The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-05-24
ARE ALL WORKMEN
Prof. Hourwich Makes Statistical In
vestigation of the 'Wealers.
PURELY AMERICAN STAMP
IL II tho Unemployed Vorkmep who
Nave Turned Into the Ranks of
Tho Industrial Army.


ment through its persistence and deter
mination, and of the people generally II
every part of the country, but thu
student OF science and sociology hai
taken up this strange freak of the
poorer classes and is trying 10 find the
cause of its origin, the elements thai
constitute 1t and the purpose It has II
view.
Professor ]. A. Hourwicb, assisted BY
H. X. White, a research student in
statistics, and by number of students
in sociology, has made thorough and
systematic study of the sociological
features presented by the Randall COM
monwenl movement in Chicago. The
party visited the barracks OF this army
armed with spe clally prepared blanks
and examined nearly 400 recruits by
putting to them series of questions
for the purpose of eliciting all the in.
formation that could be obtained about
each individual
Summing up the result of the inves-
tIgation, Professor Hourwich said
in Russia 1t frequently happens
that the peasants of some remote vii
lage or group of villages, finding no
relief for their grievances with the
home authorities, send delegates to
bring petitions in boots to the seat of
the central government. The weary
walkers as they are called in Russia,
march thousands OF miles, very often
begging for Christ's sake That men
should come to the adoption of such
methods Of petitloping In America is a
phenomena SO extraordinary that 1t de-
serves study from other than the police
mans standpoint.
THE material we obtained from Ran
dall's army is instructive and reliable.
The general reader is prone to be
skeptital of statistical information sup
piled by Migrants, but his skeptism is
not we'll founded. AS matter OF fact,
when the statistician operates with the
same figures In sources of different
combinations, he cannot fall to discover
any mlstatements In his data.
Although we have found a preced-
ent in Russia, yet 1t must be admitted
that this commonweal movement bears
purely American stamp. Ont of the
200 men who answered as to their
nativity about one half were American
born citizens Among the other half
the British subjects--the English, the
Scotch, the Canadian and especially
the Irlsh-were the most conspicuous,
making, in all, two of the English
American-Irlsh race to one of the re-
naming world. One fact is thus safely
established, viz that that element of
the American population which gen
orally turns deaf ear to the propa-
ganda of the foreign socialist has
largely enlisted in the Coxey move
ment.
Neither can the so called political
cranks' claim leading part IN the
movement. 1t is true that the call was
made by populists who In their papers
advocated months ago the march to
Washington. But outside the few
populist states nobody ever read the
papers. In fact, out of 1913 men who
answered the question, "what ticket
have you voted last" only ten were
populists. The rest we're either demo
Gratis (elghty-elghD or republicans
(thirty nine) or did not vote at all for
various reasons (twenty-hve), and only
twenty-eight or eighteen per cent were
not naturalized
1--WE must say, then, at all events,
that this is citizens movement. Nor
has 1t altogether affected the loyalty
of the voter to his party. They used
to say In France, before the great revo-
luton, that when a Frenchman had a
headache he would say it was the fault
OF the government. In the same way
many commonweal voter would Law
the blame for an Industrial crisis at the
door of the democratic administration.
Still, once In while you meet men
who say they voted the democratic
ticket all their lives and always will.
as you meet others who will entertain
the same feelings with regard to the
republican party.
"The class of people who were
gathered in the barracks can best be
illustrated by the following figures;
Skilled mechanics, 81, as against "a
common laborers and seven small trad
ers and artisans who failed In business
in the hard times. Seventy trades
were represented In this self made dele
cation: Mechanics, 10; bakers, carmen.
tiers, cooks and miners, eight of each
trade; hrmen and moulders, seven 4
eachi bookkeepers, clerks, agents and
statesmen, six in all; engineers and
tailors, six of each butchers and steam
filters, five; stone-cutters, switchmen.
teamsters and drivers, four; boiler
makers, bricklayers, ironworker,.
painters, polishers, printers, telegraph
operators and walters, three of each;
brakemen, cabinet makers, coopers.
riviters, shoe makers, tanners, two, and
one Of each ofthe remaining two scores
oftrades, among them one graduate
drug clerk and one reporter.
''In every assemblage of men 1t is
not only the majority, but still more,