The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-16

NE 16, 1922
Iernments are losing power CITE
liens are beginning to feel that
governments not doingeSsTy
thing possible for the beneht 9
ttheYpeop1e.
should be Greatest Thing
in some wayne should@make
government more efect1Yettorsthe
people of the country. The gov
F$ernment should be the greatest
interest a citizen could possibly
have.
wherein does it fail to perform
the duties expected of it? WHAT
is a democracy like ours and what
does it mean to the people2
.Democracy is not simply an
equality OF the ballot; it's an
equality OF opportunity. true
democracy is one which offers the
same chance Of advancement to all
citizens.
states qualified under this defini-
ton of democracy. But, with our
growing industrialism. we HAYS,
failed in many ways to keep open
1.-The doors Of opportunity on equal
terms to all people.
"1nSone of the mansions of this
town, perhaps, a child is about to
be born. He will have all possible
comforts, good food. good clothing,
a good home. He will have an op.
portunityto acquire a higher educa-
ton and to fit himself fer all the
i better things of life ana will be
able to know the important duties
of a citizen.
Born in Poverty.
Another child, perhaps, is to be
born to a I'M h natural
protector has been taken away by
disease or accident. The child
born to that home may be born
among conditions of poverty. He
will receive little or 40 medical at
tention, and will probably become
an object of charity. He will have
food and clothing of the poorest
kind. He Will receive few oppor-
tunities to acquire even ar ordinary
education. He may be put into a
factory somewhere and forced to Ia
Dor long hours for. a scant living.
This is not democracy. The
more of it we have. the more we
tend toward the creation of a great
class struggle.
"Over here is a great factory.
Its wner have sons. These
young men are trained to take the.
skilled and high-priced places in
the factory.
There is in this factory a work
man who has a son. This young
may have the consciousness of
greater things but be denied the
opportunity to make himself
great. He may want to plan, to
create, and yet be forced to toll in
the factory as a mere, common
place workman.
"Another boy is the son of a
ditch-digger. The lad may have.
the ability to build great build
ings. But he feels, because his
father is a ditch-digger, that he is
forced to work at manual labor
for his living.
Must Keep Doors Open.
w must keep the doors of OPP
~portunity open to all citizens. We
must make impossible the crea-
ton of a class warfare. We must
do things which will make for the
perpetuity of our representative
institutions.
I'VE have no danger from a:
hostile attack. We are defended
by 5000 miles of ocean on one
side and 10000 miles of ocean on
the other side. There need be no
fear of invasion or assault, from
without. But we must have a
loyal and %contented population.
Every republic in the history of
the world has been broken up by
division of classes and this has
eventually resulted in the repub-
lies destruction
Let no condition like this arise
in the United States. Let no man
have the right to feel that he was
bornSto be a laboring man. Let no
people feel that they were born to
be employers and that they have
the right to own and enjoy without
labor.
what does this mean? 1t means
we, the people of the United States
must, in the next fifty years, do a
great amount of social work. We
have created a.great industrialism
and we have failed to create equita-
BILE laws to go with it.
Uniform Labor Laws
mot long ago the United States
Supreme Court declared unconstf-
tutional the Child Labor Law. We
must have uniform child labor laws
and if necessary, we should pass
an amendment to the constitution
calling for such laws. We should
dedicate our children, not to the
mill and shop, but to the school and
college.
mo child born under the Ameri-
can flag should be born under con
ditions which will prohibit his hav-
ing the best medical attention at
the time of birth. The mother, for
a certain period, should be free
from al severe toil-free to give