The herald., 1897-07-04

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learn the business, and when thrown out
of work. not being jacks at all trades,
they wait for an opportunity to resume
the work with which they are familiar.
a distribution as will wholly prevent
the throwing of men out of employment
and avoid the evil of idleness. When
times are brisk and industries -four
and as conditions are inevitably des-
tined to f1uctuation, there will be
occasions when reduction of forces will
be necessary.
| In some kinds of business there is less
fuctuation than in others. In transpor-
tation fewer men are discharged be-
cause their services are not needed than
perhaps in any other business con-
Quoted on large scale. Railroads re-
quire substantially the same force in
running trains, in care and reparation
Of track and in the workshops in all
seasons of the year, and one year with
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ductions are made only as traffic in
creases or diminishes. Anyone, there
fore, who learns any branch of the rail-
road business and who is faithful is
reasonably cure Of continued employ
ment.
Substantially the same number of men
can obtain work on the farms at all
times. Though farming has been un-
profitable on account of low prices of
products for the last few years, yet it
is rare that one competent and faithful
fails to find. employment in farm work
One trouble is that such work has be-
come distasteful to Americana in gen.
eral The sons of farmers become am
bilious to go to cities to engage in the
professions, or to become clerks, not
withstanding the professions are full
to overfowing, and that there is a
greater surplus in proportion to the
numbers required in clerical positions
than in any other avocation. The de-
sire to live in cities has become almost
maniacal. The question of finding en-
ployment is given little thought, the
idea apparently is that one can find what
he prefers to do without difficulty or de-
lay. 1t is undeniable that the bulk of
the idle are in the cities, and not in
the country
! The idea is prevalent that farming is
not promising field in which to seek
employment. Depression in agriculture
is charged to over-production, and with
some degree of truth. Conditions of the
present and immediate past cannot con-
tinue very long under any probable cir
cumstances. Consumption is rapidly
catching up with production. Additions
to producing areas cannot be as great
in future as they have been during the
last twenty-five years. Population is
rapidly on the increase and ground is
being taken up for homes and for the
cultivation of those crops which supply
the many small wants. When the war of
the rebellion closed the population of
Texas was 100000, in 1900 it will be more
than 100000. The area of cattle and
sheep production has been trenched
upon by the necessities of the situation.
west generally. The area of cereal and
beef production is being reduced daily
by the increase of population.
New England produces wheat enough
q 11tr 70
weeks of the year, and New York but
two months. Pennsylvania, Delaware
and Maryland are always short in wheat
production. Missouri, Kentucky and
Tennessee are the only southern states
which produce surplus of wheat, and
some of them produce none at ALL The
time is not far distant when the effort
will not be to produce cereals for expor-
tation, but to supply home consumption
Invention of mechanical contrivances
for performing work formerly done by
human hands has had it's effect, but in
the progress of civilization wants have
been increased, consumption per capita
has become greater and new fields have
been opened for the employment of
men and women. The surplus of labor
which we seem to have may be reduced
by better distribution and by restrict
ing the immigration of working people,
and especially Of those classes who are
ignorant and degraded, and who will
work for wages which are inadequate to
supply the requirements of intelligent
Americans.
Our working classes hold status un-
der our laws and in our conceptions as
to what is due to humanity far above
that which is recognized in any other
nation. The time ie past when foreign |
was advantageous to the |
country. Natural accretion annually |
adds a population equal to that which |
constitutes an average state of the
union.
1t will tax the wisdom of the Ameri-
can people to devise policies that will
satisfactorily solve the problem of CIV
ing employment to the whole population
and at wages that will insure the dig
nifty of labor.
WHERE THE TROUBLE LIES