The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-11

their present unfortunate state. Men
who are increasingly finding fault with
their lot and yet make no serious attempt
10 better il cannot get on very far in
this country or in any other.
This type of out-of-work exists every
where, in Germany, Russia, England and
France, as well as in the United States,
but l am not sure that our particular civil
ization, or rather our form of govern
ment, has not a tendency to develop It
here a little more rapidly than in any
other country which l have explored.
Won't Work Outside Their Trades.
1t is furthermore to be remarked con-
corning these aged out-of-works that pride
and unwillingness to take work outside
of their trades have also been causes of
their bankruptcy. The same is true to
some extent, of all asorts of unemployed
men, young and old, but ii is particularly
true about those who have passed their
thirty-fifth years / have known them
to tramp and beg for months rather than
accept employment which they considered
beneath their training and intelligence.
1t has been a revelation to me to- essO-
ciate with these mem and to see how de-
termined they are that the employing
class shall nave no opportunity to- say:
"Ah, ma! We told you so!'' Many of them
have given up their jobs in a pet, and
taken to the road" with the idea that
if they cannot get what they want thay
win make the world lodge and feed them
for, nothing. Let me- describe a man Of
this sort whom ] Travelled with in Ohio
over eight months when l met him, and
had just passed his forty-second year He
expected to get work again before long
and was passing the time away until the
position was ready for him, travelling up
and down the Hobo and Bore" Railroad.
ga.
claimed that for over five years he mad
never worked at any other occupation,
when he worked at all, ~ N
81 put in three hard. years learnin' 20
be a carpenter" he said, "an' / amt
goin' to learn ANOTHER trade now For
while l use to take all Kinds % jobs
when l got hard up, but Eve got over
that. It's carpenterin' or nothin' with
me from now on. You got to put your
foot down in tits country or you won't
get on at all.
IF 1 was married m had kids, O. course
I'd have TO crawlpn' take what I could
get, but, seem amt. I'm goin' TO be just
as stuck up as any other man that's got
somethn' to sell That's what all men
like us in this country ought to do. The
rich have got It into their heads that
they can have us when they want us, m
kick us out when they don't want us, N
that's what they've been dom with the
most OF us. They amt goin TO play with
me any more, though. Ten years ago
was better off than I am now, m I'd be
in good shape to-day If it hadn't been for
one of them trusts"
Are you not at all to blame for your
present condition." / asked, knowing that
the man had an appetite for whisky. He
thought a moment and then admitted that
he might have squandered' less money on
"booze" but he was not at all sure that
he was not entitled to the fun that
booze" brings.
"'Course, we workingmen drink" he
explained, IN lot of us gets on our
uppers, but amt we got as much right
10 get drunk m have a good time as the
rich? I'm runnin' my own life When
wants work I'll work, n when / don't /
won't What we men need is more indie
pendence. What the devil 'ud become O.
the world if we refused to work? Couldn't
go on at all. That's what I keep tellin
my carpenter pals Don't take nothin
outside o. your trade l tell 'em, m then
the blokes with no trades'll have a better
chance But you know how 1t .is-you
might as well tell the most Of 'em' not
to eat. l have had a little sense knocked
into me. You don't catch me workin' out
side o. my trade. I'd rather bum
And, unless he got the job he expect
ed TO, he is probably still ION the roady