The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-03
A WIDE NEED OF sELF-REsPECT

WIDE NEED OF SELF-RESPECT.
When President Harrison was MAX
ing his tour of the country delivering
occasional addresses in the cities
through which he passed, he said upon
one occasion that 1t is the duty of the
government to provide occupation for
its people. The remark was comment
ed upon at the time as containing the
basic dogma Of socialism. The presi-
dent was then looking forward to a re-
nomination, and, possibly, he permitted
himself that indulgence in dangerous
doctrine that tickles the thoughtless,
who do not see the danger, but are cap
tivated by the appeal 1t makes to their
sense of bodily ease and comfort, which
too often brings the statesman down
to the level Of the denagogue. The
pernicious and false idea that "the
world owes me a living" the fecund
source of tramps and paupers, natural
~ adapts itself to the ex-presidents
IDEA and becomes "'the government
owes me a living
The socialistic remark of the express
ident is recalled by the latest OF a Sc
rles Of articles he is contributing to one
of the journals, descriptive Of life in the
White house. in which he tells of the
appeals Of all kinds for assistance
which form a large part of the daily
mail Of the president. "They come
! from every part of the land and relate
to every possible subject. Some are an
peals to aid the writer in getting an
education or to pay off a mortgage or
TO buy piano or pony. One day
the requests for specific sums aggre-
gated $4,000" Harrison says these ap-
peals were, of course, unavailing. and
in view of his expressed conception Of
the relation of government to subject
concludes with the contradictory com
ment that "self-respect ought to re-
strain the practice" It would be in
teresting to know what proportion of
these writers had read the presidents
statement that the first duty of a gov
eminent is to provide occupation for it's
people. To be sure they went farther
than he did; but is not their conception
of government at bottom the same as
his? If a government should give oc-
cupatiOn, why not go farther and give
the things that can be had for the
compensation received for that occu-
patton? Fine distinctions are easily
missed by the average mind, especially
those imbued with the notion that the
world owes them living; and the tran
s1t1on, from government providing
work to providing everything wanted,
is one easily made, even where the dis
tinctiOn is sensed. The descent. once
entered upon, is an easy and a rapid
one
Another effect Of this doctrine Of the
ex-president is the tumultuous move
ment of men upon Washington at each
change Of administration, locking for
that occupation which it is the duty of
the government to provide for all It's
citizens. Aware that no general scheme
has yet been devised to put this duty
into practical operation. each one of
the eager throng feels it his particular
duty to see that he, at least, is pro-
vided for. Where so many seek and SO
few can be chosen, he feels himself
justified in fortifying himself with ar
guments showing why the government
should select him as the particular one
to receive occupation while he NAV
indulge himself with mild regrets that
the arrangements for performing it's
full duty are not yet so perfected as
to allow his competitors to be similar.
ly taken care Of by paternal govern
ment. Should he become an accepted
applicant his views become only the
more firmly fixed, while, if he be sent
to join the great army of the rejected,
he only loses something of his regard
for a government that not only fails
to perform it's full duty, but displays
such astounding Indifference to con-
spicuous merit in the part it does per-
form.
FACING THE MUSIC.