The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-05

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wholesale use Of corruption found in the
domain Of politics. The strongest house
in our Legislature is the third house.
the lobby. The first question put by the
picayune statesman on being requested
to vote for bill is, How much is it
may be plundered to almost any extent,
provided there is money enough to buy
up their representation. Another
menacing evil is the shocking
mis-rule in all large cities,
occasioned by the damRation of the sa-
looms. Gin-miu keepers are the leading
men in our municipal councils. The
average Alderman has a fiorid com
plexion, and the odor he carries about
him reminds one OF brewery wagon. A
boy in st. Louis defined demagogue as q
vessel that holds wine, whiskey or any
other Intoxicating beverage. The saloon
power has become so strong that many Of
our citizens have grown up in despair and
will not degrade themselves by attending
primary nor stultify themselves by 20.
ing through the farce of voting.
Another menacing evil is the central
ization of wealth IN the hands of few
great capitalists. The annual earnings
of four-hfths OF American families do not
average as much az $500 per annum while
the annual income of one hundred or
more OF our royal kings, railroad mag
mates and others is considerably over
81, 900, 900. The richest duke in the British
Empire, the Duke Of Westminster, who is
worth $4,000, 900, if thrown in the COM
pany of such American capitalists as
Vanderbilt, Gould or Rockefeller, would
find himself about fifty rungs below them
on the financial ladder. When Astor died
he left $50, ,000, ,00o These fortunes do NOT
dissipate at the death Of their owners.
IMMIGRATION TOO.
Another evil threatens us from Hhe
lower end Of society. and that is the
wholesale immigration of foreioners
II the working classes of America
are to enjoy their present standard
of compensation and maintain the
self-respect they have attained through
their aspiration and intelligence they
must not be forced to compete with the
pauper labor of Europe and Asia. There
was a time when immigration was bene-
6cial to America, but now since our agri-
cultural lands are taken I'D the tendency
is to reduce the wages of the working
classes. The time has come for us to se-
verely restrict or prohibit immigration.
Each country must look after Its own
poor. We can no longer afford to be the
asylum for the unfortunate, discontented
and oppressed belonging to all the coun-
tries of the globe. My doctrine is to turn
this stream into Africa, where there is ar
present need for it.
"The last evil of which desire to speak
is the appalling illiteracy In this United
States. AT least fifteen per cent. of the
male population now Of voting age can
not write their names. In each of the ten
larger States you will find ], ,OO0, 900 litter
ate voters. In six Of these States actually
one-half Of the entire population cannot
read or write. In Boston Won will
find over 5000 persons who If told
to write their names would be obliged to
make their mark. In New York City
t.<I1
not even enrolled in school In Chicago
only about forty three per cent. are en-
rolled and less than one-third are habitu-
ally in school. Taking the country as q
whole, out of q school population of 49,
600, 900, the average daily attendance is
only little over 100000. It's grand
thing to put flags upon our public schools
and to get patriotic spirit in our chill
dren, but better to put the children into
the schoolhouse and give their patriotism
a solid basis of intelligence.
According to the recent report of Mr..
Voorhees,, president of the Board OF Edu-
cation in this city, we need six new
schooihouses and caanet get them. Over
LOCO children knocked for admission last
year and were kept out, and many more
would not apply, knowing they could not
be admitted. If individual cities are too
poor to properly educate their
children, let Congress divide up that
surplus which seems TO be such a finan-
cial elephant on our hands and send it
pro rata to the several States to educate
the future citizens of America, who will
need far more wisdom than their fathers
to guide the ship of State The cele-
brated Guzot once asked James Russell
Lowell How long, think you, will your
republic endured? Lowell replied:-'As
long as the ideas of the men who founded
it continue to be dominant
ftT of TIc oil frsu fn -
principles Of our fathers, first by being
true men ourselves, then by casting the
full weight of our influence upon the
right side of every public question"