The Labor enquirer., 1884-04-19
THAT BOY AGAIN.

THAT BOY AGAIN.
The readers of this paper are prob
ably aware that short time ago a
petition was presented to congress
asking that an appropriation of
100000 be made for the purpose of
enabling 1000 of thepoor families in the
vicinity of Pittsburg to come west and
establish themselves as farmers, thus, to
some extent, relieving the over-crowded
labor market of that locality. Well, 1
have no wish to now discuss the petit
tion-there are good and bad features in
it-but my attention has been called to
an article upon the subject which sp-
peared IN a recent issue of the Daily
Tribune. So foolish is that article, and
such fair sample of what the average
capitalistic editor knows of the labor
problem and what is due the laborer,
that l cannot let it pass without few
thoughts.
After an Introductory laudatory of the
workingmen, and a rhapsody upon the
benefits of their being independent and
comfortable the editor of the Tribune
upsets the whole purpose of the petition
by declaring that "the seeds of manifold
evil are contained in this proposition."'
He says that the people have no right to
look to the government to advance their
personal welfare. How is it then that
railroad builders have been helped to
billions of the governments resources? ?
If the government is not to advance the
welfare of its people, in Gods name
what do we want with it2
The article speaks of the matter in
question as if compliance with the
request of the petitioners would be an
act of charity. 1--WE have discovered
that direct charity is almost invariably
harmful" it says. The workingmeD of
the last twenty years have had no op-
portunlty to experiment with charity.
If there had been justice in the admins
tration of affairs there would be no
chance for thin-blooded chumps like the
editor Of the Tribune to talk about
charity.
But the most brilliant portion of the
article is that part wherein the working
men are advised how to get out of the
starvation slave-pens and become thrifty
and well-to-do proprietors. After sug-
gesting that the 1000 workingmen save
their earnings for short time and then
buy and equip the farms themselves, a
momentary streak of sanity seems to
fash across the brain of the editor, and
he says:
Or, if the iron industries cannot, COM
patibly with their own dividends, pay
them enough more than starvation
wages to make possible any savings, if
they could be encouraged to borrow the
necessary means of some Of the wealthy
stockholders, who are always ready to
privilege of making annual return pay
| IhSuIS dI lOh idUO vi lnGOICoV kody
per cent then we could regard the
proceeding as only likely to result chiefly
in good.
Is it necessary to dwell upon that
paragraph? l think not. 1T is hard to
believe that man out of the lunatic
asylum could have written such ridicu-
lous nonsense Just think of "the
wealthy stockholders who are always
ready to lend helping hand for the eIe-
vation of the workingman." White
elephants and tattooed women pale into
nothingness compared with the curiosity
of such wealthy stockholder," to say
nothing of the beauties of paying "Say
7 per cent interest"
The writer of the article in the Trib-
une don't know anything of the hand
to-mouth condition of the workingmen
of this country, or of the small soul, of
the wealthy stockholder," or of the
) devastating power of interest, or he is try
ing to be funny.
Crafts without compass should keep
close to shore, and the Tribune manage
ment ought to compel the brainless boy
who slobbers over its editorial columns
to lay close until the spring crop of fish
arrives.