Gubernatorial Messages 779 



ing the freedom of individual action, would be in- 

 jurious to a degree far greater than is the evil aimed 

 at. Probably the large majority of the fortunes that 

 now exist in this country have been amassed, not by 

 injuring mankind, but as an incident to the con- 

 ferring of great benefits on the community what- 

 ever the conscious purpose of those amassing them 

 may have been. The occasional wrongs committed 

 or injuries endured are on the whole far outweighed 

 by the mass of good which has resulted. The true 

 questions to be asked are : Has any given individ- 

 ual been injured by the acquisition of wealth by any 

 man? Were the rights of that individual, if they 

 have been violated, insufficiently protected by law? 

 If so, these rights, and all similar rights, ought to 

 be guaranteed by additional legislation. The point 

 to be aimed at is the protection of the individual 

 against wrong, not the attempt to limit and hamper 

 the acquisition and output of wealth. 



It is almost equally dangerous either to blink evils 

 and refuse to acknowledge their existence or to 

 strike at them in a spirit of ignorant revenge, there- 

 by doing far more harm than is remedied. The 

 need can be met only by careful study of conditions, 

 and by action which, while taken boldly and without 

 hesitation, is neither heedless nor reckless. It is well 

 to remember on the one hand that the adoption of 

 what is reasonable in the demands of reformers is 

 the surest way to prevent the adoption of what is 

 unreasonable; and on the other hand that many of 

 the worst and most dangerous laws which have been 



