted for benefits of the masses. Ben
evidence and humanitarianism were
never upon such a wide and intelligent
scale as today. Social bettermcnt and
science are doing much to improve the
moral and hygienic conditions, and if
the average man could only be induced
to stop and take account Of these var.
ious gains he would find much less
occasion for prevailing pessimism, and
great many reasons for more ration
al optimism. As matter of fact, there
is less cause for popular discomfort in
the United States today than there has
been for many years and a recognition
of this fact would do much to restore
popular confidence, business activity
and a more genuine goodwill.
Problems Being Solved.
The year 1918 closes with many reos
ons for encouragement which did not
exist when it began. 1t opened with
grave uncertainties concerning tariff,
currency, trusts and ailroads--prob.
lens which for many years have been
at the bottom Of much Of the discomfort
in business and politics. It closed with
several of these problems practically
settled and with adjustment to the
new order of things the chief necessity
of the future.
The tariff bill has been passed and is
now beyond range of discussion which
kept so large portion Of the business
community under constant discourage.
ment and uncertainty. Our manufactur