Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-05-08
THE HARD TIMES.

he f1AND 11MEO.
Hard times is an affection as old as the
world, says A. E. Gregory in Twentieth Cen
tury The restitution of the many when the
pinch comes has been expressed in every Ian
guage for not one of all the civilized races of
men has been able to escape the visitation of
this plague. In no time in the past, however,
has the disruption of business carried such dis
tress and mental and physical suffering into so
many homes and into so many hearts as has the
wreck of business relations in the past five
years.
Notwithstanding that we are nearing the
close of century remarkable for the invention
Of devices to produce and manufacture every
thing that tends to relieve the burdens and sup
ply the wants of mankind, the hardships and
misfortunes and suferings of men and women
multiply instead of decrease. In spite of the
fact that to-day prices for nearly every COM
time, the masses are only able to buy barely
enough of them to sustain life. In spite of the
fact that this period is unparalleled in product
iveness and that the great storehouses OF the
world are fairly bursting with products OF the
soil and factory want is pictured in hldeous
form on the faces of men and women every
where, and, think of it, those who suffer most,
and who are hungry and weary and faint, and
who are experiencing the greatest want, are the
men and women by whose labors these ware.
houses have been filled.
Why these hard times, when, mountains of
plenty are fairly topping over upon us? This
is the important question, the living, burning
issue Of the present Every sane man and VIC
man who will take time to reflect can think it
out, and will know full we'll the cause.
1t is simply the failure of systems of
organized society and organized government
local. state and national, the world over. We
know that these systems nothing else but
colossal structures of human stupidity; fossil
customs that have no reason in them praci
cal benefits, and that we cling TO them with
fawning obedience and submission that borders
on lupacy, and for NO other reason than that
each generation Of children are taught in the
schools and home libraries to revere and respect
custom and the law, no matter how absurd the
custom or unjust and burdens onle the law.
result of unduly delegated authority by the peo-
pie to their officers or agents. In other words
the people, instead of attending to the business
Of governing themselves, have blindy turned it
over to agents, with authority to establish such
rules for their conduct the agents might
deem best. To make it still palmer, the people
of this country, up to this period, have thought
they have needed guardians to attend to their
persons and estqt' s. have seemed to think them
selves minors aud therefore not qualified to con-
troll their own actions or transact their OWL
business. The surrender Of this authority,
however, has not been vol untary in all countries.
The rpiess of some Of the governments have
used persuasives in tie way OF implements of
war to bring the people around ia the ianvic-
ton that it was best to allow agents to transact
their business for them; and, indeed, may we
not say, with much truth, that we of the United
States have reached time in history when
the surrender of this right to govern ourselves