The Labor enquirer., 1885-04-18
.THErRanP,S DREAH.
By caro-.

tt-s.lgI-- -itE q @ II
---S..s By caro-.
(Continued.)
Tor the Enquita.
Here, thought 4 ,as I approached the
country where had been assured dwell
the people who we're the most free. On.
Hghtened and progressive of any or
earth hero / shall surely find liberty
justice and high state of civilization tr
exist. Here where the will of the people
is the supreme law, where all have liberty
to choose their occupations. where learn.
ing is free to all, and where the arts and
sciences are foeteled, Il shall 6nd peace
full happy and prospefon natiou Vsir
hopel You shall hear how / vas dissp
4 spproeched the countrv from the
cad. and e. = drev near to the land ]
saw before me vast number Of build
inRs of different shapes and sizes. Some
of them were crowned with tall spires
and boasted considerable architecture
beauty; others were less high, but large
and massive; others again were still.
smaller, and great number were mere
novels. The roads. between these ,edi-
fees were exceedingly narrow, and
many of the buildings were Of such 9
height that the rays of The sun could moi
penetrate to the ground. Some of these
roads, or streets. were wider than others
however, and q few trees were scattered
here and there As 1 passed over the
city-for such I found it to bel soon
discovered that the streets which
we're the widest, clearest and best
kept were the ones where the most ele.
CANT buildings were erected. and that
the narrow and filthy streets were con-
spicuous for the dilapidated looking
buildings, manv of them of considerable
height but old, dirty, and apparently
neglected also discovered that these
latter buildings were crowded almost to
suffocstion with people of all ages and
both sexes; and that, on account ot
their being. so crowded together, there
was . great prevalence of disease, and
manv deaths occurring in those quar-,
ters while the streets that were better
kept, and where the finer buildings
were located, !. were not 80 crowded
many of theF largest and handsomest
containing but two or three persons
though there was simple roc N for ten
times the number This puzzled me ex.
ceedingly at first. TF 5 ts@ ID
why, thought I to myself, do not the
people who herd together in such dirty,
dilapidated, structures, inbabit those
hand some houses, where there is an
abundance of room, and where the sur
roundines are better and more conducive
to health and morality 2. Another thing
that filled me with amazement was the
fact that the buildings which were go
crowded we're almost destitute of furni.
ture, while those of the better sort were
conspicuous for the elegance of their ap.
pointments and Surroundings for | no
ticed that there We're large warehouses
filled with every luxury. and | could moi
understand whv the people who were sc
destitute did not help themselves tc
these goods. Again, 1 noticed that the
people who dwelt in the poorer places
were very meanly dressed, though there
seemed to be an ;abund ance of fine
raiment In the store houses, and those
who were more favorablv sitnated were
dressed finely, and manv, of them in
verv costly attire. could not account
for this strange condition of affairs until
had been in the country for some time
and had learned something of the ma
ture of the customs and habits Of the
peonle.
at seems that in nearly every coun-
try on earth the rule of private property
~ tasr nd fhof hf1u M
anv kind of propertv. Even the land
and the raw materials of the earth are
held as private property, and NAV be har
tered in the SINE way as ANYTHING else
This buving and selling is called com
merce' or trade and is most compli
Gated and curious custom. 1t is moi
claimed, I believe. that anv man made
the earth, or anv portion of it or its nrod
ucts, or even that anv one can produce
entirely unaided, a single thing; and yet
this buving and selling goes on inces
sanity, and those who are not able to
purchase q portion, of the earth must, o
course, exist simply and solely bv the
tnleran ce of those who do own it. II
takes a great deal of mnnev-as thew
call their medium of exrhange-to pur.
chase even foot of land in large CITY
though before the city was built land
might have been had for almost nothing
Tins, If a man should purchase a piece
ofland. and should hold on to it, and 6
great citv should spring up around him
he would not have tndo single stroke Of
work of any kind, and vet. from the fact
of many people coming in and settling
near him. his land would increase to ar
enormous value. and he would become
verv rich. Many of the wealthy people
in America, as well as in other countries
have become rich through this process
and these are privileged beings on earth
holding themselves alooffrom the masses
whom they look upon with great disdain
Thev are not compelled to do anv kind
of labor, and indeed regard labor as de
grading, vet they eniov all the wealth
which others create. besides holding al
the remunerative Offices, and being tht
recipients of all the honors. These
drnnes compel those who we're not 81
fortunate as to secure a piece of land to
work for them, while they dole out tt
their employees miserable pittance il
the shape of wages, which is generally
barely sufficient to keen the poor miser
able creatures alive. This I found to he
the cause Of the many living in hovel'
and damp cellars, and crowded buildings
while few rioted in luxury upon the
better streets and avenues.
"The poor people who live as I have
already told you. merely by the suffer
ance of the wealthy, endure the mos
awful privations at times, and alth ougt
they comprise seven-tenths of the entire
number of inhabitants, they seem to b.