Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-01-10
A Lady Handles Knotty Problems

A Lady Handles Knotty Problems.
EDITOR HERALD: Perhaps it
will not be amss for woman to
say something upon this great labor
question, as the present state of
things endangers what's. or should
be so sacred to her, the home, for
how can man without means and
without employment provide for
family?
For years many of my sex have
asked for the ballot; but if in this
hour of trial she has nothing to
offer that will help solve the prob
lem given this generation, does
she show q fitness for using it
Alright? | have never acted with
the suffrage party, not because l
did not think there was place in
the national councils that woman
should occupy, but because those
engaged therein seemed to me to
be using masculine methods in
stead of furnishing what is lacking
to form a perfect government by
using the truly feminine element.
Many man has gone OH in his
proud selfhood, petting and caring
for his wife but never thinking to
council with her. When, however,
in the hour Of adversely, he finds
himself blinded and bewildered,
and she rises with strength aud
wisdom that leads him out of the
darkness; she henceforth becomes
his equal and cherished adviser.
1t seems to me that such an hour
has come nationally aud | have
waited to see those who have plead
so earnestly for the ballot come for
ward and throw some light upon
our perplexed condition, but have
waited in vain.
have just been reading your re-
marks on Kearuey's visit TO your
place, and or nit ME to say that
getting rid OF the moon-eyed leper
may pallIate for time, but cannot
Remove the evil arising from mo-
nopolies. The power said monopo-
lies WELD in grinding the face of
labor is simply tremendous.
Los Angeles has felt something
OF that power in the course taken
by the railroad in overriding and
defeating legislation. A gentleman
of your city said to me not long
since that the Chinese were not
harming thi, coast half as much as
score of its richest men were, and
| believe it. Not that the Chinese
ale valuable acquisitions; far
from it. But being the tools of
monopolists efforts should be di
rected against the latter and then
the former will disappear. Not
with "hemp" or "quall shooting"
but by earnest, intelligent. organ
lied effort at the ballot box.
When the principle upon which
wealth centralizes in the hands of
the few is once understood, there
are constitutional methods that
can reverse its action till decentral-
lzation sufficiently balances these
inequalities to keep up brisk and
healthy circulation in the sphere
of wealth and then If there is any
fighting done, monopolists will be
the ones on whom the odium will
fall, for they will be the ones who
Will fire on " Sumter" in an effort
to regain their lost power.
Decentralization can do no good in
the effort to right the working
man, for it Is not individuals thai
they should fight, nor individual
corporations, but the principle
upon which corporate monopolies
are founded. The individuals com
posing such corporations are PROB
ably no worse, no more tyranical
than would be those who denouuce
them, were their places changed
Competition in the sphere of
bread and butter drives the honest
d ,or man to the wall aud makes a
Iyrant of the otherwise honest rich
man. This competition must have
bounds set to 1t, beyond which it
will be criminal to go. The aven-
ues to unlimited wealth. must, at a
set point in their development, re-
vert to national instead OF individ-
II i benefit.
And right here I would like to
ask u question:: Why is 1t that
those public necessities, in which
there is no money but which must
be supported by tax upon the
people, are under the control of
government, while all those that
are SO much public necessity that
both government and private par
ties are willing to aid, but at the
same time are, when set in motion,
sources of wealth, are IN the
hands of corporate bodies and the
results 20 into private pockets?
Why not give the people, through
their government, some of the pay
ing enterprises? This should be
done as u step toward checking the
power of monopolies,
l.. WAIsBRooKER.
Riverside, Jan. It'll, 1878.
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