The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-05-04
Alice r. MHlene.l

FOR Justice
overbred, restless civilization is troubled.
Millions of intelligent men and women
are asking what is the matter, and, what
ever is the matter, whether it cannot be
| cured. Other millions OF intelligent men
and women have begun to make answer
to this question. These intelligent
people assert that our modern civ
ilization with its profession and prac-
tice at sword points is tryingto live lie.
| They claim that the strange unrest which
has taken possession of men and women
IN all stations of life is due to the tact that
In this hurrylng, hustling, elDOwing age,
rank injustice and the growth OF hideous
wrongs have SO far Outstripped the blind
goddess in the race for right that justice
has become almost an unknown quantity.
They point to the grotesque spectacle of q
civilization on whose lips are the ethics of
humanity and whose working scheme is a
struggle for existence between man and
man deadlier than the feuds of savagery-
a scheme OF society in which morality and
the market nave agreed not to interfere
with each other.
Civilization promised the toiling masses
of humanity the lifting of its weary bur
dens. 1t promised liberty, equality, pros
perity. American civilization promised
most OF all. Its lips were roses. Its
words were Equal rights for all, special
privilege to none" The promise has not
been fulfilled Something is wrong.
The nited States. a country whose pro-
ducts will nourish a billion of men, whose
machinery viii! supply Che planet-with
scarce 65,0O0000 on its soil-has to-
day 100000 men tramping the streets
of our cities and the highways Of the land
begging for the privilege to earn their
bread
DO Not Three Millions of Idle Men
Asking for work in land whose products
would soften the poverty of the world and
feed the hunger of savage and civilized
men present a spectacle to dscredit the
intelligence of any epoch of history? Is
not this civilization with vengeance?
At a meeting OF the New York City
republican business mems association
held March 20, 1889, q resolution was
adopted to appoint committee to inves-
tigate the cause OF the great number of
men being unemployed. The preamble to
this resolution sets forth the fact that
there were more than 100000 men un-
employed in our union. But, saws some
one, let them 20 West. Western lands
are owned by railroad corporations and
foreigners who will not sell without large
profits.
There are about sixty-five million peo-
pie in this country, an annual volume of
produce amounting to 100000, 100000, a
billion dollar congress, and only S2,0S2,-
0O0,06S 10 DO the business of this; 81 900
men owning over One-hali of all its great
wealth, while the balance, of laboring
classes, are encountered with 100000
mortgages on their homes Ten men in
the city of New York have a larger in
come than all the farmers of that state
combined.
Foreign syndicates have been permitted
10 invest in our best industries, and now
hold our mills. bTeweries and railroads
besides large portion of the mortgages
on the homes of the people, many of which
will eventually fall to them by foreclosure
sales, while they already own about
seventy million acres, a large portion OF
which was obtained bv mortgage sales.
Railroads have been granted over two
hundred million acres.
There are over three million women
and children working at starvation wages
in the United States. Thousands of chill
dren under fourteen years OF age working
ten 10 twelve hours a day ia the mills
where the men should be, women and
children working fourteen TO fifteen hours
in their novels under the sweating system
Parents being compelled by force of cir
cumstances 10 submit TO these cruelties to
their children as the only alternative
against starvation.
There are 100000 miners in this country.
representing population of 100000
people, many of whom never know what
II is to have enough, OF even the neces-
sites OF life. One of them recently re-
marked to inquiring friends, to the ques-
ton of his ability of providing for himself
and family with his wages: lord bless
you, we do not always eat when we are
hungry, but we simply tighten our belts a
little" Yet we hear from the people who
are in love with the present order of
things. that there is no cause for complaint,
and when they are told OF the simple fact
that there is a disordered arrangement in
our national economy, they call their in
formants cranks and calamity bearers.
1 would ask why has the doctrine of
equal rights failed to soften the Inequality
OF conditions between men? With creed
of human brotherhood on its lips why
does our civilization deepen the gulf be-
tween classes? The moneyless working
man and the crafty millionaire side by
side i'm the gates of the twentieth century.
How came they here together? Has the
race between them been an honest one2
POLITICAL Privilege Has Failed
to solve the problem. Equal rights have
not saved equal chances for men. Ameri-
can liberty has not proven itself the best
wisdom of time. The magic exhilaration
of throwing a ballot is lost on an empty
stomach. Equal rights pail on the fancy
of citizen uncertain of a square meal.
The vote is no longer the symbol of
American equality. The moneyless man
and the millionaire do not make an eaua-
ton on election days. The vote of the
owner OF millions may be multiplied TO a
hundred or a thousand. The sense of
American equality has a sickly hue. The
Fourth OF July orator no longer steps
nimbly to the front Something is the
matter. He hardly knows what 1t
has dawned upon his exuberant spir-
its that things are not as thew
should be. He has heard OF an election
in CALIFORNIA; million OF dollars elopinV
with thimbleful OF brains and becoming
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