Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-08
Hnrd Work for n stnte.

From the New York Tribune.
The conception of the state as a milch
COW dies slowly, especially in Populistic
regions. Kansas is Just having an expert
ence Of giving down" in its public print
ing office. For some time typesetting ma
chimes nave been used there. just as they
are used elsewhere. OF course. the intro
ducticn of this device has operated. like
the introduction of every other invention,
to the temporary embarrassment Of hand
workers. That has been the history Of ma
chinery since the world began. No doubt
Tubal-Cain's first blacksmith shop stirred
up a riot among the stone-hatchet makers.
Opposition Of workers in every calling to
new devices which in some measure super
sede their skill is too familiar to excite
surprise; and. to those specially affected,
the grievance is too real to permit them to
take the philosophical view that their loss
is the worlds gain and that the growth
Of machine production is among the things
inevitable. They would not, really. IL they
could, turn back the world TO the misery
that went with all-hand work. but they
think it ought to be turned back just a
notch for their benefit, forgetful that in
the end they rave compensation In the
new industries that every invention de-
velops.
Even in Kansas people have become used
to the typesetting machine. 1t has over
come the initial opposition which Is the
ordeal of naturalization which every ma
chine must pass. But the idea that the
work Of the state must be done n the
slowest and most wasteful way for the
benefit Of those who consent TO do IL still
prevails. In the particular case a strong
fight was made to prohibit by law the use
of machines in the state Office. but that
failed in the legislature. An appropriation
bill rider, however. fixed the compensation
for such work at an impossibly low figure.
Consequently the state printer is compelled
to pay a much larger sum each year for
printing than a private person would have
to pay for the same work. Thus do the
taxpayers give DOWN milk.
This is all very we'll so far as the print
ers are concerned. but If the state is going
to be preserved as a museum specimen Of
archaic business methods the reform should
go further. There are many young women
in Kansas who could find employment IL
typewriters were abolished. The copying
press takes bread out of the mouths Of
hundreds who might be making duplicates
with a pen. For state Offices to use mucil-
aged envelopes is to nurt the sealing wax
business. The state militia should be
clothed in homespun TO give household in
uuS'ilSs d DOoH- rNcauIldklnB machinery
should not be allowed TO compete with pick
and shovel. And II there are any steam
pumps in the public building they should
be thrown out, and all the water sh )uld
be raised by windmills to the encourage
ment of the native product. Then Kansas
will be free from the reproach of being an
incubus on the people after the fashion
of private moneymaking corporations, and
no doubt the Populist taxpayers will be
glad TO put up the extra expense. II there
had been 10 steam engines which threw
Transfers out of work, and no machine
hayforks. AMI raapers, and thresha.s to
compete with farm hands. there would
have been no Kansas. but little things like
laws of nature don't count among true
reformers.