The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-11-07
HARD TIMES AND CRIME.


Hard times have great deal to Go
with all the phases of crime now SO
pre- valent in the land. One must take
Il very casual look not to notice the
positive and direct bearing OF all this
terrible chronic strlngency upon
crime and the feeling OF insecurity SO
generally felt by our citizens.
Iii times when money is scarce. and
bread shelter and clutr es are conse-
| qnently dear. more persons suffer
want. Evtry:persOn in want of work.
living, wages, aud decent subsistence,
is denoralized. There is no escape
from this decentralization except
through profitable employment.
| Without this profitable work many
thousands of persons N every State
Of the Union have lived for years.
They have been thrown out of EN-.
! plGylnent, not because there WAS no
need OF their services, but because
the means Of work and decent living
have been through mistaken policy.
withdrawn from them. Money has
gone off on an illegitinate mission of
fortune breeding (by interest) in the
hands OF monopolists and speculative
sharpers. The illegitimate business
has become shaped and enacted into
law SO that the common people should
be robbed legally. This robbing has
been etfectuaIly accomplished, and
the people generally are poor, and are
hound to he poorer yet. This poverty
is nnrighteOus and unnecessary. 1t
is therefore demoraliZing. The effect
of poverty is demoraliZing at the
best. 1t should be avoided rs other
evils. That which demoralzes leads
to crime. Where poverty is force !
upon people by illegitimate processes,
rs is the case now through uncalled
and rninOuS contraction, hundreds OF
thousands Of the population must
necessarily lose property and social
prestige. Along with this loss must
IN greater ratio. come disgrace. :.
From this position l. is but enc shor
step To crime in some of its phases,
and from the mil,ler to worse phases
! 80 that from the beginning this bad
I process Of impoverishment of the
common people by the withdrawal of
tier means of subsistence and indie
pendent living. gets worse and worse
Is time goes on. Things bad begun
make worse themselves by i'll.
The hard times folly is, therefore
the great folly of the age. and the
only excuse for it is. that we have had
aanlcs and hard times before. and
must expect to forever have sucl,
things. The W.Se-acreS have III
thought OF out growing this folly 5.
long as they are Interested in fat
ttning 1T th' expense o. the Industrial
classes. They are for an arlstocracy
Ut wealth, and their wishes and aim:
are to Sponge their living froi.
laborlng white men of the nor h II
the shareholders lived on the Labor
OF the slaves at the south.
Ii black slavery va, he sum Of ii
villdlny. what IS white slavery-sucl
Is virtually exists in this country to
day AS all this robbery OF labo
goes on. the army of dependents i
increasing every year, and man
thousands OF ruhle men and womel
are being Northumberland out q
thelr homes. and forced out into tn
world to become desperate, and devel
ore INTO the various phases of crime
The Whole army of Il employed pee
pie III TINS country. millions strong
might just as we'll he employed !.
living wages; on whole time. and "
cry part ot the social body would b
he better Tor it. All true econu
mi>ts know this. They know tina
employment viii save society from
lie shock OF crime and w,r. The
KNOW that the means OF work an
general prosperity are within cas-
reach or this voting people. am
'hruhgh arltatlon--Slicn rs is now he
liis ny the very eNlgenry of csrcuu
stances. forced upon the com.nu
min! will cause revolution IN pui
lie sentiment which shall operate pow
ertoliy to bring about II better cund
ZION OF things.