Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-03-26
THE PRESENT SITUATION
Timely Words Of Counsel and
Werning by Sam p. Jones
The Conditions and Problems Now Con
fronting the Nation-Hore of Reform
alton Lies Only In the Individual
Consciences Of Map
. ICoPYRrcHr, 1901

Since the days we first began to feel
the depression which now rests upon us
like pail of death, 1t Is true that con-
ditions have arisen which have assumed
formida BILE shape, and, to say the least,
are ominous in character and burdened
with threatening dangers.
Volumes have been written, columns
OF space in the great dailies have been
devoted to the condition Of things,
every issue Of our high-class magazines
and periodicals have contained essays
and editorials written by men Of recog-
nized authority and ability upon the
great issues in question. Some seem to
treat the subject from scientihc stand
point, advancing theories that are
vague, abstract and impracticable.
Others simply put on and display their
literary talents by describing the hor-
rors of what we already know. Others
go farther and venture the introduce
tion of economic systems designed to
melt away all our troubles and point us
toward the long-sought millennium.
Jugs of ink have been wasted and heads
unbalanced delving in the vagaries of
fancy along these lines. Scheme after
scheme has been evolved, and many of
them are SO worthless that their authors
are impracticable. Still the trouble
brews and the breach widens between
the two powerful forces of material
progress, capital and labor. The fact
Is, the people don't want any schemes
ut this time. They have been schemed
to death. That's one reason why we
arc in such bad shape. AS the old
darky put 1t: Its no use tryin' to save
nothin'; as soon as earns a dollar the
white man gets it."
1t Is not the purpose of this article to
go into a minute discussion of the qucs-
tion of industrial disturbances, ETC.
That field has been covered, but the
condition of things needs treatment of
some sort. There are things to be con-
sidered which every thinking man
should give heed to, for the aspect at
present is too serious and pressing to
admit of either squalid Indifference on
the one side or display of optimism on
the other. Nobody but fool is
now looking for substantial relief
towards the congress of the United
States. They seem to feel it to be
their duty as representatives of their
constituents at home to spend their
time running with Washington society,
and occasionally ranting upon the floors
of congress. Instead of enlisting their
honest, unsclfish efforts to lift the bur-
dens and removing ,he troublesome OBJ
stacles clogging the wheels of our prog
ress, they seem to be engaged mostly in
dickering and quarreling, with one eye
constantly on their constituents at
home, and wondering If the dear peo-
pie are as proud of them as ever.
A crusade of reform must be insti-
tuted along another line and in 1if-
ferent avenue to meet the emergencies
of the present situation. Then what is
to be done? Some say: "Organize and
work together for a change of policy
and a change of administration" It's
just about that kind of thing that got
us in the mud. The party out Of power
will always cry: "Put us in, we are
the peoples true champions; we shall
do the square thing" and when once
in and their foothold gained, we find
we have swapped devil for a witch. !
verify believe that majority of the
: voters of America to-day are good men.
Whenever organization, shall be formed
with the good upon one side ana the
bad upon the other, then comes the
tug of war. Organization is all essen
tial in church or state. 1t is the or
ganized, concentrated force of reform
that moves mountains, overleaps diff
culties in the material and saves souls
in the moral world. The trouble is we
have turned this powerful agency we
call organization into an instrument of
evil instead of good. DR.. Parkhurst
gave us an old truth in q new form
when he said crowds have no con-
science. The great political parties
of this country with their millions of
an alligator. Anything to beat
Grant" Soon it will be: Anything to
beat Cleveland" And while the organ
lied parties of this country are in dead
ly combat, there is discomfort snoul-
dering In the breasts of the people,
which may soon be formed into q
vicious, blazing flame of open warfare.
This end has been hastened in the last
few months, and the last desperate
stroke, if unavcrted, will come with
sickening. deadly reality sooner than
we think. The wandering lsra-
elites for forty years were In
the wilderness suffering want and
fighting snakes, but afterwards reached
the Promised Land that flowed with
milk and honey. The destitution and
snakes of q wilderness land were not
nearly as hurtful to the material inter
ests of the Israelites as the frauds and
dishonest methods practiced by many
of our people, which give them unfair
advantage. This must DO checked and
restrained, If such an organization is to
spring up as win deliver us from the
leadership ending in ruin and disaster.
While the laboring classes are stricken
to-day, it is true that no class OF
American citizens are SO blind to
the condition of things as the
men OF wealth and influence seem to
be. They do not realize the direction
in which we are drifting; If they did
they would soon yield to the immediate
necessity of friendly terms to the
brawny toilers who have aided in build
ing up their wealth. and thereby show
them sufficient consideration to drive
from their hearts the bitter hatred
which expressions grim hand has en-
famed. The intolerant andty rannicai
zf xuf M