Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1923-05-24

science we create new forces with
which men may dominate-railway
power, oil. and what not. They may
produce temporary blockades upon
equality Of opportunity.
To curb the forces In business which
would destroy equality Of opportunity
and yet to maintain the initiative and
creative faculties Of our people are the
twin objects we must attain. To pre-.
serve the former we must regulate that
type OF activity that would dominate,
To preserve the latter, the government
must keep out Of production and dlstri-
button Of commodities and services.
This is the deadline between our sys.
TEN and socialism. Regulation to pre-
vent domination and unfair practices,
yet preserving rightful initiative, are
In keeping with our social foundations.
Naturalization OF industry or business
is their negation.
When we come to the practical prob
lens OF government IN relation to these
economic questions the test lies In two
directions: Does this act safeguard an
equality OF opportunity Does 1t main
tain the initiative Of our people7 For
In the first must lie the deadline
against domination, and In the second
the deadline In preservation OF indi-
yidualism against socialism. Exclud'
Ing the temporary measures Of the
war. the period OF regulation has now
been long enough with US to begin to
take stock Of Its effect upon our social
system. II has been highly beneficial,
but II has also developed weaknesses
In the throttllng Of proper initiative
that require some revision. We have
already granted relief to labor organi-
cations and to. agriculture some
forms Of regulation. There Ia, how.
ever. a large field Of cooperative pos
sibillties far outside agriculture that
are needlessly hampered.
The most important Of conNd era-
lions In any attempt to pass judgment
upon social systems is whether we
maintain within them permanent and
continuous motivation toward prog
ress. These forces must be of two or
ders. one spiritual and the other eco
nomlc.
We may discover the situation In
our own social system either by an
analysis of the forces that are today
In motion or by noting the strides of
progress over the century or over the
last ten years. BY consideration Of
the forces that move US we can see
whether our system shows signs OF de-
cay, whether Its virility In maintained:
and by the tombstone Of time we can
find out whether these forces have
been powerful enough to overcome the
malign Influences that would lessen
the well.being Of our system.
II we should survey the fundamen-
tails Of our civilization from the point
OF view Of Its progress by the test Of
time, we can find much for satisfaction
and assurance. II Ia unnecessary to
recount the values Of economic indi-
vlduallsm In stimulation to invention;
large constructive vision; intensity In
production with decreased physical
effort; our increased standards Of living
and comfort. II Is Of course easy to
enumerate our great economic prog
ress, but the progress Of the social
forces that win sustain economic prog
ress Is infinitely more Importation
upon them depends the real future OF
our people. Education In Its many
phases has made much advance, The
actual equipment. the character OF In
struction. the numbers reached, period
Of instruction show Improvement
with every decade. Public opinion has
become OF steadily Increasing potency
and reliability In Its reaction. The
great strides In development Of
processes and equipment for produc-
ton and distribution are being fol
lowed by Increasing devotion TO the
human factors In their execution.
Moral standards Of business and COM
nnerce are improving; vicious city gov
ernments are less In number; invisible
government has greatly diminished;
public conscience 10 penetrating deep
er and deeper; the roofing M OF
wrong grows more vigorous; the agen-
cies FOR their exposure and remedy
grow more numerous, and above all
Is the growing sense OF service. Many
people confuse the exposure OF wrongs
which were below the surface with de
generation; their very exposure 10
progress. Some accredit the exposures
OF failure In our government and bust
ness as evidence OF standards OF low
er order than In some other nations.
A considerable experience leads me
to the conviction that while we do
wash our dirty linen In public most
others never wash IT,
II is easy TO arraign any existing In
stitution. Men can rightly be critical
because things have happened that
never ought to happen. That our social
system contains faults no one disputes
One can recite the faulty results Of
our system Al great length: the spirit
Of lawlessness; the uncertainty OF en-
ployment In some caliings: the dead
ening effect Of certain repetitive proc
esses Of manufacture: the twelve-hour
day In a few industries; unequal voice
In bargaining for wage In some en-
ployment; arrogant domination by
some employers and some labor lead
| ers child labor In some states; made