Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-02-14

OPEN FORUM
4 y i: 4 Il 4 = 4 4 Il 4 y 4 y 4
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
THE TRUE PROPHET

'AAoi0 hlHANNNhAhS 'A'Nt N'A''N' -
and makes me tremble for the safety
of my country As a result of the war
corporations have been enthroned and
an era of corruption in high places
will follow, and the money power of the
country will endeavOr to prOlOng its
reign by working on the preiudices of
the people until all the wealth is ag-
gregated into a few hands and the re-
public is destroyed"
He also said in his first regular mes
sage to congress. December, 1861, that,
"Labor is prior to and Independent Of
capital. Capital is only the fruits of
labor and could never have existed if
labor had not first existed. Labor Is
superior of capital and deserves much
the higher consideration.
He reiterates in an address to the
Republican Workingmen S association,
of New York, March 81, 1864, the same
language. And on other occasions ne
repeatedly maintained that "The eff
fort to place capital on an equal foot
ing with or above labor means the re-
turn of despOtism
During this period of preparedness
agitation, and since "The money pow
err has entrenched behind this feder.
al reserve banking system which mas
literally Aggregated all the wealth Of
tle nation into n few hands, - it is well
for us, the common people, to pause on
this 18th day of February and consd-
er what Abraham Lincoln has said
about this present capitalstic and econ
omic system. There can be no better
way of honoring this good man s life
than by needing his warnings and act
ing on his advice. This is the most
critical period of our national existence
since the civil war, and our country
" Needs every man s unselfish devo-
tiOn-ls ,Iingoests say. God knows we
need every mans unselfish devotion;
at least we need their wits.
What Lincoln feared most was that
the money power would corrupt the
"High Flaces -; while at the same
time playing us against each other by
working on our preiudices He being
of plain folks, realized the stupidity
Of the people and continually warned
us of our worst enemies; a few of which
are; Racial preiudices, religious preju-
dices, national preiudces (patriotism), y,
class preiudices. No, not class prejudic-
es, for to MIN there was only one real
class in all the world the working class.
And to prove his international scope of
vision will quote from another speech,
" Let the workers beware of preiudices
working divisions and hOstilites among
themselves, for the strongest bonds of
human sympathy, outside the family re-
lations, should be one uniting all work
ing people of all nations and kindreds
and tongues.2
We who believe in socialism hold Lin
coin in hign esteem, and with him we
maintain that the man who does not
want all that he earns is a fool, and
that the man who wants more than he
produces is dishonest The method of
procedure as given in the quotation be-
low is worthy of every honest man S
consideration. He says, "Inasmuch as
most good things are produced by labor
lit follows that all such things of right
belong to those whose labor produced
them, but it has so happened in all the
ages of the world that some have labor.
ed and others without labor have en-.
.oyed great proportion Of the fruits
This is wrong and should not continue
To secure to each worker the whole
produce of his labor or as nearly as
possible, is a worthy object of any good
government. In fact no government
is good that does not "SecWe to each
worker the whole social product of his
labor, or "As nearly as possible, ~
and also an opportunity to labor.
These things, the capitalists. "'The
| - nf tbt, ,1I
other countries will not stand for They
have established "Capital on an equal
footing and above labor That is they
make money earn, or rather, they have
us believing it earns
Honest money can only be a medium
of exchange, and in that form is as
necessary as flour and bacon and beans
/ to our daily life. But when the laws
/ of our government reinforce the as
I sumption that money of itself has an
earning power, that is capital, and cap
( ital stock and watered stock and bonds
and securities and houses, lands and in-
/ dustres have an earning power of them
selves, cit means, inevitably and alb
solutely. cit means the return of des.
potism. Because labor, in any pos
sible form of servitude, can not now.
and shall never be able to maintain it.
| self, and create a surplus equal to the
sum total in interest that is forever be.
ing compounded on all these things and
that is the least demand the capitalists
will make.
Lincoln clearly saw these truths and
being courageous, he like Moses, the
| prohpets and Jesus and MARI. rolled
mp his sleeves and layed the AK to the
roots of this internal money system,
this beastly economic system that en-.
thrones Mammon and detnrones God. 1t
has made a few absolute rulers Of the
world and of labor is made the goat
who carries the load of the world
Yes indeed, he was a true prophet in
warning us of "a crisis approaching
that unnerves him. And if this erisi,
is not approaching let us ask yor
why Woodrow Wilson and the capital
lists benind him want such a vast army
and navy? BE not deceived. it 5 not the
Germans or Austrians, English or Jap
anese that they want this fighting ma
chine for, for in the president $ receu
Manhattan speech he says that we Am
reans were in no danger from an,
quarter whatever.
The truth is, the social point Of viev
als already taken possession of IN,
people of the nation. the same as II
Germany, and Wilson and Lansing, tn
armament trust, and the money trust
are not one whit better than Kaise
William and the crown prince. the I'm
pprinl ghanealtor Nnn pethp,,o Hall