The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-04-29
A TRUE PICTURE.

Looking For a Job-The Past and the Present
Editor Representatives:
1t seems to me that the perpetuity of our
form of government is slowly but surely
being undermined by the growth of that
incident slavish form of life which is ex-
emplified in the dependent man who is
"looking for a job. The independent spirit
Of a man is curbed (and often entirely
broken when he is in that pitiable condi-
ton, when he dare not say his soul is his
own for fear of getting the bounce 1t
is an unnatural condition of affairs which
make men think that they must look to
some one else for a chance to earn liv-
ing.
In the early days of our country the
great majority of men worked for them
selves and the proportion of such workers
ought to have increased insteaG OF dlmln-
fishing as the years rolled by. In the days
of small farms small coopershops, small
mills small factories, small grocery stores,
and no monopolies, we heard of no tramps,
no warehouses, no millionaires. no high
salaried offices, and no professional politi-
clan. In those days people seem to have
been contented with what ever they had
and were not vieing with each other TO
see which sould put on the most style,
spend the most money, make the biggest
fool Of himself. But with the advent of
machinery. railroads and electricity things
began to change for the worse, so far as
the poor working man was concerned.
Long headed, smart business men took
advantage of the ignorant or poor man in
every shape possible. Patent devices were
secured for almost nothing and by the aid
OF the labor saving machines the fortu-
nate owners were enabled to flood the
market with a superior article for less
price than could be made by hand, as a re-
suit little concerns CLOSED up and the
large institutions grew hundred fold. In
the hands of the few manufacturers the
invested capital multiplied at wonderful
rate. Then by controlling transportation
markets were controlled and the manufac-
turer had the world in his hand. The
time benefited himself by leaving the
only thing he feared was foreign competi-
ton and this he ingeniously headed Off
by the high tariff wall, and at the same
time benefited himself by leaving the
gates for unrestricted immigration wide
open. Cheap foreign labor rushed into the
mills, shops and factories and onto the
farms and the proud American was left out
in the cold.
Hunger nakedness and cries of wife and
little ones StartleS him nearly out of his
wits. and while he is trying to study out
what is the matter" he rushes around
like mad. hunting for job, only to find
that at each opening ten other men have
been there ahead of him. This lively COM
petition for work has forced wages down,
down. and still down, and no one but the
man who works for the public gets an in
crease. Result, office seekers galore,
tramps by the thousand and home owners
fast joining the ranks of renters; all of
which forebodes evil for our country.
What is the remedy?" is asked / an
swer government ownership of the rail-
roads, telegraph and banking systems.
Encourage home owners by exempting
their homestead dwellings to the amount
Of $1,000, and their personal property to
the amount of $500, from all taxes and
executions; assess property at it's actual
value Cut down all public salaries to
level with salaries paid for like services by
private parties. Teach men to work for
themselves and to depend on no one else
be independent in politics; vote for men
and means; place country above party
and last, but not least, kill all forms of
monopoly by graduated tax system.
No man ought to be worth million dol
lars, and no tramp ought to exist. The flu
ture of our government depends upon the
great middle classes which are neither
rich nor poor. Labor saving machinery
IL q blessing, but few men ought not to
be allowed to hog" 1t all.
r Mahpn