Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-08-12
TURNING A eRIspsroNE RnIH WAYS.

That the United States is in the
throes of an evolutionary change
socially, industrially and commercially
is evident to all unless to the self alb
sorbed and thoughtless. An epoch is
ar hand 1t is as Impossible to sup
press the great forces at work as It
would be to cork the crater Of a VOL
cano like a bottle
But change and rea djustment should
not mean destruction OF civilization
and the attempted overthrow of estab-
lished and immutable principles. Some
Of our advocates Of change ina CINE
that they can turn a grindstone both
ways at once. Principles and the un-
changeable laws of nature and the
limits Of possibility are dismissed.
They seem to imagine that those can
be relesated and elemental things
made new, created by resolutions and
established by acts of congress or the
dictates of politicians Of brief au-
thority. Self interest of class and in
dividuals when 1t imagines It can re-.
create the world to its own advantage
may succeed in destroying much that
VIII require time to rebuild. It can
not however destroy or reverse the
principles upon which society is logi-
cally founded and upon which only it
can stand. II can not increase the
production by the vote Of a group or
the mandate of a soviet
The brotherhood scheme to intimi-
date congress into socializing the rail-
| roads under the plan proposed is an
| instance in point. 1t is a plan that
would not work out to the expectation
of even it's promoters and is born of
self interest OF the railroad employees
! TO boost their own wages at public
expense.
| The trouble with it is that nobody
would have to work at his job because
he would get the same reward for in
| different service that he would -for
energy and sacrifice and there wouIC
not even be any Involvement on the
! part Of his superior officers to fire
him. hence no fear on the part of the
worker Of losing his job.
Remove from the average man both
the reward for extraordinary effort
"a ~
he will turn his attention to having a
good time with little or no care fol
the conduct OF the business in which
he is engaged.
I Cummins sees 1t clearly when he
says that the turning OF railroads ovel
to the employees to run would ushel
bolshevism into America and would
logically be followed by a demand up
on the part Of all wage workers fol
industries to be turned over to them.
Printers would then edit our news
papers. molders would run the bust
nesses dependent on castings, girl
who peel tomatoes would run tn
canning factory, colored men at worl
in the packing houses would run tn
packing business, etc.
1t is all idealistic but impracticable
We must have superior ability. eff
cheney and determined application t.
duty in ali nigh places in industT
and transportation or the business vii
land in chaos Just as it has done ii
Russia. To obtain this superio
service we must reward those VIII
will make the effort That require
tho retention Of private gain.
In the last analysis the demand tina
the employe shall share in the man
agement Of tho business Is = deman
that the least efficient members {
society be given equal rewards wit
tho most effinisnt, for this country o.
tends to every man an equal tight
become an employer II ne cares
do 20.
Many make the effort and tn
statistical reports Of Dun's ana Brat
u Y \ I . Z S