Williston graphic., 1918-07-18

recognize their Importance and give
them serious study. Unless we find
a solution through a modification of
the present system by cooperation,
there will be another solution forced
upon US by the institution of the So
clalistic state. This is unavoidable.
In recent years we have heard much
OF socialism and the socialist;c state,
the ideals of regenerated society
based on policy of leveling every
thing through government ownership
and control. This philosophy emanated
from Germany. Karl Marx was the
founder of this particular brand of
thought. Since his time the learned
professors Of the German universities
have amplified and extended his ideas
so as to develop this sub ject into
new economic school. The pupils of
Karl Marx have gone far afield and
in recent years the Germany autocracy
has made use Of this philosophy of
government as it's most deadly weapon
in its widespread campaign of propa-
ganda to weaken and destroy other
nations.
A great many good, honest and sim
cere people in every land have ac-
ccpted this new gospel in good faith
and sincerely believe that most, if
rot all of the ills of their respective
governments can be cured by adopt
ing this system. 1t is safe to say that
the peoples of every land believe
more or less in these doctrines except
the Germans who originated them
and preached their adoption. Every
system of government has its good
and it's evil qualities and tendencies.
This we find is true of socialism. We
have already adopted sore socialistic
practices, such as national mail
service, public school system ard 9TH
ers less pronounced. We will in the
future no doubt accept and adopt 9th.
er theories of socialism and put them
into practice when we are fully con.
vinced of their real value. It would
not be right to condemn any system
in it's entirety. We have the privi-
lege and the right to study them all
and to take from any one principles
that are sound which would tend to
make for real progress.
On the other hand the philosophy
of socialism has it's real dangers that
every free man must know and guard
against. In. an absolute monarchy
like Germany, socialism could be
adopted and carried to it's highest
state of development. The real dan
gers lurking in this system would not
manifest themselves. The govern
ment is carried on by class whose
business it is to govern. This class
is also hereditary. Business and gov
ernment would never mix. In a de-
mocracy this is different. Here the
same people would control both in
dustry and the government. Industry
divides itself into great divisions and
classes. Each class would naturally
try to gain the advantage, resulting
in wholesale confusion and final
anarchy. We have organizations now
calling for legislation fixing working
hours and minimum wages, without
regard to the productive power of la
Dor for such few hours of work per
day. and the effect this would ulti-
mately have on the total production
and the standard of living. Suppose,
for the sake of argument, law was
enacted limiting working hours for
all to four hours per day. Would any
sane person argue that under such
conditions enough could be produced
to maintain our present standard of
living? The result of such law
would be starvation. For a hundred
years we have lived we'll and worked
less for what we have enjoyed than
any other people on earth, in this or
any other period. That is explained
by our wonderful natural resources
which we have enjoyed ard abused.
In the next century we will work
harder and enjoy less. The socialistic
state tends to selfishness, work less,
work fewer hours-and this would
tend to decrease production Ut tn.
very time when emphasis should be
placed on increased production in or
der to meet the increased demand of
increased numbers. If industry was
leveled through governmental own
ership and control, no proper distinc-
tion would be made between the able
man and the inefficient man, or be-
tween the Industrious and the indo-
lent. You thereby destroy the initia-
tive to work, to strive, to save and
to deny in order to achieve. The per-
of the individual is lost in
the mass, the progress thereby re-
tarded. Individual liberty and pa
triotism are stifled and deadened and
the individual citizen becomes a mere
creature in mass of creatures Have
we any right to assume that such a !
people could meet world competition
and survive? The system carried out
to it's absolute ultimate and logical
end would lead straight to anarchy.
is a term that we have
known for long, but lately we have