The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1867-02-26
From the Round Tablet
Protection.

aWhat makes coal so dear, when the
weather is SO dreadful cold? God help
the poor, comes from between the chat
tering teeth of a toil-worn, care worn,
shiveriug woman, as she measures with,
stingy eye scanty fresh supply of fuel
to her waning fire. No cry from her to
government for protection No protec-'
ton to herIfrom the greed Of the strong,
the cunning, the avaricious. "Work for
Yourself. Work or starve. Self-help.-
Every one for himself If government
gave bread or clothes or fuel to the poor,
it would demoralize them. Take better
care of the pennies you earn. Lay them
up in summer for a wintry day" Such
are the answers she would get if she
asked for protectiou-if she turned beg
gar No chance for her to put in re-
plication. The voice of the coal-owners
are mighty to drown hers. If she could
be heard, she would say, Glow can lay
up my pennies when the strong arm Of
the government takes them from me, day
by day, as fast as can earn them, ard
hands them over to my richer neighbors?
On every spool Of thread | buy govern
ment takes from me a penny or two to
pay over to the Woonsocket Factory
Company, SO that they may make dear
thread and big dividends On every gar.
ment | wear,it takes pennies and shillings
from me wherewith to ill the purses of
the rich men who make cloth and stock
ings and shawls, aud who cannot be con-
tent with less than fifty or one hundred
per cent. increase of their wealth every
year to pay them for making dear clothes
for the American laborer When | buy
stove or pair Of scissors, | must pay
some Of my hard earned pennies tosup-
port the wealthy iron maker of Pennsyl-
vania. | get no protection to my labor
and ask none Let us both alene-1Ine
and the manufacturer. As you let me
werk my humble way along as best Ican,
leave him to do the same Give him nc
part of my earnings, and I am content
with my little share of this worlds goods.
IF it demoralizes society forg goverhmentto to
give the poor food and clothes and fuelis
/ it not equally demoraliziug for govern.
ment to give to the rich and the strong!
And when it gives to the rich by taking
from the poor, is it not demora.izing So
ciety at both ends? p 521,!s 5sgl
"Mother, do give me another blanket
am SO cold," begs a shivering child, Of
a winters night, on our northern frontier
s'I have no more, child; blankets are SC
dear and all sorts of clothes SO dear
John, what makes wooden things SO much
dearer than they used to be?" 9sif
II don't know; but they do say it's al
done to purtect us poor folk. Atonguey
man told US the other night that the gov
ernment must pnrtect Us from the blan
ket-makers in England and other foreign
countries" ' 9 - ~ -i
! eyes, but John, over in Canada they
have nothing but English blankets, ant
4 you can buy two there for what one cost
here. The English blanket makers don
seem to be SO hard upon poor folks after
Eall." s
i "Well, I cant tell the story exactly
but the tonguey man nnadeit out all clear
I think, he said, too, that wool wouldn'
grow or our sheep unless they was pur
tected" st93
"Why, John, you don't mean that the,
kiver our American sheep with blanket
to make their wool grow, and that's tn
reason blankets are so scarce and dear?"
"Well, I don't know about that; but b
made out that the sheep must be purtee
ted to get the wool. and then the mel
who made the wool into blankets mustib'
purtected; else we'd have to use the cheal
foreign blankets, and then he said wei
be worse off.
"John, don't you think the tongue,
man was pulling some wool over you
4 eyes2 IF l could get two blankets in
, stead of one to keep the children warm
the children could do we'll enough witt
their natural kivering 1t seems to m
that we poor folk, what don't have an.
natural kiver of wool growing on ou
backs, want pnrtection more than tn
sheep" = r 9s' 1855 g tia7
avail, that's just what Deacon Welloi
says; he says these high prices purtect u
as well as the sheep; and you know tn
Deacon subscribes good deal of none
for the poor. - '@9'. -
'.That's all true, John; but then tn
Deacon don't seem TO get any poorer 70
tall he gives away; and the Deaconhas so
good many sheep Of his own, and what
ever is good for his sheep must be geo,
for the Deacon sown pocket; and they d
say he owns a part of a big blanket fac
tory down in Rhode Island; and SO. may
be, the Deacon wrongs us poor folk ou
7 Of ten dollars and then gives US back on
8 dollar of itln charity; maybe, If tn
poor had cheap Blankets and cheap clothe
they wouldn't want any charity Yol
can't make me believe we're any bette
off for having only one blanket, wllen,s j
they was cheaper. we might have two
The parable Of Dives and Lazaru
might be useful reading for those VIII
are getting fat dividends from sWoon
socket" = q ~
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