The Labor enquirer., 1885-03-07
LAB'ADIEs ] LESSONS.
They Were Learned Principally
in the School Of Every
Day Life.
Seine Are Sad and Contain Tales
Of Misery, Starvation and
Despair.
Others on the Seier,ce Of Government,
the Thing We're Bnrdened
With.

With.
PrtvAts Control Of Lan4l, Money and
Transportation laust bs Abolished,
ana the Rest Wli - Easy. S
For The Enquirer.
You ask me to write something for
your paper, that brave and inquisitive
paper of yours, but assure you / feel
tonight more like running amuck of
every opposition to the most radical
views that have ever been expressed on
the labor question than like arguing it
from an ethical standpoint. My social
surroundings af srch as to make me
feel bitter, very bitter, against the up
holders of the present monstrously un-
just system of distributing wealth. On
every hand l see my comrades walkthe
streets day after day looking for work,
and their familiesstarying to death. This
is no metaphorical figure, but an actu-
ality. Don't you believe it2 Let me
tell you some sad, sad tales. These tales
that come to me almost every day make
my heart leap to my throat and strongly
Impel me to urge the complete exter
nination of the rich and powerful
by any and every means that may
come within cur reach. But know that,
no matter how many rich and powerful
are killed, SO long as the social running
gear is all out of order just.so long will
we poor fools he crushed in the
machinery and no matter if they are
put out of the wav, the poor and weak
are not now ready, or capable OF estab-
.ishipa juster system, Economic edus
catioh must 60 on some time yet.
But must tell you: The other day
a couple of friends of mine in Detroit
vent to see a member Of the orderwhom
they heard was sick, land they found him
in sorry plight indeed. He is a painter
and a fair workman. He has been out of
work for months. He has a wife and
two or three children. When the yis-
itors entered the front room they found
nothing but the bare walls; everything
had been sold fof food and fuel. In the
next room they found the family hug
ging the stove, in which there were only
few Goals Of fire, and these were pushed
over to one side of the stove next to
which shivered poor little hunch
backed invalid girl, pale and thin. The
man stared at the visitors with eyes
bullying out of his head like two glass
balls, He did not know them, and he
uttered no Ineligible sound. Inquiry
revealed the fact that they had about a
quart of -four and half a. dozen potatoes
in the house that they bad had a meal
of victuals the day before, and were saw
ing the -four and potatoes for a meal on
the morrow. The wife is neat, retiring
woman, who every now and then earned
little money at washing but since her
husbands sickness she had been COM
pelled to stay al homo and watch him.
Starvation had dementated the man
A few days before he had started out of
the house ito go to the assembly meet
ing" as he said; with nothing on but his
stockings, drawers and oyercoat, and the
thermometer at about eight degrees
below zero. 1t was with some difficulty
they persuaded him to go back into the
house. One OF the visitors gave the
8 woman 81, and then got some coal and
built good fire and made things little
more comfortable. He then went to
the poor commissioners and related to
him the facts and urged that this case be
attended to Immediately. He was some
what astonished to learn that this was
notan exceptional case this winter The
poor commissioners Office was crowded
with big, able-podied men waiting for
charity. The next day this friend went
back to the painters and found that food
and fuel had produced quite change in
the whole family. The man was feeling
better and recognize those about him
and eonversed nationally; the wife was
busying herself about the house, and the
children looked brighter and smiling.
This familv's prospects in life are not Of
H =
the most encouraging. are they?
Here's another: A printer fractured
his hip and was, unable, of course, 10
work and earn a living. His family man.
aged somehow or other to get along SO
far as eatables were concerned, but they
were unable to pay their rent. A few
weeks ago the landlord called for bis
rent, and when he found he could not
collect it he grew SO angry that he picked
the man up of the bed and threw him
bodily out of doonb breaking his hip
over again, and he has lain in q critical
condition ever since.
And this is not all: A little girl not
long ago went to the door of a house in
Detroit, and when che folks went to the
door she said: my pa is dead.n She
was asked who her father was. She told
them. and asked whether somebody
would come ever to their house. The man
of the house went over there and, sure
enough, there lay the father dead. The
dead man was laid out, and, supposini
that was all that was wanted of him, the
neighbor went away. Five days after.