Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1923-04-27

Cor as know, never been denied.
criticism of it has lain in It's wastes
but more Importantly In its failures Of
equitable sharing Of the product. In
our country these contentious are main
" over the division to each OF his
share of the comforts and luxuries, for
none of US Is either hungry or cold
or without place to lay his head-and
we have much besides. In less than
four decades we have added electric
lights, plumbing, telephones, gramo-
nhones. automobiles, and what not In
wide diffusion to our standards Of Nv
ing. Each In turn began as luxury,
each In turn has become so common
Mace that seventy or eighty per cent
of our people participate in them.
To all practical souls there is little
use In quarreling over the share Of
each Of us until We have something to
divide. So long as we maintain our
indiyidualism we will have increasing
quantities to share and we shall have
time and leisure and taxes with which
to fight out proper sharing of the "sur-
plus" The income tax returns show
that this surplus is a minor part Of our
total production after taxes are paid.
Some of this Surplus" must be set
aside for rewards to saving, or stimula-
ton of proper effort to skill, to leader
ship and Observation-Disclosures the dis
pute is In reality over much less than
the total of such surplus" While there
should be no minimizing Of a certain
fringe Of injustices in sharing the re-
suits Of production or In the wasteful
use made by some Of their share, yet
there Is vastly wider field for gains to
all of US through cheapenlng the costs
of production and distribution through
the eliminating Of their wastes, from
increasing the volume Of product by
each and every one doing his utmost,
than will ever come to US even If we
can think out a method Of abstract
Justice In sharing which did not stifle
production of the total product.
1t is certainty we are confronted
with a population in such numbers as
can only exist by production attuned
to pitch In which the slightest reduc
ton of the impulse to produce will at
once create misery and want. If we
throttle the fundamental impulses of
man our production will decay. The
world In this hour is witnessing the
most overshadowing tragedy Of ten
centuries In the heart-breaking life
and-death struggle with starvation by
nation with hundred and fifty mil
hons Of people. In Russia under the
new tyranny group, in pursuit Of so
clai theories, have destroyed the pri
mary self-interest impulse Of the indi-
vidual to production.
Although socialism in a nationwide |
application has now proved itself with |
rivers Of blood and inconceivable mis-
cry TO be an economic and spiritual fall
iacy and has wrecked itself finally up
On the rocks Of destroyed production
ana moral degeneracy, I believe it TO |
nave been necessary for the world to
have had this demonstration. Great
'heoretic and emotional ideas have
arisen before in the worlds history and
nave IN more than mere material bank
ruptcy deluged the world with fearful
'osses Of life. A purely philosophical
view might be that in the long run hui
manity has to try every way, even
pfeciplces, in finding the road TO bet
terment.
but those are utterly wrong who say
that lndiyidualism has as its only end
me acquisition and preservation Of pri-
Fate property-the selfish snatching
ana boarding of the common product
our American indiyidualism, indeed,
- only In part an economic creed. IL
AIMS to provide opportunity for self
oppression, not merely economically,
Dul spiritually as well. Private prop
Frly Is not a fetch In America. The
crushing OF the liquor trade without
-epi OF compensation, with scarcely
'fen a discussion of Il. does not bear
'pt the notion that we give property
tsNis any Roadway over human rights,
,uf Development OF indiyidualism
,noNs an increasing tendency TO regard
'snt OF property not as an object ip :
'N''f' Dui IN the Light Of useful ana
necessary Instrument IA stimulation OF ,
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