Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-07-02


to sell me strawberries. gooseberries.
ice cream. and other delicacies. as if |
did not have sense enough to step
around the corner and buy what |
wanted to eat. A Chinese gardener.
with equal disregard for my reputation
as Il man of sense. who shows in every
action that the competition Of his Cau-
casian brother is becoming altogether
too many for him. essays to sell me
duplicates of the garden truck piled
high in the adjacent market. His only
recommendation over the regular
dealers is that his prices are little
higher, but you cannot expect man.
even a Chinaman who carries his wares
in couple OF tremendous baskets at
either end Of a tremendously long pole.
to compel" on even terms with l. horses
and wagons. We must not be unreason-
able.
For fear it might thunder though it
never does and sour the milk. the
dairymen keep delivering all day on
the same systematic lines which enable
20 grocery wagons or half-a-dOzen
butchers wagons. by hurrying, to do
the work of one, or possibly two.
The laundry, white or Chinese. will
call for my washing and deliver it. Yes,
"A dozen of them will. | verify believe
they would tear my shirt IN two each
wash half of it, and take turns sewing
it together again. so anxious are they
to serve me.
Tired of waiting for the custom
which never comes the grocerymen are
making house to house canvass for
fear. suppose, someone will forget to
order his daily food and die in the
midst of plenty.
| have opportunity during the day to
subscribe for all sorts of patriotic
charitable and religious enterprises.
am especially blessed in this respect
Whether it is the unassumiug courtesy
with which | refuse to contribute TO exc
out the shortcomings of a system" l
seek to displace, the certainty of the
answer they must by now expect. the
excellent advice | endea,or TO give
them. or what Inducements | hold out.
am unable to say.
The evening papers duplicate the
morning ones: q little yellower per-
haps. little fuller Of startling rumors.
which the morning papers will deny
even as they deny the runors of the
morning; and night throws her charit-
able mantle over the scene of strife and
leaves me at liberty to examine the
tlotsam and jetsam which the rising and
falling of the days tide Of competition
have cast upon my shores in the way of
pamphlets, bill and free samples.
Several cnterprising business men
have taken occasion to leave me Il
dodger during the day informing me
that they are the cheapest place in
town" Many of these l know person
ally and know them TO be truthful. l
have drugs, medicines and chemicals
sufficient in variety to start in business
for myself. though lacking in quantity.
have something to ease my feet and
likewise to ease my head. / have
tobacco-habit cures, smoking tobacco,
chewing gum and physic, all, rs it
were. thrown into my lap, and rs | sit
in wonder, contemplating this old COM
petitive earth. | hear lit being prayer
meeting night the mellow and some
not so mellow tones of numerous
church bells, and the boom of the big
bass drum and the loud wailing of the
clarinet of the Salvation Army, all call
ing me to leave my hreside to take some
of these competitive paths .can it be-
to competitive heaven.
Unable TO accept all the noisy invita-
tions decline all, and retire to bed to
be lulled to slumber by the energetic
competition of pair of tomcats on the
woodshed roof; competition no
iiercer and just as intelligent, as any |
have encountered through the long.
weary competitive day.
1t is very common for man TO say
that he has voted for such or such
measure for SO many years. \ great
many men take a great deal of pride in
making such statements. But when we
come to the facts, such statements are
mere figures of speech. No man in this
country ever did really vote for any
measure, for the simple reason that
under our system Of government the
people cannot vote for measures at all.
When we change the system we will be
able to say in fact, and not merely in
figure. that we have voted for this or
the other measure. New Era.