The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-10-29
NO RULE BY A CLASS.


Only as the eternal, unchanging principles OF
right and justice are recognized and made the
rule of conduct is it possible for individuals or
for nations to progress along the evolutionary
path. Principle is the changeless standard by
which acts must be measured It's applications
may be infinitely various just as the compass
directs the wanderings Of numberless men. But
they who will be guided by principal need never
lose the path for there is that within the soul
which surely shows where principle and act con-
form. A principle is universal truth, cause,
force or power How many fundamental prin-
ciples there are we do not know though many
rules and tenets are built upon them. Perhaps
there is only one into which they all resolve,
the principle of justice, which is, as are told,
the fulfilling of the law.
In public matters as in private life any de-
Walton from principle is dangerous and may be
fatal To take an Illustration, it is imperative
that government or any other which is to
endure shall be government of all the people.
All who live beneath it must have equal hber-
ties, opportunities, duties and rights To nc
one can liberty be given which is invasive or
another's right. Rights of men or classes must
be inviolable Old world governments which
did not secure this have gone down or are IN
the fiery crucible of change. masfar as our
own institutions permit the privilege of one
class to override the rights of any other, they
cannot endure unchanged Not long ago form
Ell United States Senator Root said:
By our successes we have built up two classes
the of money and the other of labor, which as
sail the government itself If this government is
to be governed by plutocrats, your liberty and
mine is and if 1T is to be governed by labor
unions. equally your liberty and mine is
The government OF the whole people must be
maintained in order that the American youth may
spirit and mind for the advancement OF
this country and the world
The fact that human governments have so
generally in the past been by and in the inter
est of favored classes is no reason why IN shear
ing these of their privileges they should be
shorn of their rights. If financial syndicates
came to undue influence in our own country
and to use it oppressively by profiteering or ex-
plotting the rest of us that is no justification for
permitting labor to exploit and Cypress us now.
Ii combinations of capital were able to crush
the independent operator and drive him to the
wall, that is no reason why combinations OF
workers should crush the independent worker
and deny him the right to work. The trouble
here and everywhere on earth appears to be
that class antagonisms have arisen, that some
thing of class bitterness is legacy from the
past and the groups which are now gaining
their rights are no more content with them and
to do Justly than the old, selfish, privileged
classes which they SO properly and fiercely con-
denim No situation can be righted by wrong,
and our national problem is now to draw the
line and establish it in the law where the rights
of classes, groups and individuals begin and
end.
When it comes to complete characterization,
no one can improve on the newly INSTALLED grand
exalted ruler Of the Elks' description OF the par
lor bolshevist as ga soft-bal<ed, Numbering
idiot, with half-digested radical theories and
ball-bearing tongue"
The best way to get out of trouble is never
Ito get in All other ways are limitations
America can not afford to divide its labor in
Ito preferred and common