Competition; Monopolies -- United States; Trusts, Industrial
It seems plainly apparent, then, that neither the principle of
individualism nor the principle of societism can be taken as an
infallible guide for determining the control of our industry. It would
be as manifestly unwise to take a step toward abolishing existing
societism by placing our postal department under the control of a
private company, as it would be to make a move toward abolishing
individualism by having the government assume the management of all the
farms in the country. Both of these principles are necessary.
There is, indeed, a marked tendency toward an increased reliance on the
principle of societism as civilization progresses and our life becomes
necessarily more intense and complex. A community of plain farmers,
isolated from each other, can live their individual lives about as they
please, without any interference of the government becoming necessary to
protect the rights of each man from infringement by his neighbors. But
the resident in a large village must submit to certain restrictions for
the common good. He must not carry on any kind of business likely to
become a public nuisance. His cattle may not graze in the streets. He
must give part of his earnings toward maintaining a water supply for a
protection against fire. The citizen of a great city is subject to far
more restrictions. The government assumes the control of education,
charities, the care of the public health, the drainage of the streets,
the collection of offal, and a multitude of other duties which in a less
intense civilization each family performs for itself.
The advance in science and the arts, too, has brought about a revolution
whose effect we must recognize. A hundred years ago almost every
community, and to a large degree every family, was industrially almost
independent of every other, as we have already shown. To-day each man
relies on a million others to supply him with the commonest necessaries
of life. The armored knight was proof against all foes, save the few
antagonists similarly clad. To-day my life is dependent on the fidelity
and vigilance of ten thousand men, and every man I meet has me in his
power. Given the malignant will and fiendish cunning necessary, and one
single man can kill a thousand human beings and destroy a million
dollars at a blow. To sum up, each advance in civilization makes men
more dependent upon each other, and increases the advantage and
necessity of having industries most important to the common welfare
controlled by society as a whole instead of by individuals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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