Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-01-05
A FATHER and SON
Talk Abont the Affairs Of Our
Glorious Government.
MANY QUESTIONS ASKED
BY the Lad Which the Old Man
Finds UnansWerabIe--
and Lawyers in the Majority in
Congress.
Pa. what was the cause of the revo

Pa, what was the cause of the revc
latlonary war?
Taxation without representation
my son.
Was there anything wrong In that
Yes, indeed, it was an outrage tina
our forefathers would not stand.
What did they do, pa?
Do? Why they held indignation
meetings and burned the stamp collec
tors in effigy, and when England sem
her taxed tea over here they disguised
themselves like Indians and threw il
overheard.
They were anarchists, weren't they
pa?
What, our forefathers anarchists
No, they were patriots.
What ia patriot !?
A patriot is a person who won't bt
imposed upon by anybody. He will
stand up for bis rights, and defend
them with his life if necessary. tel
you it makes my blood boil when ]
think about old King George putting
tax on tea.
How did it all end, pa?
End ? Why, they demonstrated
with him till they found that would
do no good, then they took their guns
"Give me liberty or give me death, >
said Patrick Henry. My son, should
die happy if knew you would emulate
the spirit of '76. tell you old John
Adams and John Hancock and Patrick
Henry were made of the right kind OF
mud; you couldn't t run over them.
What do you mean by taxation with.
out representation ?
Why, parliament had the power to
levy taxes, and did levy them upon
the colonists, but she would not allow
them any representatives.
What is a representative, pa?
Why, we send men to represent our
interests in Congresses, and call them
our representatives.
We are laboring men, aren't We, pal
Yes, my son.
How many men are there In the
United States, pa?
At the last census taken there were
16,94O,OOO.
How many of them are laboring
men, pa?
Oh, about three-fourths OF them, ]
suppose.
And what are the rest?
They are divided up. Some are
bankers, some lawyers, some doctors,
some preachers, etc.
How many bankers are there, pa?
About 10000.
How many lawyers
About 10000.
How many doctors (?
About as many as there are lawyers.
How many representatives are there,
pa?
About $50, besides 80 senators.
(Boy figures and soliloquizes.) Let
me see, 16, 000, 900 voters, three-fourthf
of them men who labor; that would
be 100000. Every $4,000 voters has
a representative; that would be 24(
members who are laborers. 10000
lawyers; ha they would have one rep
resentative and a fraction; so would
the doctors; and the poor bankers
why the poor bankers only number
10000; they can't have any representa-
tive at all. L
On. fudge, boy, that amt right
they
Yes, tits, too; guess I know hov
to divide.
mean that they are not divided III
in any such way as that. There wer,
2O3 lawyers and bankers in the las
Congress in the house and 63 lawyer
and banker in the Senate.
Why, thought you said there wa
only $50 members in the last house.
So l did.
Then how many laboring men wer
there among them?
Not single one, my son.
What Twelve million laborers, wit
not single man to look after thei
welfare and represent their Interests
and 2O3 lawyers to represent 1000
lawyers
| Yes.
| I thought you said this was a rer
resentative government.
So it is, my son.
| How can it be, When a majority o
the lawmakers come from a small frae
tion of the population? Didn't yo
say the other day that it was naturs
for man to look out for No. /, an
that be was a fool if he didn't?
| Why-oh, you skip out to bed; it
ScOtluS lotc'
| But, pa, if those lawyers look ou
| for their own interests, or No. /, a
you call it, how can thew look ont TO
ours?
They are supposed to.
/ But do they? 1t is to our interest t.
have laws simple, theirs to have then
complicated, 30 as to make them busi
ness. Didn't you say that a lawye
got you into suit once that cost yol
81, 600. and you got beat at last, an,
when he sued you and you cursed him
be told you that you ought to hay
had morelsense than to have gone int,
such a losing suit, and
Say. you retire now, right
/ Say, pa, l want to know what law
these LAWYERS have made in the inter
ests OF laboring men; tell me just cne.
Why, ahem; Oh. tbey--why, dom
ecu ses
! 10 see They tax q poor nj A.