Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-01-23

oljred number have been secured Tor the
initiative movement for the appropriation OF
the railroads in Switzerand.-t Uncle Sam
AT the same time the soclallstlc
philosophers of Switzerland are not
sue that a more important scheme
than ''expropration of the railroads"
Is not too much of a failure to be kept
going.
1t is plan of Insurance Against
Lack of Employment''-based on the
notion that the individuals of a com
munity must share and share alike In
the rewards of industry; in other
words, all must be thrifty whether they
will be or not.
The result is an equality which pulls
down more than it lifts up, as will be
seen by quotation from DR.. ii. 5.
Veldman. an eminent labor economist.
He says
The ONLY serious drawback to its working
seems to be that in spite of Switzerlands
democratic institutions "one man is not as
good as another there. While the skilled
laborers, mechanics, etc, paid their contri-
buttons pretty regularly, were rarely out OF
work and did their best to obtain employ
ment if they were, the unskilled section were
sadly lacking in the sense of moral response
bility.
1t has been very difficult to collect the pre-
miums. Thousan ds of men did not pay the
full amount and many managed to elude
payment altogether. AS might be supposed,
the majority of persons assisted out of the
fund belonged to the class of ''unskilled'
laborers Yet these were the least willing to
contribute to the fund, and when idle they
did not realize that it was their duty to search
earnestly for employment, as the fund is to
be taxed in extreme cases only.
This is bad, but there are benef-
Charles Of the plan who, besides not pay
ing anything, worked two shares out
of the fund:
Some persons who were really i'll managed
to hide the fact in order to obtain assistance
from The fund in addition to their allowance
as patients.
And then DR.. Veldman says:
Much of the money, intended to relieve
legitimate wants of persons out of work and
their families found its way into the bottom
less till of the saloon-keeper
The article concludes as follows
The labor exchange and employment
bureau connected with this insurance did not
work very satisfactorily Only in isolated
cases did men who were in receipt ofpecuniary
assistance from the fund offer to go to work
In most cases they had to be called up when
a chance for employment was found. In
some cases the men who offered to do skilled
labor were found to be entirely unqualified
for the work. Very few of the men receiving
assistance were willing to accept employment
in neighboring parishes. They thought that
work was guaranteed to them in the town
where they resided.
The moral of this evidently honest
and thorough experiment is-that as
long as man is chuck full of human
nature, it is little use for any PROV
idence, human or even Divine, to help
him if he will not help himself.
"MInd Your Own Business
Man is prone to iniquity as the
sparks to fly upward" And if the
science or awkwal dness of extravaganza
be iniquity Uncle Sam is, of all mis-
sionaries of the impracticable, the
most unfortunate For instance, he
says:
The MINING JOURNAL of Frostburg. Mo-.
got quite indignant last week, and very
warmly intimated that it was none of my
business what the corporations do.
Probably, then, the JOURNAL was
mistaken.
If so, for the sake Of argument, let
us suppose it is Uncle .Sam's business
what the corporations do with their
own property.
Then let us suppose it is somebody
else's business to pry into Uncle SANS
business of nosing into the corpora
TONS business.
Let us keep this scheme of espionage
progressing degenerately- Uncle Sam a
flea, for instance, on the back of
corporation then on the flea one of
the family of invisible brutes known
as the genus ciceroni, and 50 on--would
not so much surveillance annoy more
than crafty L'ncle Sam' Would it not
impair his self-respect to be compelled
to look up to, not down upon the i'm
perceptible but beastly ciceroni9
But Uncle Sam is out of his element
as flea, spy, or reformer. Oversee
ing other peoples business, even in
law, is right of doubtful utility. AS
a law unto ones self it is unspeakably
offensive.
If it is a socialistic principle, then
socialism is poisoned at its fountain
bead.
But it is not sociaiistic. 1t is the
espionage which constitutes the genius
of despotism.
there and Here.
Big business boom in England.
Plenty of work, good wages, nobody
i1la aynant tbnCa Who ,p,,t 10