The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-02-21

lessons to put man in a question
ing mood Then he can hear the local
oracles attempt to answer them. The
answers cannot fail to start new
trains of thought, which in turn sug
gest other questions. A prominent
lecturer on economics recently said:
"Throw away the books and
think" His advice would apply to
many books and papers, for it is a
waste of time to read them and a
confusion of ideas is the result.
What he really meant was, read just
enough of standard works to put
you on the right track, and then
think out the questions for yourself.
You won't always be right. But the
mistakes you make are a valuable
portion of the knowledge that you
want.
Different people OF course have
each their favorite style of literature,
but just for illustration, take Henry
Georges "Social Problems" It's as
interesting as novel. There are no
hard names or confusing terms in it.
Yet venture to say that the man
or woman who has thoroughly read
the work-not skinned over it, mind
can ask more hard questions and
do more independent thinking than
will be at all comfortable for the sell
constituted advisers who tell us ':all
is well, just be patient, good people,"
Questions OF vital interest to you
will come up for discussion during
the year 1890 Some of them can
not be carefully worked out at the
time because you will be too busy,
trying to pay off that mortgage and
getting the necessaries Of life for
yourself and those dependent upon
you. Why isn't this a good time
to decide about some of the things
that you want? Isn't this good
time to find out why working people
belong to unions, assemblies or al
liances? What the history of such
organizations is, and if belonging to
one would benefit you any? Isn't
this a good time to find out whether
all men really are born free and equal,
as the declaration of independence
says? You can't help coming to the
conclusion that about seven-eighths
OF the people-yourself included-are
in more or less deplorable condi-
ton OF industrial slavery. While the
remaining one-eighth have more Gree
dom" to amass wealth and dispose
of the destinies OF people dependent
on them than ever had any class of
plutocrats since civilization had a
history. When you come to think
about the equality, somebody will
tell you that your son has as good a
chance to be president of the United
States as any other mans son. But
when you compare his opportunities
with those of the wealthy mans sons
it will look a good deal like starting
the bows in a race. where one could
ride on a locomotive and the other
must walk-then telling them that
their opportunities for reaching the
goal at the same time were exactly
equal. So it is all along the line of
economic thought.
Isn't this a good time to decide
whether the ballot is a means of free
dom for you? Ii not, isn't there some
thing wrong in the way you have
been using it all these years. 1t GER
tainly looks as if you had been using
your suffrage-right for anything un-
der the sun except improving your
own condition.
In short, let's do some hard think
ing now and some decisive action
when the proper time comes.
EVA MCDONALD.
Miss MCDONALD:
The new political economy must
embrace a hope for a new future Do
you suppose that new future will re-
move the everlasting fight which has
been going on for ages between cap.
ital and labor? Or-will it make la
Dor "boss of the situation" and cap
ital the necessary slaves Is there
any way conceivable by which the
capital of the country can be made
the subject of the laborer? Is it
really necessary that there should be
gaiddle men to handle our goods and
sell us manufactures? Suppose one
IL. ~xo1,,o IS Jc 80 -.