The times., 1891-04-17
CITY sTONEYARD.


In The TIMES of March 9th, notice an
article headed "Stoneyard." The writer,
Mr.. Stanley +. Parkill claims that he is an
nOyed very much by men coming to his
store asking for information as 10 where
they can get work to earn something to live
upon, and he proposes a ''stoneyard" pro-
yided by the city, and these men given
work breaking stone to build roads in the
city. This is, no doubt a philanthropic
scheme and better than starvation. No
doubt Mr.. Parkill would enjoy himself
standing one side and viewing two or three
hundred of his fellow men, whose circum-
stances have been less favorable than his.
swinging heavy sledge hammers, breaking
stone to build roads for him to enjoy when
out for ride, and receiving $1.O0 per day
from the city for it. This, he says, would
be source of pleasure and pride to us.
Then, he says, there would be no excuse for
this lazy and criminal class and they would
give us wide berth. Now this is no doubt
a noble idea and philanthrOpic scheme to
furnish labor to the thousands of the unem-
plOyed of this country, even at $1.00 per
day until something better can be done.
For my part l would rather see men like
Mr.. Parkill reasoning from effect back to
cause, and trying to learn the cause that so
many men are annoying him by asking for
work at his store and trying to remove the
causes for as long as the causes remain, the
annoyance must remain. 1t Is estimated by
good scientists that nature has supplied
enough In these United States alone to sup
port five hundred million people. We haye
but little more than one half of one hun
dred million yet, and hundreds of thousands
of them are going about seeking work and
annoying such men as Mr.. Parkill. Now
the fact is, the whole system of tilling the
soil and manufacturing of all kinds of
goods has been radically changed in the
last quarter of a century. The introduction
and perfecting of machinery together with
railroads have- made oit possible for few
men to monOpolize not only the business of
this country, but the earth as well. Time
was, when the manufacturing was done
principally in each locality. Every town
cabinet makers, and all kinds of goods were
made at home. The women could take the
wool from the sleeps back and make it into
clothing or the hemp from the field and
work 1t into cloth, and people lived close to
nature. Now the people have lost that art,
the whole being done in large factories by
gigantic machinery, and the whole people
are dependent upon the transpOrters for
their existence. The railroads have become
an actual necessity to the very life of the
people. To stop railroad would paralyze
q community as quickly as to stop the
blood flow in mans body would paralyze
him and the people are living at the will of
few r. r. magnates, who have it in their
power to exact all above bare living of the
surplus product of the industrial classes.
To these rail road corporations has been
given millions of acres of our public do
main, the peoples natural heritage. And
to English syndicates and others has been
sold i'm large tracts millions more of acres of
Gods free gift to his children, until now
there is no chance for men to 60 to natures
supplies for their support. All of natures
supplies, the land, mine and fisheries are
all so monopOlized that hundreds of thous-
ands of Gods children, (whom he has sup
piled an abundance could they be protected
in their natural rights must crawl on their
hands and knees up to some plutOcrat and
beg for chance to work and to live and il
this thing continues few years longer, Mr..
Parkill will have more stone breakers than
he will know what to do with. The fact is,
our political economy and society make con-
diti0ns that force men to idleness and crime,
and to remove the cause of this annoyance
we must formulate government that will
protect the people in their natural right,
restore to them their natural heritage, that
has been unjustly taken from them and
given to few, stop unjust taxation and
monopOles of all kinds, and make it pos
sible for men to get their living from ma
ture's supplies. These men are not tramps
or beggars from choice, it is condition
forced upon them, and the only way to re-
move this great annoyance, Is to remove the
cause. 1t is far better to study and remove
the cause that makes tramps and criminals
than to build pauper houses and prisons or
stone yards to cOnfne them in. Our political
economy has not kept pace with the times,
but there is good prospect of great refor-
nation in our political economy and social
relations, and l hope the time is coming
when the cause of this great annoyance will
be removed. Fellow citizens, let us awake
to the real situation while the country can
yet be saved by the ballot, and avert the
necessity of using the bullet. PC. N.