The Daily Missoulian., 1914-10-04
AS THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY

local socialist gives us credit for only dim vision Our
spectaces, Mr.. ]. H McGuffey AYERS need wping. We
wander in gloomy wood into which there penerates but
faint CLEAN of the that shines respendeny upon
the socialist meadows beyond.
Perhaps this is AS newspaper, The Mssoulan tries
to let the light vital matters by permitting all sides
to be heard But let whether after ALL our eye
glasses are shockingly dirty Mr. McGufey thinks and
whether may not be that if cautiously progress in
the woods or out has not more definite aim tnan NIT
|McGuffey conceives.
To begin let it be stated that broad proposition in
human government no stream will rise higher than its
source To state plainly people Will ever get
better form of government than they deserve Socialism
an ideal state; its opposite, paernalism We shall
have the ideal when we merit it.
The progressive-whom Mr. McGuffey mentally pictures
las stumbling through the underground with muooy spec
Itacesis perhaps more practical than the socialist ne
latter sets his goal and presses toward tmore or less
mady and then The progressive also has his goal Du
he charges open fields in the face OF shrapne tire
because he has mighty deep respect tor sh1apnei ne
socialist thus far has effected nothing in changing ma
tiona government; the progressive has effecteo many
things.
We can very we'll remember when Eugene v Debs was
led away jail for saving things the president now writes
with equaniity And this liberty Of speech was secured
not by shrapnecagng socialists but by very sober
minded at bottom conservative progressve-one l. Roose
vet he it who made free speech the fashion IN this
country for the first timeeraly for the first time lot
until Roosevelt declared for tangible form OF
liberty America had had semblance OF free speech
Mr. Roosevelt could have embraced socialism, charged the
shrapnel and died martyr-Whout ettectlng anything
The distinction is clear The woodwandering progress
sive-to Mr. McGuffeys comparsonwell realize
that the race advances slowly You get far ahead OF
banner of liberty in hand that the people you try to lead
will lose sight OF you in the dust.
Moreover there is great very great, consldera
ton not usually spoken of openly by the socasts-whch
s that the ideal sought by the socialists will not be
obtained in our time without civil war; and perhaps not
even by civil war Some things who wander in the
woods may get-od age PENSIONS unemployment lnsu
ance compensation for injury minimum wages compulsory
e-insuance at COST But that about all tor some
time to come-maybe for few generations. The hearts
of men be purged only of greed and calosity but
of fear and venality, meanwhile.
For vast per cent of forced to be cautious We
cannot imper the susenance of wives and babies in
shrapnelre charges The socialists should study the con-
|don in Butte Over there for weeks no deed OF
courage was too terrible in theory for the hoheads
handful of militia appeared; the chief patriot pulled
from under piano by his legs and the miners went tamey
even thankfully back to work
Witness the Grand Old Parys full dinner pail policy
How many times had the G. O. P set back the clock OF
human progress with that wonderful pail Yet in sound
practical everyday politics. it will remain powerful wea
pon for some decades We have not few who
only yesterday hurry back to thrust
both into that pail.
No, you cannot hurry the race. When men get ready
for more ideal state they will be robbed Of by neither
gods nor political parties But until majority becomes
stout enough of heart to stick Armageddo when
the spears whistle too thick for absolute comfort it is we'll
Ito be cautious.
MY PRoDieAL. ROOSEVELT.