The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-23
Fairmont, Mimi, Feb. Is, 1908.
Suppress the Lumberjack.
Te the Editor of The Journal: 49,.

We see. by recent newspaper reports
that we are On the verge of great disas-
ter. We want you to have Iittlefield get
up a bill to suppress the lumbernan. If
not. the grain grower of the northwest
will be ruined and there will be famine
in the land, and Kansas will be happy.
We and the. northwestern people demand
the bill. I will explain: The lumberman
will quit his camp in "a few days. The
gentlemen whom he has been entertain
ing will wander forth from the woods,
forth to the evil ia stresses OF some city.
perhaps ST. Paul. where they will fall a
victim to the seers, They will be merry
for a time. The gold will depart from
their pockets and they will hustle a blind
and leave the vileness and wickedness
far behind and empty themselves out upon
our prairie. They will deign to come to
our humble houses, the gentlemen jacks.
They will sit at our tabess they will look
far beyond the meat potatoes and baked
beans; they will spurn our humble dough-
nuts and bread and butter-they will
have no appetite for the plum sauce, rice,
rolled oats and cream, but they will look
beyond it all to the happy camp in the
woods. They will see the tables loaded
with viands of Waldorf = they
will see the walters gliding behind the
chairs; they will see their boss begging
them to accept a little more money for
staying with him. We will watch them
fearfully, noting every change on their
expressive countenances. We will see the
distant, dreamy look come back to our
red table cloth. Alas, alas, it is not
white damask, and they are brought to
earth. The shock will be terrible. They
will sit appalled,. But they will recover.
Stern necessity, a gnawing stomach the
fact that they haven't eaten anything for
a whole day, will bid them spit out their
pride, bunch their chairs closer to the
table, grasp their knives and forks and
put the repulsive, the bold, bad, comm on
grub out of sight down their outlets.
Right manfully will they perform the task.
Their wills are strong, their determine
ton fixed. The food is out of sight. They
will rise from the table with the air of
men who feel that they have done their
whole duty We will go to the barn and
tell them to hitch the horses onto the
drags and go to work in the south field.
They will look at us in a dazed hurt way.
They will bring out the horses, but they
won't seem to understand just how to
manage them; SO we help them hook up,
and they go. They walk across the field.
Slowly, painfully, they turn their horses
and gaze at each other in mute aston
ishment Hurt? The fiercest agony
would be rapture to what they endure.
They! Lumberjacks. working! Following
drags like barnyard savage! They turn
their backs to the hateful instrume nt,
they eyes are toward the railroads and
their thoughts are in the camp. Beautiful
camp! Beloved camp! Place where the
footprints of wolves have made paths
through the forest. Place where the wind
signs through the trees and the boss gets
drunk. They can see the fires among
the branches and hear the siren song o1
the violin. They can see the long hair Of
Wosgoztsky waving over the keyboard o,
the piano. They can hear the triumphan
blare Of the music box as 1t stimulates
them to eat the dainty food and civilizes
the last idea of working out of theil
heads. They see the reading tables piled
| with maya zines and newspapers and--oh
place of the joys OF life!s 1t is there and
they are here. Here. way out. here on the