Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-12
SUBURBAN STRINGS.
JOSLIN,

VIZ "AoAiAO DloWho piuycu tuc yuma
Grays on the Joslin grounds, and the
Grays beat the Browns % to 9. On
Friday next the Yuma boys meet
the Albany nine at Cordova.
Mrs. Tim Buckley, of Chicago. ar
rived at Joslin on Friday morning
last. She comes to attend to bust
ness and see to the renting Of her
farm.
Henry Toner. John O'Harrow,
William Moore and Mrs. John VAIN
wright left Joslin on Saturday morn
ing last for Pennsylvania. The three
former go to the Soldiers reunion.
Mrs. Wainwright goes to visit her
old home; it is p years since she left
it.
During the last season Hon. Will
liam Payne has been very successful
in the raising of water melons. He is
distributing them very freely among
his friends. Quite number were
carried into the mail train on Satur-
day morning last. We have been ia
vored with the receipt of two, and
we can testify as to their sweetness.
On Tuesday morning q somewhat
curious double accident occurred in
our vicinity. Charles Osborne's
team was hauling load of corn fod-
der and got scared, and becoming
fractions, upset the load in ditch,
the horses getting away with the
double-trees and ne K yoke. Mr..
and Mrs. w. c. Sheppard happened
to be few rods ahead, going to JOS
lin with their 1-horse covered buggy
When the horses approached Mr.. and
Mrs. Sheppard they separated, each
one taking one side of the buggy,a and
cover. overwhelming them omplete-
ly. Mrs. Sheppard was struck with
such force that she had to be carried
into the residence of Alexander Dun
bar. Mr.. Sheppard was disabled for
the time being and was badly
scratched. When MIR. Osborne's
horses got even with MIR. Sheppard's
horse they stopped. appearing as if
it was simply 3-horse team at
tached to buggy. 1t was fortunate
that there were no bones broken.
Mrs. Sheppard is now at her home
again, feeling very sore from the I'M
expected catastrophe.
The English reform bill was passed
in 1882. The ruling idea OF legisla-
ton before that time was protection.
Every one was protected. The land
lord and farmer were protected
against foreign carrier. The manu-
facturer was protected by heavy du-
ties on everything that foreigners
could ship to England. Everyone.
except the laborer, who had no voice
or standing in parliament. and who
had no friend to plead his cause. was
protected by some special legislation.
He was the common prey of all the
protected interests. He was the pro-
ducer of the wealth of the nation. but
none of the wealth which his labor
created was permitted to lodge in
his hands. Since 1882 the wicked
and foolish legislation which has been
enacted for 800 years, for the pur-
pose of keeping the bread winners 10
subsection to the protected classes.
HAS been gradually repealed and
more just and humane laws substi-
tuted in the place of the old. Much
remains for the future parliaments to
undo. but the history of legislation
has been steadily progressive. This
Is strong contrast to the tendency
of Legislation in America. where we
are spreading the old barbaric laws
of more than half century ago on
our statute books. At the time of
the adoption of the reform bill in
1882, the evils of pauperism had be-
come almost uncomfortable The cost
OF caring for the'paupers, which pro-
lection had created, reached the
enormous sum of nearly IS, 900, 900.
Nearly 100000. 900, with q popula-
ton of only about 22,00O, 600 There
were whole parishes were cultivation
OF the soil actually ceased and the
idlers were supported by taxation.
In many cases these paupers were
practically pensioners and their de-
scendants were in like manner sup
ported by the public rates. Pauper-
ism had become hereditary. Two
years after the reform bill had been
in force, wages had risen, the able
bodied paupers had found employ
ment and were self-supporting. The
rates had diminished 40 per cent.
There was gradually marked
change for the better in the habits Of
the working people. When Mr..
Gladstone and Mr.. Blaine had their
great controversy on protection and
free trade. the grand old man of Eng
land declared that free trade had
been the poor mans blessing. Mr..
Blaine did not dare to controvert the
great English statesman on this
point, nor did he give him an oppor-
tunity to sustain his position by ref
erence to the 500. years of barbaric
protective legislation. in contrast
with half century of free trade.
Mr.. Blaine cut short this valuable
discussion by admitting that this
might be true for English laborers;
this he would not question. Then
he took the remarkable position that
protection was the proper theory for
the United States on account of our
geographical position.