The Republican journal., 1914-05-07
Economics.
"Be had great faith in loaves of bread
For hungry people, young and old;
And, hope inspired. kind words he said
To those he sheltered from the cold,
For we must feed
AS well as pray.
What was his creed?
| cannot saw"

I cannot say
| The millionaire who gives all his goods
| to feed the poor does little to alleviate
human misery compared with the honest
! legislator who places on the statute
| books one law to brighten human life.
| The fortune distributed can at best reach
but few, the just and wholesome law may
reach the masses. Every honest laborer
and business man contributes to society
| during the years of active life. We
! know that very large proportion of
/, society, through Encouragement or ill
luck fails to be provided with the comforts
of life after his earning capacity ceases.
/ He should be regarded with as much con-
sideration as the veterans of the Civil
War. He has fought manfully the bat
ties of life. He has made mistakes.
Often his mistakes have turned to the
advantage of another. Life is made up
| of speculation and lottery. 1t is to be
feared that our income tax will find its
| way into the construction Of magnificent
battleships, rather than be used for the
alienation of human misery.
Nations have no more need of quarrel
ing among themselves than the States of
our nation have for quarreling among
themselves. Civilized nations have too
much culture to resort to trial of phys
ical strength to settle disputes. There
may always be rude peoples who will
occasionally need to feel the influence of
force to keep them in place. Every man
should be allowed to transmit to his
friends sufficient for their needs. But
society should have the right to use
share of the unearned and unused for
tunes which have accumulated by force of
circumstances.
1t is not the noisy, ablebodied howlers
who covet the earnings of others that
deserve the attention of society. The
only attention they deserve from society
is to see that they work during the years
of maturity and strength. When they
get sick they should be enticled to medi-
cal attendance and the comforts of life. 1t
is too much responsibility for the govern
ment to assume all the industries of the
world, but it can act as life and health
insurance company more effectually than
any company, because the insurance COM
pany benefits only those who have paid
them money, while government could ex-
tend its kindly offices to the humblest
mortal who breathes and thus overcome
some of the inequalities of birth and
parentage.
A man prominent IN educational circles
has said that he did not believe in old age
pensions, because man will live longer
to have employment. While it is true
that exercise is essential to health,
neither youth nor old age is the proper
time to expend effort to the best advant-
age. While boy delights to show his
strength he can not do full days work
before twenty years of age without inju-
ry to health. TIE man who attempts to
do full work when past sixty is digging
his own grave. In most cases it might
be placed younger. Much of the best
work of the world is done by men who
have entered the second half century of
life, but in all cases they shorten their