Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-03-06

man ana towards society. Being SUD-
ject to these laws, society can offer NJ
absolute freedom of action to any ont
Of its members. Absolute freedom /.
possible only in theory or thought, moi
In practice or action. This applies moi
only to individuals, but also to a mum
ber or body Of individuals; in other
words, society can not tolerate within
itself any other society which offends
against its fundamental principles oi
laws. It Is for this reason that society
repels. as 1t always has done, all at
tions than those which harmonic oi
conform with it's own principles, re-
gardless of the fact whether existing
conditions are right or wrong. Eco.
nomic, social and political conditions
will prove themselves either right OF
wrong, through practice and expert
ence; If right, they will continue so:
II wrong, then society has the right
and power to correct them. Society
invites and stimulates research in al
directions; it allows experiments; but
1t does not permit the alteration OF
abrogation of its own principles OF
the substitution Of others in their
places. Anarchism, socialism, syndi-
calism and all the other isms Of that
kind, which attempt either to free man
from his economic, social or moral OBJ
legations or suppress his Individuality
are contrary to the spirit and purpose
of civilized society; they are the out
growth Of an erroneous Interpretation
of actual conditions which may or
may not be wrong or oppressive. Yet
the advocation and agitation of such
extreme measures and systems may
serve as an antidote against the other
extreme Of exploiting society. The af-
fairs of civilized society can well be
carried on in harmony with its funda-
mental principles, so that each indi-
vidual may enjoy that degree Of felici-
ty, which 1t Is possible to attain under
human conditions. The well-being of
society depends almost entirely on the
proper regulation Of the economic
system.
The Economic System.
Exponents Of economics tell us that
this science deals with three human
activities, viz, production, manufac-
ture and merchandising. This division
may serve the student and theorist
very we'll, but 1t Is not 80 satisfactory
for a practical exposition Of the actu-
al operations of human industry. Pro-
ducer and manufacturer are known by
the wants which they supply, and we
can make better survey Of the prob
lem by starting out with the question,
What are the wants which the eco
nomic system supplies?" The general
answer is that It. supplies the physical
wants of man. We can assume that
these wants are the same now as they
were on the first day of mans entry
into civilized society, viz. he wants to
be fed, clothed and sheltered; only
these wants have become more refined
and diversified in themselves. The in
dustries, both productive and auxiliary
which have been developed to supply
our physical wants must be distin-
guished from those which supply the
to satisfy our intellectu-
al wants, because we could, IL neces-
sity so willed, dispense with the latter
while we could not sustain life without
the former. The satisfying Of our in
tellectual wants, in so far as 1t incurs
expense, depends entirely on the
profits which are left after our physi-
cal wants are supplied. In other words,
the economic system has to carry the
expense Of satisfying the intellectual
wants much the same as a manufac-
turing plant would carry an overhead
charge for educational or social pur-
poses. We can say therefore that the
economic system supplies the social
system, and both support the political
system. The productive forces Of the
economic system are divided into pri-
mary and auxiliary forces. Produc-
ton, construction and manufacture are
the only primary forces; transporta-
ton, banking, merchandising, i1sur-
ance, etc, to which should be added
post, telegraph and telephone, as far
as they give direct aid to the business
Of supplying the primary or physical
wants. 1t is essential that the eco
nomic system should produce a fair
margin Of profit on capital investment
beyond the cost of maintaining and
improving property and equipment,
and on labor beyond the cost Of sub
sistence; and 1t Is entirely proper for
any government to so regulate the
exchange Of commodities and manu-
factured products that a fair profit
will result Artificial monopolies
should not be allowed, as they tend to
disturb the natural equilibrium Of ex-'
change; but they are, perhaps. on the
whole, less Objectionable and danger
ous than an artificial depression OF
prices.
Regulating Trade.
Reasonable and fair competition
may stimulate trade, but unlimited
is usually the ruin of 1t. 1t
Is far safer to trust to the principles
Of cooperation, which teaches that
every industry Is an integral part OF
the whole economic system, and that
each part thereof, whether consisting
Of capital or labor, Is entitled to fair
returns. The spirit Of antagonism
which now exists between capital and
labor, producer and manufactures,
and carrier, would soon dis
appear If each one were able to secure
fair profits How can this be brought
about? In the first place by prevent
ing the artificial depression OF the
prices of staple farm products. The
speculator exploits the farmer and
the farmer is in consequence obliged
TO exploit the soil by irrational meth
DDS Of farming Replace that system
oy rational methods Of farming and
and the economic system
IF the country will have that founda-
ton which it needs to support the
other systems What the present sys-
.em of marketing is will be shown
otar on Suffice to saw that this syS-