The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-08-15
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BENNINGTON VERMONT
FRIDAY, AUGUST rs, 1919.
AN APPROACHING CRISIS
VERMONT
BENNINGTON

one can exactly forecast and one the
outcome of which cannot yet be de-
termined. Never has there been
time when strikes were so universal
throughout the country Never has
there been time when the wage
earners of the country have attempt
cd to exert the vast power that they
possess to regulate conditions. Al
crisis is inevitably coming which
will bring about changed order Of
things.
Many people treat the matter light
ly and merely say that the working
man is now feeling his power, but
there is something deeper and more
significant in the existing economic
unrest in the country. The United
States like all the rest of the world
| is passing through transitional per-
iod and indications are that it will be
but a short time before there are rad
ical changes in the life of its citizens.
Something new is going to be tried
out 1t cannot yet be defined. 1t may
be socialism and it may be bolshev-
ism, but, in the next few years, our
country is to experience a strange
! condition of things, a situation Of
which we are warned by the present
social and economic uprisings in all
parts of the Union. The workingmen,
acting through their labor organiza-
/ tons, have begun to realize their
strength, a power which they have
never dared exert and which is un-
4 tanned and unlimited. i
A new adjustment is certain and
A the time is close at hand when ex-
listing conventions and laws are to
be upset and new code will take
their place, at least for time. The
United States is too great country
and its citizens are made up of too
intelligent class ever to permit the
destiny OF the State to fall into the
hands OF the utterly vicious as did
Ignorant Russia, but we must be pre-
pared to use every good and helpful
agency we have to meet the approach
ing crisis
The United States has just wealth
cred one storm and the men she sent
across the sea have returned trium-
phantly to her shores. The intelligence
and skill of those who stayed behind
and the courage and strength of those
who went-across proved adequate to
meet and successfully pass the crisis
which threatened the country. The
next struggle viii be an internal one
land will be met and triumphed over if
i've meet it swith the same careful
consideration and conquer it with
equal courage. and self-sacrifice
Without self sacrifice and self re
straint in control the world will not
be a pleasant neighborhood, as his
tory, past and present, shows to any
one who will take the trouble to read
history.
In the old days capital and power
We're in the hands of the few and
the, unscrupulous among them were
reckless in their greSl. They took it
all If so disposed and they were gen.
orally SO disposed. The rank and file
| were left with mere pittanee, hope.
less in hardship and suffering.
Gradually but surely, change has
| come Power is now in the hands Of
the many and the more radical and
reckless among them want to take
\ all there is. They do not read history
and they do not realize that after they
have grabbed it all for few short
months the spring will run dry, there
| will not be anything more TO take
and that they will fight and destroy
! and scatter until all wealth is dis.
pated and poverty and hunger and
disease and famine will stalk the
4 streets.
| There is one way out but it can
come only with restraint of greed
Capital has pretty generally come to
realize that it cannot take it all. The
radical among the labor leaders have
that lesson yet to learn. The prof
iteers in both ranks and scattered all
along between and in all grades and
trades are trying to get all they can
while : the getting is good. And the
crisis is approaching.
The situation is by no means hope
less. The Anglo Saxon race is in con
trol in this county at least, and the
Anglo Saxon has a knack of blunder-
ing his way into trouble and digging
out again. When the disease gets bad
enough and the worst cases have
died off, through battle, murder and
sudden death, the moderate will re-
sumo control until another crisis
comes.
There is enough for all, but those
who want it all and those who would
grab big share without industry,
thrift and foresight have gotten us
into trouble and it will take some