Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-08-12

The question. What shall We do with
our boys! no longer has ahy sign.ii
ca1Cc. The real problem to-day Is
What Is to become of the o.d and mid
dlc.agcd men? The boys are doing well
enough. They are crowding out their
elders. In ali lines of business the de.
mand Is for young men. There Is no
room for the man of mature years In
the active occupations of life. His gray
hairs may speak of experience. but EN-.
plpyprs Will have none of him. Unfor.
tuuatc Is the lot of the man who. hav.
ing devoted the best years of his life
40 the pursuit of an honorable calling.
finds himself out of employment. Tween.
ty-iivc years ago his record of long
service would have been recommen-
dation which would have hc.ped him
10 "A new position. To-day 1t is his
worst handicap. He finds on every
hand that younger men are wanted,
and II he obtain work at all II Is likely
10 be at a salary out of all proportion
To his experience. He Is looked upon
rs ~ back number" II cant get
work." said man who Is out of EN-
p!oymcnt for the first time In his life.
IL have q thorough knowledge of my
business IN all It's details. have work.
ed for the same firm for twenty years.
and II It had not gone out Of business
1 should he with 1t still. I have the
highest recommendations as to ability
and character. but no one Will have me.
They all tell me. more or less b.untly.
that. though my experience Is valuable.
my age Is against me. They say frank
ly that they want none but young men.
What am to do? can't learn new
business. and even II l were to do 50
I should be no better of. My years
and am not yet ffty-would still bar
me out. What Is going 10 become of
me and the thousands like me who
cannot compete with the younger men
in the struggle for work." What are
they TO do; The question Is an Inter.
estlng-a momentous-one. What Is TO
become of the men who are thrown out
of employment by edicts Ike that Is.
sued by the President of an Eastern
railroad summarly discharglng all
shop employees over specified ageI
Are they to become public charges, and
II so will not the burden of their main
tenance shortly become n tremendous
tax II the prejudice against age con.
tlnues To growI How long will II be
before all the activities OF life will he
monopollZed by young men, while
those who have passed the meridian OF
life will he compelled to step aside and
depend upon the l!berallty of their
Younger rivals for bare livelihood: II
Is claimed that the more complicated
mechanism Of modern industry aud
the severity Of It's competition render
men useless at an earlier age than for
merly. Whatever may be the truth OF
the contention, employers have evil
dently decided in the affirmative. II is
an age OF young men and the tendency
in that direction Is growing. Those
who can accumulate competency dur
Ing the short period of activity allotted
30 them will be safe from want. The
future OF those less fOrtunate-thOse
who fail In the battle of llfe-Constl-
tutrs "a problem with which society
Will sooner or later have 10 deal II the
ban upon gray hairs Is not removed.
~c~
while any suggestion OF a resort "a
hos Hides between the Unlrcd States
and Grcu, Britain over the dispute a,
10 the Alaskan boundary Is, In view Of
The spirit of the'tlme aud the events OF
the past year, manlfcstly absurd, there
can be no doubt that the Canadians are
IN . very ugly temper, less it seems
over what they sometimes call our pre-
postrrous claims than over the lndiffer
cnce which they think the mother coun
try has manifested In the matter. This
last idea, 30 judge from the tone Of The
Canadian press, has had the effect OF
making our cousins TO the north think
that they must act for themselves, an'
it Is perhaps fear on the part oI
Great Britain that they viii act preclp
itately or unwlsely that has more thai
anything else caused Lord Sallsbur!
% act In the matter. The locus Of th'
present dispute Is narrow strip O
land rich In It's gold fields, and lnyoly
ing an outlet 10 the Alaskan coast. Th'
American contention has always becI
that the boundary line should run TIVE
miles north OF Klukuan, on the YukoI
trail, while Canada has insisted tina
the line run short distance below thu
Klukuan. The ground between thes'
two lines Il where the rich gold fields
lie. 1t II known as the Porcupine Creel
section and IL Inhabited largely b!
Americans Whether either OF the pro
posed lines or a modification to b'
agreed on Is finally adopted 1t now be