The herald., 1894-03-25

The Industrial Army.
EpIToRs HERALD Perhaps no news.
Eaper on this coast has 60 unstintedly
opened its columns to the progressive
thinkers, on politics and kindred sub
jects, as yours, and take the liberty to
express my views on the question of the
unemployed. The mud sills," the
common herd" the "voting CATTLE"
as some hair-brained cynics have termed
in derision, are numerous beyond de-
mand and may be considered in the
gibberish OF haberdashers "a drug on the
market" How to employ these willing
hands and give them access to the sub.
stance of life without infringing upon
the rights Of the taxpaying public is the
great pnzzling question of the hour.
Suggestions of various kinds have been
pouted out In vain. The keen-ecented
contractor, the ward politician and the
ubiquitous peace officer cannot for one
moment remove their eagle gaze off the
industrial tatterdemallions ae they pace
to and fro in their vain search for q
master The superfcially minded whose
lives have been engrosaed in the ''catch-
penny" line are almost at their wits
end trying to probe to the seat OF this
economic dieease. To still further move
the quietude of these votaries OF conven-
tionalism. the great unwashed" have
formed themselves into an industrial
army. Dreadful menace this Men
brought together by common bond of
sympathy, do they not usually organize,
pray2
Ia not the poverty of these toilers
largely traceable to their ignorance and
credulity2 And what better antidote to
this than organization, combined with
education? "They must be broken
upP" shouts human rodent. "because
we don't like to see lot of hungry men
parRding the streets; it hurts our Sc
curity." Can anybody fathom the pos
Hibilities hidden within the Drawn and
brain OF these despised yeomanry2 1t
is not exaggeration to say that ii they
had free access to the raw materials that
20 into the composition and construc-
tion Of cities, they could duplicate any
''center OF civilization" extsnt. Why
they are poor lies partly in the fact that
they have built ND permanent incomes
for others, while they themselves have
received in return only temporary gain.
IL not the franchise and construction OF
every public utility denomination of
this fact? The inventive genius of this
country has also played heavy role in
the economic world. The traction plow,
the cotton picker, the steam shovel, and
10000 other automatic devices have eup-
planted and are supplanting from day to
day hundreds of thousands of human
machines; and as long as they are con-
tIolled by private interests the ''public"
cannot be much the gamer. II the
products that enter into food, clothing
and shelter are cheapened 20 the lowest
degree by labor-saving machinery, what
benefit is that to the people whose pur-
chasing power is cut off by enforced
idlenese2
Mckinley struts up and down his state
like hali-f1edged peacock and tries to
make working men believe that their
destiny rests in his tariff bill. What ar
rant noneeusel Then the silver pur-
chasing act was considered by some
tbick-witted gentlemen the source of
our great panic and they demolished it.
The fact of the matter is, the idle
millions cannot expect anything in the
shape Of permanent relief from the
present order OF things. Trusts and
combines are teachingus us more economic
Truth than any other factor in educa-
tion. The extension Of this principle of
association, only, can solve the problem
of the unemployed. How TO adopt this
idea would not be difficult if we had not
80 many huge walls OF prejudice to
throw down. Ii the present adminis-
tration feels an interest in the idle work.
men who are focking to Washington, no
doubt it will at once isaue several mil
lion dollars to the respective states on
non-interest bearing bonds for the pur-
pose of developing the public domain.
This. if carried to it's logical conclusion
will eventuste in permanent associated
effort and participation in the aggregate
blessinRa of science and invention. In
the meantime the unemployed may
hover between life and death, but
neither free trade, nor, tariff. nor any
other makeshift policy can possibly
overcome the economic facts but briefly
outlined. ]. r. ARMSTRONG.