The Camouflagingof Eugenicistsas Eugenicism’s Opponents 89not believethat any manlivesfor himselfalone.... All havedutiesas wellas rights,and,
as [RalphWaldo]Emersonsaidseveralyearsago,it is timewe heardmoreaboutduties
and less aboutrights.”^73 HenrySteeleCommagerhailsthis set of statementsas “a verita-
ble declarationof independencefromthe tyrannyof thelaissez-fairephilosophy.”^74 Com-
magerjoyfullyreportsthat“twoyearsafterthe publication” of LesterWard’s “Dynamic
Sociology, a groupof youngereconomists,includingRichardT. Ely,... SimonN. Pat-
ten,... and... WoodrowWilson,metat SaratogaSpringsto organizethe American
EconomicAssociationand draftwhatprovedto be a declarationof independence” from
the stodgycapitalistideologyof “Manchester.”^75
GiventhatGeorgeMowrydenigratedWilliamGrahamSumnerandglorifiedLester
FrankWard,it hardlyraisesan eyebrowto readMowry’s praisefor Ely.Mowrygivesa
thumbup to RichardT. Ely and SimonPattenfor stirringup the academic“revolutionin
economics” thatdisplacedSumnerandthe other“conservatives” patheticallyhanging
ontotheir“laissezfaire.”^76 PhilipTaftAward-winningfinancialjournalistand laborhis-
torianSteveFraserpredictablysneersat SpencerandSumnerfor having“espoused”
whathe deems“OrthodoxsocialDarwinism.”^77 Notsurprisingly,Fraserlikewisesnipes
at AynRandfor havingauthored“philosophicalfictionsin defenseof pure-blooded,
unimpededcapitalism.. .” As a foil to Spencerand Sumnerand Rand,SteveFrasersets
up RichardT. Ely.Fraserseekscomfortin howEly “andotherreform-mindedecono-
mists... worriedaboutwhattheyspiedas the inherentconflictof interestbetween
investorsand the speculatingpromoterswhomidwived” the robber-baronindustrialists’
mergersduringthe InventivePeriod.He findsit laudablethat Ely tookit uponhimselfto
“subjectthe... phenomenonof publiclytradedcorporationto closeinspection.”^78
AndobservehowJohnKennethGalbraithsetsup progressivesRichardT. Ely and
JohnR. Commonsas saintedfoilsto capitalistWilliamGrahamSumner,whomhe intro-
ducesas “the mosteminentof AmericanSocialDarwinists.” IndignantthatSumner“op-
posedanythingthatsubtractedfromthe incomeof the richor preservedor upliftedthe
poor,” Galbraithvisiblyapprovesthat“Sumnerwasmentionedby RichardT. Ely,the
leadingfigurein the foundingof the AmericanEconomicAssociation,as the kindof
economisthe wouldnot wishto see join” that association.Aha—Ely’s AEAdiscriminates
againstSumner’s villainy.Uponestablishingthat,Galbraithtellsus abouttwomorally
superiorfigures.“JohnR. Commons(1862–1945)... is the Americancompanionfigureto
Bismarckand LloydGeorge.” Commonswas a “brilliant” manwhofounda compatriotin
“RichardT. Ely (1854–1943),himselfa pioneerfigurein Americaneconomicdissent...
Ely eventuallybroughtCommonsto the Universityof Wisconsin,wherehe wrotelearned
books” of the utmostimportance.The “greatestachievement” of Commonsand Ely was
“in assemblingandleadinga brilliantanddevotedcoterieof colleaguesandstudents
who,” not havingbeendeceived“by the classicallyorthodoxviews” of free-marketers
underSpencer’s tutelage,suchas Sumner,“set out in a highlypracticalwayto redressthe
evidentsocialgrievancesof the time.Theirprimaryinstrumentswerethe Wisconsinstate
governmentin Madison,whichwasconvenientlyadjacentto the university,and its gov-
erningfamily,RobertLa Folletteandhis twosons.” Galbraithhappilyreportson the
resultsof the advocacyof Ely and Commons:“a pioneerstatecivilservicelaw,the effec-
tive regulationof publicutilityrates,a limiton usuriousinterest.. ., supportto the trade
unionmovement,a stateincometax and finally,in 1932,a stateunemploymentcompen-
sationsystem.Thislasthada penetratingeffecton economicandpoliticalattitudes;
nothingelsecontributedso directlyto the federallegislationon the subjectthreeyears
later.Andit wasthe CommonsandWisconsineconomistswhoagainled in the federal
design.”^79
AlthoughClarenceKarierexposedWard’s racism,he still castsa favorableeye upon
Ely.Karierexpressesgratitudeto “suchmenas HerbertCroly,RichardEly,Edward