Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-23
Thought Must Solve New Political
Problem.

Il
instructive volume You can scarcely
lind man or woman-guess it would
be impossible to find such as let
minute slip without thinking of some
thing. You see gentleman or lady
passing along the street and ask your
self the question, what are they think
ing about. Be sure they are thinking
about something-the mind is a spec
linen of perpetual motion. Some of
these passers-by are thinking ofprivate
affairs; how they shall be able to pay
or avoid paying their debts what
amount of pork or beef they have to
sell or buy. Others are thinking of
public affairs, of the Presidents South
ern policy, of the extinction of the
Republican party in the South, of the
Democratic prospects in the ensuing
fall election. Others more thoughtful
still are endeavoring to solve the mys-
terry of the recent strike and its under
lying causes, and satisfy themselves
whether the phenomenon was spas
modic and temporary, or whether it
eyinces an unsound condition of pub
lie morals, the prevalence of false and
dangerous theories and the absence
of deep religious convictions, that do
more to restrain the wicked passions of
men than all penal law and resorts to
force.
The event has compelled the Amer
lean people TO turn their thoughts in
this direction 1t is new condition
of things, fearful condition of
things, when the leading States of
the American Union confess them
selves unable to put down an insur-
rection among their own citizens, call
on the general government for aid, and
now clamor for an increase of the army
to defend themfrom the bullet and torch
of the Communist, who multiplies and
increases from causes and classes
which nobody understands. The
Communist is radical. He aims at
the total overthrow and destruction
oil all the institutions of society. What
we call modern civilization, he
detests. Property in his view is rob-
berry. The earth and all its produce
is common stock, equally pertaining
to all. The grouping and bundling Of
human beings into families has given
rise to selfshness, love Of wealth, an
cestral pride, tie worship of kings,
conquerors and nobilities. 1t is the
source of all caste, and creates those
struggles after wealth and social
standing that keep modern society at
fever heat. The family must be
abolished Filial love must be stamped
ont, When no one shall be able to
recognize his parents, then he will be
at liberty to love the entire body of
mankind. So hostile is the scheme of
the socialist to modern civilization that
he relies little on moral suasion. He
relies on force. He intends to anni-
hilate every vestige of modern art
and begin the world anew. He in
tends to abolish human nature itselfin
its present modes of acting and recon-
struct it with tendencies and affec-
tions entirely different from those we
are acquainted with.
The men who live on wages have
adopted ideas in their secret guilds
utterly subversive of the old notion
that capital should compete with CAPT
tai, and labor with labor. The broth
erhood of Engineers tell US that Rail
road company should not compete with
Railroad company. This reduces
freights and of course affects the sal
aries of the Railroad employees. The
Railroads are in the condition of the
poor wretch of Arkansas to whose
heels and neck team of mules was
hitched, and then driven in opposite
directions. The Railroads are jerked
asunder by engineers driving in one
direction, against competition, and
other people clamoring for its advan>
tages.
Machinery multiplies always the
number of persons who live upon wa
GEES. This is the tendency of modern
progress, the effect of all labor-saying
inventions. The present anomalous
condition doubtless grows out of the
fact that capital is afraid to invest in
great enterprises that would, and has
heretofore afforded wages to thous-
ands now unemployed. VIII capital
lists eyer again risk their millions in
railroad construction ? And the lar
gest and most extensive mandatory
may be reduced to ashes in an hour
by mob which sovereign States con-
fess themselves unable to manage.
Perhaps if the nation applies its
thought to this matter a remedy may
be found.
Symmes' Hole.