Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-09-06
A MINORS VIEWS.
The duty OF ,he Government towards the unem-
pioyed.

mistake or the uay IS the luea LDaL
great corporation or state, national
or municipal Government is bound to
the same financial policy which neces.
sity imposes upon private persons
with comparatively small capital A
wise dealer in stocks buys when other
men are selling and sells when other
men are buying. Governments and
corporations having vast amount OF
capital at their command should pur-
sue the same policy in regard to labor
buying labor when it is cheap instead
of bidding against whole communi-
ty for labor when it is dear. But our
public men hardly ever perceive the
force of this unimpeachable truth.
Knowing that in times Of depression
they must themselves reduce their
own expenses they fancy that Con-
gregs must do the same. Hence in
times Of depression Congress often
economies in all directions. This
policy increases the public distress by
increasing the number of men out OF
employment. Yet this is the course
our so.called statesmen are first to
recommend.
The true remedy for the present
stagnation in business and for the
consequent sufferings of the poor is to
furnish as much employment as pos
sible in the execution of useful, public
works. This policy is to be COM
mended equally to the national Gov
eminent and to the Governments of
States, cities and towns on sound
business principles, quite as much as
on the ground of humanity. In peri>
DDS of depression, like the present, la
Dor and materials can be had for 80
or 40 per cent less than their former
rates and contracts if public works
are to be done by contracts be
let out at comparatively low rates. It
is at such times that all public work
which will be needed within a few
years ought to be undertaken. The
erection of light houses, custom
houses, post Offices, court houses, city
halls; the Improvement of harbors,
rivers, canals the repair of highways,
streets, sewers-these and numerous
other works of the same sort ought to
be commenced as soon as "hard
times" set in and pushed forward with
all possible vigor until "good times"
return. 1t is often quite possible to
defer such works for years after their
necessity begins to be felt. In this
case it is hardly fair for a great en-
ployer like the Government to enter
the market when trade is brisk and
lively, and, by letting out contracts at
profitable rates to draw it away from
private employers who need as much
Of it as they can get. Is it not bad
management to buy labor when it is
dear for works which could just as
well be postponed until labor became
cheap? And yet all of our Congress-
men, Senators &c. seem disposed to
act upon the policy of doing nothing
while labor is cheap which can be
postponed until labor becomes dear.
with the mass of private employers
the policy of economizing and hard
times is necessary and justiiable.
How different the position Of stable
government 1t may be true that
during a time of depression taxes
come IN less freely than usual and
public sentiment may be strongly OPP
posed to any increase of taxation un.
til the times grow better. But if
such Government can manage to
preserve it's credit then it has another
resource sufficient for all its purposes.
AS private credit goes down, ats cred
it tends upward and by issuing bonds
of small denomination it may obtain,
at moderately small rate Of interest,
thousands of private capitals which
have been withdrawn or withheld
from private interest, and which need
above all to be put to work and there
is nothing to prevent a government
from availing itself to the utmost of
cheap labor while it is to be had. 1t
simply requires sound business man
agement to do so. Says prominent
journal
FsTo the large saving in the cost of work
which may be effected by executing it at a
time like the present, there must of course be
added the amount which, in the absence of
such a source.of employment, would have to
be expended in relieving restitution. This in
cludes not only public appropriations bat the
voluntary contributions of individuals, for
practically the latter constitute tax, AID a
tax of very unfair and Objectionable sort,
since it falls exclusively on the charitable,
while thousands Of others better able 10 con-
tribute escape It altogether"
But the advantage which society
would derive from the policy under
consideration is the stimulus it would
give to private enterprises. If gener-
ally adopted--that is, If adopted by
states and cities as well as by the ma
tion--it would set at work q large
army of men now out of employment,
and by enabling them to supply their
daily wants it would increase the de-
mand for great number of industrial
products. Thus it would set in mo-
ton machinery which now remains
idle and furnish employment fer an
other corps of laborers who, in their
capacity as consumers would in turn
contribute to create employment for
still others. In short it would be the
first of a succession Of steps that
would lead upwards to the goal of full
industrial activity. A winter which
bids fair to be one of unusual hard
ship for the poor is approaching and
many laborers are out of employment,
not because of any unwillingness to
work on their part but because of the
general stagnation of business which
prevents work from being thrown in
their way. | hope that such wisdom
will be displayed by our national, state
and municipal governments that tie
distress will be avoided by supplying
the laboring man with abundant work
at fair prices. PIcA.
Lancaster, Aug.
THE Colossal Bronze Statue of We
tory which stands in the Park, at
Lowell, before the tomb of the first
soldier that fell in the revolution, is
q lasting and beautiful tribute of art.