The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1922-09-07

workers, farmers, anybody who
will GO into the combine. Previ-
ously they have been unwilling to
hob mob with anybody except those
who were willing to take the party
name and party pledges. More
over, there Is a distinct tendency
on the part of organized labor to
rid itself of the incubus of social
ism. The battle has been fought
out as far as the American Fed
Grafton of Labor is concerned. 1t
has been fought out in the woman's
garment industry. 1t will be fought
out wherever it is necessary and
the conservatives will win.
There remains the farmer
group-the farm bloc as it is
called. This fall viii probably
show us more of the results of the
revolt of the farmer states against
the conservatism of the present adj
ministration. The revolt is newt
able. Our last election was a post
war reaction and the tremendous
republican maprities had to come.
The net results of the farmer re-
volt, however, probably will not
justify the enthusiasm which it has
called forth. After senator's and
congressman have been elected to
represent the farmers, most of
them will continue to act about as
senators and congressman always
act, after they get to be senator's
and congressman. The farmers
will be disappointed. They will
turn away from their radicalism to
other quarters.
We have reached the extreme.
both of radicalism and conserva-
tism. We are headed for the mid
die of the road course. The days
of the extremist in any direction
are about over. Now we must get
busy and saw wood! The man who
is busy laying brick is not going to
listen to the call of the man who
wants to interest him in sisms' of
any kind. The man on the wall
is going to say to the agitator: 4
am doing real work and l cannot
come down to YOU
Nevertheless, we are probably
going to have more of some things
that good many Of us do not like.
We are probably going to have
more of government interference
in the railroads, instead of less;
more of government interference in
in the mines, instead of less. The
drift seems to be in that direction.
But we are not drifting that way
on account of theories of agitators.
We are drifting that way because
of the necessities of the present
conditions. President Harding will
see to it that the railroads run and
that coal is mined, not because he
is socialistic but because the coun-
try must have trains and coal. That
is all there is to it.
That is to say, | believe that
the lease of life of the soap box
orator and all the rest Of the fren-
zied exhorters of our day, may be,
for the present cut short. What
we do in the next few years, we are
to do because we want to. We are
going to be governed by condi-
tons and not by theories. The
main tendency is toward middle
of-the-road course. Most of the
people will be travelling in that
way. Our progresses will be along
that line. We are going to be
confronted with the stern necessity
of producing the necessities of life
at costs which will attract pur-
chasers. That task will keep Us
all pretty busy.
eff my diagnosis is correct" con-
Guided Mr.. Babson, .sthis means
well of investors and others inter
ested in constructive enterprise.
The captain of industry is COM
ing back. The engineer will take
the place of the agitator Money
will again be invested in railroads,
public utilities viii be rehabilitated
and for many years to come the