The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-09-26


try that prides itself on the independ-
ence of thought and action of the in
dividual. And because of that pride
of and glory in individual liberty it Is
a country foredoomed to argument, to
struggle, to conflict.
This is not to be deplored. Quite
the contrary. 1t is to be exulted IN
and encouraged--given, of course, that
the argument be intelligent, the strug-
gle constructive and the conflict for the
welfare and betterment of all its cit
liens. In many counsels lies wisdom
In the harmonious reconciliation OF
varied opinions lies progress. And IN
the very effort of every citizen to i'm
prove himself, his fellows and his
country lies the safety of democracy
itself.
am not of those who hold content
ment to be the end of desire. Content
ment, to my way of thinking, means
stagnation. While a healthy discon-
tent is the birth of aspiration for bet
ter things, and, even though we are
the greatest and most successful de-
mocracy that the world has ever seen,
it would be as foolish as it would be
fatuous to deny our faults and Ignore
our weaknesses.
We Are Prone to Go Too Far
One of our greatest faults is that
too many are extremists. Along the
roads we follow many are prone to go
too far. Like our gallant boys IN
France, we are sometimes not content
to stop at our detectives. We dash
on ahead-and are caught in our own
barrage!
This is undesirable. 1t is in a
way forgiveable. 1t is because we are
a Young nation, full of enthusiasm and
strength and courage. But it is dam
gerous and costly. And even before
the war this fault led US into grave
trouble.
Business organization, from reason
able limits, had grown into great and
menacing trusts, combinations and
corporations; they had gone beyond
the legitimate field Of development in
to the illigitimate field of manipua-
ton, stock iobbery and domination Of
our political and judicial life. The
whole wealth of the land was being
taken from the hands of the many
and placed within the grip Of the few.
We were in danger of becoming, like
the Mexico of decade ago, a country
of but two classes: the vastly rich and
the pitifully poor.
That such condition is both wrong
and fatal is beyond argument. There
is neither justice nor common sense in
condition that allows one man to have
a hundred million dollars and a hum
bred million men to have nothing at
all. A condition where the few pos
sess much and the many possess lit
tie is not democracy. 1t is an oil
garchy. It's further development
could not, and would not, have been
tolerated.
Too Much Thought for Self
This condition was brought about
by another extremism the overwor-
ship of a single god of all those that a
democracy must serve. We had come
to spend too much time before our IA
vored fetch, individualism.
Every man, every woman, had come
to think too much of, and work too
much for, himself and herself. We
had forgotten that not individualism
means progress. 1t is not enough that
each man become strong, each woman
fine. 1t is the relation of each man
and woman to all other men and wo-
men that makes great nation. No
matter how fine our soldiers were,
they never could have defeated the
Germans at Chateau Thierry had they
gone in one at time.
This condition, in turn, had made
for lack of interest in citizenry and IN
the country. When each citizen IS
thinking only of himself, their mutual
affairs suffer. Their government goes
to incompetents or worse. 1t is like n
business with efficient clerks but in
efficient management. Such a bust
ness cannot last, if it be continued in
such way. -.
In all the affairs of our republic
there was no element or group which
expressed, manifested and secured a
larger thought and action for mutual
ity as well as individualism than the
much-misunderstood and oft-misrep-
resented organized labor movement
the American Federation of Labor.
That the war contributed much to-
ward changing the whole phase of our
individualism none can truthfully gain
say. Of sudden one day we found
thing big enough to make US forget
all others. And it was then that de-
mocracy arose in all it's magnificent
might. All internal differences van
ished in the face of an external dan
ger. All national conflicts were sub
ordinated to the exigency of an inter-
national task. Almost in a single
day we ceased to be individuals alone.
We had become individualistic mutu-
alists, and as such members of and
partners in true democracy.
And during our eighteen months OF
war we remained true to democracy.
Labor, capital, business, society,
worked hand in hand and shoulder to
shoulder for victory. Never had the
democracy of the United States OF
America risen to such an exalted
height. 1t was the final test of our
national abilities, and the last justifi-
cation of our form of government. We
had shown what a democracy could
do, and how it could do it.
And now what?
We are once more at peace.
Shall we prove ourselves to be less
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