Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-10-22

anu SLIlhcot dLlu gOu lCdfo Us NJ
! weapons with which to oppos,
organized business. Have vol
the hardihood to beard organic
ed labor? Let US alone-peac,,
let US have peace!'
This idea of group immunity
also prevades our political life.
How responsive are legislatures
to the wrath of the public against
petty voices! With what prompt
unanimity do they impose deah
or life Imprisonment upon he
common criminal! But how sbw
are they to deal with never
forms of SHINING; such as the en-
ployment of child labor, over
crowding, the use of dangepus
machinery. rebatingl
In San Francisco, Prosecutor
Heney easily secured the c0nvic-
ton of petty grafters. S.Louis,
Atlanta and Houston hwed to
the line in dealing with Ioodlers.
On all hands loud applause! Mu-
tual congratulations on the un-
suspected wealth or monl force
in the community! But when
Heney asked: who gave the
bride? Who secured the fran
chise?' Then important people
said: Stop! you must not pro-
secute these men higher up. It
will hurt businessl Market val
ues will fall. prosperity will be
doomed" The conservative ele-
ment stopped, faced about, and
took up the cry".-Peace, let us
have peace" In other words.
let the public welfare come as it
may, group immunity and indi-
vidual privileges must be main
tanned.
Note the far.reachinE effects
of such practices. If we allow
wealth to debauch our public
then initiative, refer
endum, and primary election, all
shatter on the rock of Individual
greed. If one saloon keeper vio-
lates the Sunday-closing ordi-
nance, open saloons must exist
over the entire city. Violation of
the law by one individual invites
counter violatian by anot her.
the law against one
and grant to another in
1umity, and the defeated class
resolves to attain it's goalby fair
means or by foul.
In our economic life we find
his same national inconsistency.
to late we are beginning
o call a halt to the reckless waste
# our natural resources. Indivi-
|uals have creedily seized valua-
lie lands and choice water rights.
hey have destroyed a larae per-
entage of our timber. TT ~ are
apidly exhausting our lthra-
lite coal. Some who hss posed
s '~reformers" and squire :
ealers' have proved unscrouIu- &
,us of our natural wealth. Mhy !
ines we find them crying: +
Woodman, spare that tree!'lin +
rider to distract attention firm !
ne water power they are mob ,
olizing. This same hypocriciis !,
xempliied in the herdsmen Who !
asture their countless thousaid Ids !
t sheep and cattle upon the gas 9
es of our national forests, bet =
all for reform so long as their =
wn OK is not gored. 9
But the graver social disgrace 3
the ruthless disregard for :
'ealth in human life. Last rear -
yer half a thousand deaths in .
Philadelphia alone, were caused !,
y delay in awarding a water q
ltration con t ract. Annually. y
of innocent girls are !.
oerced and sold into the horrors -
t the White Slave Traffic" =
Ireat cities are run Wide Open" - :,
ecause. forsooth, vice and crime . .
clips business and swell the .
treams of revenue. Such condi- ="
ions exist in a country that b
rides itself on its republicanism! =
Q little force has the democracy -
twentieth century America! . .
Ladies and gentlemen, face y
luarely this fact: We. a demo- =
ratio people, tolerate inhumani- 3
and greed. Why? Because =
e have gone mad on individual =
We acknowledge that the D
eadlong dash for success is sac :, =
ID and must not be interfared ~
it'll, We disregard the sub : :
ne truth that I!
ITO seek another's profit. ~
And to work another's GAIN" = =
the supreme function OF the "
being. y.
In the first place, public opin- ~ IL
n must be fully enlightened and y ~
Re public conscience thoroughly 81