The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-11-27
SAD PICTURES.
AN HONEST MAN TELLS WHAT HE
Has SEEN

Lulloi representative.
Thirty years ago this country delivered
| itself OF one of the most, till then, wither-
Ing bl1ghts ever chronicled in the records
OF civilized world; curse which tainted
and stained the name of Free America"
But 1t was erased; a million men re-
sponded to Lincoin's call for troops; a
million men left their homes and offered
their lives that the United States might
be preserved free nation. The best
blood of the land was freely given, that
the enslaved be liberated and have rights
among mankind. All, those were brave
and noble men who martyred themselves
on many CORY battlefield; and did they
all perish in that hard fought battle for
the oppressed? Are there none left to re-
| enlist in the cause of humanity, justice
| and God? Are there none to respond to
| the appeals of a people Burdened by in
| justice, the victims of Ubiquitous legisla
| ton; whose rights have been usurped ana
whose heritage has been wrenched from
| them?
| Authentic reports (statistics) show I'M
denlably that there never has been, in
| the history of any nation, such poverty,
! deprivation and ignorance as at the pres
ent time, and in this fair country of ours.
In 1893, 100000 mortgaged homes with
an average of $1,100 on every home.
"Ah," some will say, Extravaganza.
| They who say so are either liars or igno-
rant lackeys to plutocratic hellishness.
| In the year '93 l had occasion to travel
| through the Southern and Western states
and took particular notice of the circum-
| stances Of the laboring classes in general.
l was not surprised. l was filled with
| disgust and Indignation, that in the land
| had been taught to love, the country
| supposed to be the land of the free and
| the home of the brave that one should
| find such general ignorance and degrade
| ton. Words are inadequate with which
| to express the misery, woe, want and an
| guish that met my observation, when in
| the locality of the downtrodden laboring
| people.
| TO picture to the reader one of the many
| scenes which came under my observation,
l will relate an incident which happened
| in city in one of our central Southern
states. The night laid over in this city,
was to be celebrated by grand and select
banquet in honor of one of the noble(?)
| legislators who had Just returned from the
| place where he had been making laws for
| the people. With the intention of seeing
what could be seen, about eleven strolled
| up, just as the revelry was at it's height.
| And what revelry! What gorgeous dis
play of wealth display of robbery and
| blood. l stood enraptured with the flash
| of costly Cf the lives and sould of human
| beings can be called costly) gems and the
| sheen of silken draper;es. When my mind
was filled with the immensely of the af
| fair l started to return to my hotel, but
having seen one side of life (he wealthy,
indolent, hypocritical, thieving side), l
| wished to see the other; so l went down
| to that part of town which was called
low" by the numbering plutocracy l had
| just left, and then what a sight met my
| eyes! Now, indeed, are words unable to
portray the saddening scene. l passed,
| not by an open door, for there was none,
torn and dirty piece of cloth acting as
| such, and from within heard child cry
| ing; I stopped and listened: The little
one was saying: Mamma, mamma, can't
| l have something to eat?' and then an
| swered the mother in such pitiful,
mournful voice: mo, dear, there is only
| a cracker and crust and Yale must have
| it when he awakes. They would not pay
| papa and so you must starve. O God, my
| child, when will it all end?" Just then a
man dressed in rags and emac.ated in
| form came out of the alley and up to me
| and said: What business have you here,
| stranger, watching my house; you'd better
| clear OUT l told him what | had heard
| and that l would like to do something for
| his children. IF you mean what you
| say said he, "I'll ask you in to see us.
| l accepted his invitation and went in; a
| little bed, if it could be called such, stood
| in one corner, and in, or rather on it, for
| it was nothing but boards, was yale"
puny 5-year-old boy with pale and wiz
| zened face. Over here by her mother was
| the little one who had asked for food
| little 7-year-old girl, who tried in vain to
conceal the bare flesh with her scanty
| dress; and the mother; oh, my eyes fill
with tears when see again in fancy thaS
tired, wan and hollow face. She had the
| appearance of what once had been noble
| specimen of womanhood, but the eyes
| which once were kind and beaming are
| now sunken and dead and the form which
| before was erect and supple is now bent
with the burden of untold anguish. 1--we
| brought you a VISITOR said the man.
YES l said, II was passing and heard
| the little one crying for bread and could
not pass on. Would it be too much if
| offered to buy it some?" Sir" said she,
| the time has been when we were not
compelled to accept benefcence from
| strangers hands; but the adversely which
| has overtaken us, and my little one crying
| for bread, has made new being of me-
Yes, will take what you may give and
| God bless you for keeping death from our
door for few hours, for something may
| happen for the better"
learned they once had been prosperous
| farmers, but hard times and sickness of
| the husband had come; the farm had to
| be mortgaged to keep the wolf from the
| door; the same old story; the mortgage
was foreclosed, they were turned out, and
| then,-this.
This same tale of woe has been told
| Ger and Ger, time and again, and will no
| one take heed? -
! All, yes, there are some who hearken to
the cries of the young for bread; to the
walls of the mother for her children; to
| the beseechings Of the husband for work.
| Their hearts are touched and they have
| enlisted in the rank and file of right; may
God prosper and lead them to victory.
L..
| Lac qui Parle.
AN EARNEST LETTER.