The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-07-08

sary to firmly establish tranquility
and security"
More timely utterances could not
have been made. The truth of the
Presidents words is self-evident, and
it is no compliment to the community
that it needs to have it's attention
sharply called to such obvious prin-
ciples or indeed that danger should
exist from sources Of this sort. Yeti
the fact remains that the conditions
against which Mr.. Harding warns us
have risen hydra headed in our midst
Only few days ago half hun
dred "free Americans" were brutallv
hutchered because they dared exer-
Csc their right to labor without "an-
cther'' leave" That was conspic-
ucus and extreme case and naturally
attracted widespread attention. Plen-
ty of instnces of the same thing, diff
ferent only in degree, occur without
attracting especial notice. "Picket-
ing more often perhaps than not
constitutes an active and aggressive
denial of the right of free men to
work. Nor is the pressure brought
to bear upon workmen to refrain from
labor confined to "picketing" in tho
ordinary sense.
Efforts to enact class legislation
have been so frequent of late and sue
cess so threatening that the situation
constitutes a national menace. Agri-
cultural interests have become polit-
ically organized and, having already
obtained special favors from the pub
lie, now press for further falkland
seem to be in good way to get it,
"Veterans' clamor for largesse. Ship
owners demand funds from the long
suffering public, and sundry special
interests seem likely to obtain large
tariff grants at the expense of the
consumer. Labor, long satisfied with
antitrust laws when their rigor was
directed at capital, insists that the un-
ions be exempt from such legislation
or. failing that, that the laws be re-
pealed.
Appeals to prejudice, class feeling
and passion have likewise been all
too plentiful of late. These take many
forms and have run about the whole
gamut of human frailty. The "found.
ing fathers" would no doubt rest un-
easy in their graves if they knew how
their words are used to stir up un-
thinking impulses in an endeavor t.
perpetuate policy of international
isolation, to induce us to shirk our
duty and indeed our own interests.
War hatreds are made to pay an i'm
portant part in the tariff campaign.
In the same way, wage earners
have been led into excesses of fool
ish passion by silly charges against
owners of property. They are told
that exorbitant profits are being con-
cealed, and at the same time that in
dustrial depression was deliberately
brought on by financiers to break the
the unions. Meaningless shibboleths
and alleged "rights'1 have been used
to arouse mentally undisciplined men
to action which can but result in thc:r
injury.
All OF this Is not new to this de
and generation, but not for many
years, if ever, have we had so much
OF it, and it is as true today as always
that we cannot prosper as long as
these diseases are active in our midst.
The President is both right and timely
in his warning. Men must be free
to work, the common good of all must
be our goal, and reason, not passion
must guide us if full prosperity and
happiness are to be ours.-The Jour.
nal Of Commerce.