Evening star., 1923-04-22
Fears America May Yet Cease
To Be Land of Opportunity

, chance. I express no opinion upon
whether wages are too high or too
low. Much might be written from
either viewpoint. But no man can
consider the wage problem I'm Amer
lea without becoming convinced that
whatever the wage, multitudes of
men there are who do not care
whether they earn 1t or not. They
have gotten their minds into state
of belief that they are in industrial
slavery. and that therefore they are
perfectly justified. in doing as little
as possible in return for the wages
they receive. Even increases in wage
scales have not changed the mental
attitude of these men.
The revesse Of the picture is just
as bad. We find nothing inspiring
when we look at the employers side.
Here are men who seem to be willing
to do anything to show that they
are able managers, to prove that
they are mindful only Of profits and
to demonstrate they are earning their
salaries Their one object is to en-
able their directors to declare divi-
dends. Humanity is not for them.
Each of these classes is insisting un-
consciously perhaps, that opportunity
Is not opportunity unless it is
coupled with absolute certainty.
4 i IL !:
am proposing no legislative
panacea for these manifest injustices.
yet have unlimited faith in the
! common sense Of the American. TO
come out Of the life and public serv-
ices of Abraham Lincoln which are
for the good of the republic. You
may search all time and you can
| find no man In human history who.
under such adverse circumstances, so
seized opportunity without a guar
anty, thought, spoke and acted Alright
| to the glory of God. when the ques-
| tion Of human slavery was all i'm
portant. il ragged for a time around
the District Of Columbia The demo-
Gratis said Congress had no authority
TO prohibit slavery; the whig: for
ham Lincoln laid down q doctrine
| that If lived up to in the economic
world of America today, would re-
store right conditions once again.
| bring back the age of untrammeled
| opportunity, and do more to spell
| peace than volumes Of statutory laws.
| He boldly took the position that the
| Congress had ample authority to pre-
| vent slavery in the District, but that
| IL ought not to do so save with the
consent Of those who dwelt within
| the District. He became the har-
| binger OF a new day. He uttered the
| first clear note touching individual
| responsibility. He differentiated be-
| tween the legal right 10 do thing
and the moral obligation not to do
| il.
| A man has a right today TO soldier
| on his job, IL he can get away with
| it. A man has a right to screw
| wages down to the starvation point
| IL he can find workmen who will ac-
| ccpt that wage. A man has right
to say anything that he pleases about
the Constitution and laws of the
United States. 4 man has a right to
| be a trouble breeder. 10 raise Cain If
| he will But regardless of his legal
! rights on all the phases of life that
| go into the making of our civiliza-
! tion. 81 moral obli CATION rests on him
| not to exercise those rights except TO
] rectify wrong or to promote the
| the advice Of Lincoln-backwood $
:, lawyer. martyred President, greatest
American-we will forget what
! rights are guaranteed to US and will
/ permit each American TO pursue his
| opportunity, untrammeled by illegal
conditions and unhandicapped by i'm
moral purposes, ehereby promoting
an honest race for success. We will
rebaptize the American with the
| spirit of adventure, and we will put
without the pale of respectable demo
cracy all those who pull law and
say that it permits them to work
! their own sweet will regardless OF
any morals that may be involved in
the transaction. America became the
land Of opportunity upon a moral
| question preserved a united people
upon moral question, engaged
in the world fight upon a mora
| question, and must settle hel
| problems. present and future, by
moral conduct participated in by al
| her men.
(Copyright 1923 bx 2I,t Centur1 Presal