Fergus County Democrat., 1916-09-28

attention to what ! believe we all
ought to be thinking about, so as to I
set the stage for this and such slml-
lar cases.
There are some things in which |
society is SO profoundly interested
that it's interests take precedence over
the interests of any group OF men
whatever. One OF these things Is the
supply of the absolute necessities of
life. 1t would be intolerable If at any
time any group of men by any pro-
cess should be suffered to cut society
on from the necessary supplies which
sustain life
But these supplies are of no use
unless they can be distributed and IN
the matter of the distribution OF goods.
particularly of the goods that sustain
| life and industry, the interest of So
ciety is paramount to every other in
terest; and the difficulty about all
situations like that which we have
just passed through is this, that the
main partner is left in the reckoning.
These men were dealing with another
as If the only thing to settle was be-
| tween themselves, whereas the real
thing to settle was what rights had
the hundred million people of the
United States.
THE business of government is to
see that no other organization is as
strong as itself, to see that no body or
| group of men. no matter what their
| private interest is. may come into
competition with the authority of So
ciety; and the problem which con-
gress, because of the lateness of the
session, has for a few months post
poned is this problem By what
means are we going to oblige persons
who come to controversy like this
to admit the public into a partner
ship by which the thing is discussed
and decided? That is not an easy
problem. A great many different
methods have teen proposed and one
OF the reasons why congress thought
it necessary to postpone the decision
for few months was that there were
so many honest differences of opinion,
not as to the object, but as to the
method.
II want to suggest to you a means
Of testing your fellow men as to
whether they know what they are talk
ing about or not. 1t Is not necessary
for a man to argue with me with an
obvious moral principle, but | am very
much interested when he comes and
argues with me how he is going to
make it work. And when men say,
We must not permit any organization
to neglect the interests of society,"
said Amen, but what | want to sit
down and discuss with you is, how
are you going to prevent it? tt,
only thing worth talking about in poll
tics or any other sphere is the con
structive idea How are you going
to do it?' We all know, or at any
, rate, we pretend to know, what we
ought to do, but we do not all know
how to do it and the very difficult
question which the American people
are face to face with, and which they
, are going to settle is this: How are
we going to organize our participation
, as a partner in the settlement of dis
. putes between capital and labor which
, interrupt the life Of the nation?'
, invite all subscribers to suggest {
[ method.
THE question is apt to be obscured
: in some quarters, as If we were say
). ing that it was the right of the gov
{ ernment or OF organized society, which
t is another term for the same thing, tt
+. say to a man: You must work wheth
' er you want to or not America neve
Is going to say to any individual
3 You must work whether you want t
. or not but it is prepared to say tt
9 an organization of persons: You mus
n not interrupt the national life with
s out consulting u.s.
t "It is not a question of obliging in
Is,vsA lat s1 ~F nvHfo
t ing a partnership and seeing to
l. that no organization is stronger tha
that organization which we all belon
e to and support and call and love b
s the name of our own government.
u $50 | laid program before cor
S gress, by which, at any rate, a begir
o ming might be made in that directio
Il and that program is going to be pre-
S ceeded with.
s ''It is not fun talking unless yo
s. can expect to do something. The onl
g zest that ever comes into affairs 70
d man with red blood in his veins
r the zest that comes when he Is pu
to it to think out difficult thin
!: and do it, and |, for my part, col
d lea that some of their difficulties hav
IL
A. they have been fortified against ce
t, tain forms of control which must hav
N been intolerable to them; that the
ID have had their real commerci.
% strength put at their service by sue
" acts as the federal reserve act, fC
example, and that now. II they thin
10 they can conquer the world, it is u
70 to them to do It: and that nobody
is going to assist them, it is thing |
m which they cannot be assisted by an,
of thing but their own brain. We al
Sc now out in the open, competitors If
IN the confidence Of the world, and thel
,y is only one way to get it. and that
tn to earn 1t.
Il cannot imagine anything MOI
py inspiring than to be put on your me
to tie after legislation has taken tt
m shackles off you and raised you. Ye
know that you are no mans servan
"a Reaction in this matter would sh,
cd US up like province. To turn bat
Mt upon any portion of the road we ha,
To travelled would be craven.
or ITO prevent that, we are able
nv compete with the world and the