Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-01

terpreted the laws. This arrangement
gave some popular representation,
where previously there was none; but
still it left the senate, the president
and the courts as the guardians of
privilege and wealth.
But all the tendency since The days
of Jefferson and Hamilton has been in
the direction of the Jeffersonian ideas
the control of the people as q whole
instead Of class government. The
election of governors of states is no
longer the privilege of state legisla-
lures. and many states now elect their
judges by popular vote. The United
States senate, formerly the stronghold
of privilege, is now elected by the peo-
pie, and there is growing sentiment
of changing the constitution so as to
provide for the election of the presi-
dent and the justices of the supreme
court in the same manner.
1t will have to be admitted by all
men, however. that at the present time
we are long way from anything like
representative democratic govern
ment. At the present moment we are
witnessing the spectacle of our presi-
dent and his administration negotiat-
ing with the representatives of certain
classes of our citizens as though with
hostile governments, in the interest of
certain other classes. To be more spe-
cific the president is dickering with
representatives of labor on the one
hand and of capital on the other in be-
half of an element somewhat vaguely
called the public. And while the pres
ident is supposed to be concerned only
about fairness, each side is suspicious
that he is representing the other side.
There is hardly any question of the
fact that the representatives Of labor
look upon the government as some
malign influence that is trying to
crush them, and it is reasonably GER
tain that the employer class look up
on the labor leaders as representing a
power that ought to be crushed. That
part of the public that is not directly
identified with either of the classes
mentioned, has a clear conviction that
something is wrong, bad wrong; but
at the same time it has no definite idea
as to how that something is to be cor
rected in fairness and justice to all
concerned.
AS we see it, it would not do for
either side TO have the complete upper
hand in this matter The success of
the money power would mean an oil
garchy under which the liberty for
which our forefathers fought could not
exist, and the success of the labor
unions would mean socialism under
which there would be no place for
anything except manual labor. One
condition would be as destructive as
the other. Surely all reasonable men
earnest, constructive workers in what
ever line, whether as physical labor
ers, artisans or intellectuals, are
equally important to the comfort, safe
ty, convenience, pleasure, happiness
and fullest development of all.
AS we see it, the country is riding to
the same fate that has befallen all pre-
vious efforts Of government along cap
italistic lines. We mean that just as
the dedication of money has destroy
ed the social and economic structures
of other governments, it is threatening
the destruction of ours, and if there is
any remedy at all it is to get rid of
the one great source of the trouble
the power Of money.
Christianity was never intended as
system of economies or of government.
Christ came into the world only to
show the way of eternal salvation; but
incidentally to his great mission he
also taught the ruinous power of mon
ey. He told the rich young man about
it in so many words, and the only re-
when he drove the money changers
from the temple. Not once did he ever
recognize it or authorize it as n means
of building up his kingdom.
1t seems to us that if we would ever
succeed in establishing a government
that will last as it should last and
open the way to peace, justice, progress
and happiness, we must recast the
age-old system that has been proving
its failure from the beginning and es-
tablish along new lines.
Under present conditions we have
class government in it's worst form.
With the best that can be done, there
is no way of getting away from class
government and really it is not desira-
bic to get away from it. But the trou-
bic now is that the classes are not
properly represented. Only two class
eJ arc recognized, the rich and the
poor, and all other classes arc align
ing themselves on one side or the 9TH
cr, when the best interests of the whole
could be much better Subscrvcd if each
class had proper representation of its
OWL interests.
For instance, suppose we should re-
cast our present government and re-
distribute representation on n basis of