Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1899-05-19

stantly squeezing out Of business the
weak men and weak firms. The busi-
ness once done by the bankrupt small
fry naturally goes to the surviving
strong concerns, and thus the genesis
Of the trust evil is falling prices. And
generally falling prices, as the most
subservient gold standard economists
will certify, is due to the Increase OF
production and exchange faster than
the volume Of money.
If, during the last thirty years, the
minis had remained open to all OF the
silver offered for coinage, and in case
the free coinage of silver as well as
gold did not give us a currency VOL
ume large enough to maintain stable
prices, legal tender paper money mad
been issued in sufficient quantity TO
prevent the fall of the general aver
age of prices, there would not have
been as many small concerns driven
out Of business, nor SO many huge
trusts and combines formed. The trust
movement, the natural product OF the
gold standard policy, has now acquired
a tremendous magnitude. ard the re-
suit is that thousands Of men VINO
have heretofore commanded high sala-
ries-such as travelling statesmen, man
ayers and head bookkeepers-are being
thrown out of employment and find 1t
hard to obtain any kind Of work. This
is the serious problem Of today and the
more serious problem Of tomorrow,
and the waving Of prosperity" ban
ners by mammon-controlled daily
press cannot hide the facts.
First the general fall Of prices, from
1870 until today, forced out Of business
the smaller business men, who OBJ
tanned employment with the large con-
Germs. Now the large concerns are
forming into trusts, closing down all
unnecessary factories, dispensing with
numerous travelling statesmen, man
ayers and bookkeepers, as well as me-
chanics and laborers. And where are
these displaced men to find employ
ment? This is a question that will
soon seriously disturb this nation.
They cannot get jobs as skilled labor
ers because they have not the skill
They stand no chance of obtaining
common laborers' jobs, because there
are already more common laborers
than Jobs and men with soft, white
hands are not wanted for rough work.
The army of well-pald employees is be-
ing reduced every day in this trust era.
What are we to do about it? Present
political policies may suit you well
enough while you are drawing good
weekly salary, but how will you feel
when you cannot get job Of any
kind? The following story from a
New York paper is picture OF man
in that predicament, and illustrates
what the country is coming to:
Two years ago lost good, we'll
having position. My employers were
cutting down expenses and had to be
cut down with the rest of the extrava-
eances. MY wife and were not at all
worried. had little money laid by,
7 knew I was con, oetent-I had good
letters from my old firm-and
thought | could walk right out almost
any day and get good position. We
had comfortable rooms, plenty to eat,
good clothes and we knew some very
nice people who seemed to like us. l
rather enjoyed my idleness for week
or so. I had worked hard for long
time. and my wife and l took kind
of holiday together. We went out to
the parks and went sightseeing in a
small way all over the town.
Then started out to look for work.
7 went to see people 1 knew. They
were all very glad to see me. They all
said nice things about my abilities, but
they were all cutting down." I ad-
vertised. No answers came. I read
every paper in New York-but the
Journal-and l answered every ad that
seemed at all promising. Our money
began to dwindle. We took one room
instead of two We laughed and said
1t was easier that way. My wife said
she thought it would be fun to do a
little housekeeping, instead Of board
ing, and we cooked and ate our meals
in that one room. We said 1t was fun
like picnic all the time.
l went out every day and spent every
evening writing letters in answer to
the different advertisements. When l
went out in the morning l always
brushed up and looked the best
could, and my wife always told me l
looked too prosperous for a man hunt
ing for work.
She kept my clothes furnished up,
and when 1 met people knew talked
with them just as if everything was
all right. None Of our friends dreamed
that we were really in danger Of being
hard up. We had always been econom-
ical and thrifty, and my wife has such
a way of putting the best foot fore
most that every one thought we were
very we'll to do. I got to haunting en-
ployment agencies. talked with men
there and at the parks. When l had