Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1894-08-24

Ignorance can no longer be urged as an
excuse for those who say Everybody
that wants work can get it, The ter
rible lessons Of the last year have at
least done that much I presume that
the man who wrote the "Song of the
Coxeys" despises himself most thor
oughly, knowing in hts heart of hearts
that he exhibits himself to all humane,
| Intelligent people as being either heart
less or a slave of the capitalistic sys-
tenn, trembling in his boots lest some-
body more witty or more servile will
succeed in crowding him out of job
into the ranks Of the unemployed. To
such depths of degradation have our
plutocratic laws driven us!
Looking the whole matter over, fol-
lowing to logical conclusion the senti-
ments Of the press and the action of our
| national government, am surprised
that the ''army Of tramps'' has not ere
this been disposed of. Why not get
large number of worthless vessels
some of those built with Millionaire
Carnegie's material might answer-load
|. them up with the wearers of the rag
ged coats,' take them out to sea, scut-
! tie the vessels and leave the tramps
there to work Or drown? A couple Of
millions might be disposed of in this
way and still leave enough so that when
some respectable manufacturer wants to
reduce wages he can tell his employees
that If they won't work for less there
are plenty who will.
CG coarse it would be an unpleasant
| job, but to such straits are men driven
by the hard times that probably good
pay would be sufficient to induce some
OF them to act as drownnen. And then,
too, they would have the consolation
OF putting a lot of wretches out of mis-
cry. To be drowned in few minutes
| is not so bad as to freeze and starve tor
months have read that at one time
in England Migrants were hung by the
dozens. We carefully copy England's
financial policy. Why not follow her
treatment of the products Of that policy?
! There is no hope Of anything better
for the poor. Each year their numbers
increase and their condition grows
worse At present 9 per cent Of the peo-
pie own II per cent of the wealth in
! this land of the free and home Of the
! brave. That is an awful fact.
If General Coxey had realized the
stuff our congress is made of, he would
not have appealed to what they have
not-justice, sense or humanity. Per-
haps if he had asked for a vessel in
which he and his army might go far
out and drown themselves, far enough
Tom the shore so that their corpses
would be sure not to come back and Pc
tition for burial, his request might have
been granted. The treatment he has re-
ceived in Washington reminds me Of the
answer given by King Rehoboam to the
congregation of Israel when they petit
toned him, saying, '"Thy father made
! ortr yoke heavy, but make thou it light
er unto us. - The king forsook the coun-
sci of the old men, who said, eff thou
wilt be a servant unto this people this day
| ind speak good words to them, then they
| will be thy servants forever But the
king forsook the counsel of the old men
and spoke according to the counsel Of
the young men, who told him to say:
my little finger shall be thicker than
my fathers loins. And now whereas
my father did lade you with heavy
yoke will add to your yoke. NV ia.
| ther hath chastised you with whips
but will chastise you with scorpions. 3"
And when all Israel saw that the
king hearkened not unto them the peo-
pie answered the king, saying: "What
portion have we in David? Neither
| have we inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, 0 Israel! Now see to
thine own house, David.'' What bit
ter, defiant cry that was! How many
times in the worlds history it has been
repeated! Who thought a hundred years
ago it would be heard in this country?
| But it has already begun, and it is ris-
ing higher and louder. General Coxey
and his men must be asking themselves
in soreness of heart, "What portion have
| we in this government which we had
believed was the people's?'' IT,.
When the Knights of Labor asked for
an injunction to restrain the secretary
Of the treasury from issuing bonds, they
were grievously insulted and told that
they did not represent property enough
to give them right to be heard in such
q matter. If that does not convince the
people that our government is plutoc-
racy, what would do it? Alas, alas,
my country Alas, alas, for the unem- 1
ployed! CELIA B. WHITEHEAD.
Westfeld, N. J.
a History Of Trades Unionism.