The Labor enquirer., 1884-03-08
SWEET HOME.
A Land Full of Homes is a Land
Full of Patriots and
Peace.
The Poor Man Has Nothing But
Toll, and is Without a
Hope.
Workers and Idlers.


As an effective illustration of the inju-
rious effects which the principle OF
money earning money will have upon a
country, let us look at the result in the
United States of investments of foreign
ers in our lands and securities. 1t is a
most alarming fact that we send to Eu-
rope, and chiefly to England, every year
SSOO,O00,0o0 in money and produce more
than we receiyel
What does it mean? 1t means that
that amount is paid yearly as rent. inter-
est and dividends on foreign capital by
the producers of this country! And it
: is not money that is paid. Its paid in
the Drawn of our farmers, and at the ex.
pense Of the fertility of our soil for it is
paid in grain and meat and cotton which
our farmers have labored to produce.
A man who ships cargo of wheat or
meat to England draws draft on En-
gland, which bank here gives him the
money for. A man who, as the agent of
English capitalists, wishes to make re-
mittance to England of moneys received
as rents, interest or dividends, goes to a
bank here, paws in his money and gets
draft on England. The money staYs
here, while the two drafts meet in En-
gland, and balance each other, as far as
their amounts may agree and no money
comes bac to pay us for the produce
That is England's tribute
Suppose, by fortune Of war, we should
be compelled to pay yearly tribute to
England of $300,0O0,OOO; and that sum
had to be raised ny taxation, in addition
to the ordinary taxes. How deeply and
painfully we would feel the burden |,
What grieyo1s wrong it would seem to
be And yet we are carrying that bur
den to-day. 1t has beerimposed stealth
lily but we are carrying it and paying it.
And why? Because we permit money
to earn money.
England gets her living in that way
now. Her manufactures have made her
immensely rich /; and she Is now the
banker of the world. If poor man
here wants to buy home, he must bid
against the English as well as the Amer
lean capitalist. The poor man wants it
for home. The capitalists want it to
rent; SO that the occupant, even though
he be free born American citizen, must
work one-fourth of his time as their
slave, to support them. No wonder the
poor cannot get homes. No wonder
real estate is too high for them.
The English and eastern capitalists
are fastening their fangs upon our west
ern territory. Why? Because they
know the American people will need to
use it some day to supply themselves
with food and then the capitalist will
collect his tribute-for how long? Alas a!
forever. Once he gets it, he never let's
60. 1t is from that time forth slave soil
The man who tills 1t is not a free man.
He is a tribute payer. He is man with
out a home. ~
Home! How sweet the name! The
theme of poets, the guardian of youth,
the memory and hope of manhood, the
realization of reward and industry, and
the comfort and solace of old age
Home The creator and inspirer Of
patriots Aland full of homes is land
full of patriots and peace. A land full of
landlords and tenants is a'land of dis
content and treason. :
In Europe, and especially in England,
the producers are homeless, as a class.
In this country, the homes are being
seized upon by the rich. Whenever, by
failure to pay a mortgage, or by misfor-
tune of any kind, home owner loses
his property, the rich will get it, because
they will pay more. for it than a poor
man can. And there is one home less
And this is going on, and will 60 on, hll
no poor man or producer in this country
will know what the word "home" means;
till there will not be workingman in
all this broad land who will own the
roof he sleeps under.
1t is time to call halt, and to consider
whether the we'll being and the very ex-
istence of our free institutions do not re-
quire such a change in our laws as will
prevent the destruction of our homes
and preserve the liberty of our citizens
XIV.
The poYerty-striken condition of the
poor has been charged to their extraya'
gance. A most astounding proposition
Has not one man as much right to be ex
trav agant with what he earns as another
The poor man, with nothing but toll fol
the day and nothing but toll for the NOR
row-no hope to-day, no hope for to
morrow who earns a few dimes and
spends one of them for a drink or a few
pipes of tobacco, is charged with extrav.
agance; and reminded that if, for the las
thirty years or so, he had saved thai
dime day, he would have beeen able tt
buy, the Lord knows what My God
Is no one extravagant but the poor
Are not there people who are extrava
CANT with money they have not earned
And are they not extravagant with the
very money these poor. people have
earned {?
Human beings must have relaxation