The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-21
THE SERIOUS SIDE OF 1T.


Some people have been having fun at the
expense of Mayor Knots. of Hammond,
Ind, on account Of his recent proclamation
asking the manufacturers of that city to
employ none but married men. The bach
elors have had their say. the humorists
some newspapers have commented on the
absurdity of trying to promote matrimony
by giving the preference to married fac
tory hands and wage-earners over single
ones. From one point OF view the matter
is a fair subject for humorous comment,
rious and practical phase. In an explana-
tory statement he says he had no idea of
attacking bachelors, but he was consider
ing the economic side of the question. He
thinks the welfare and prosperity of Ham,
mond will be promoted by its wage-earners.
property owners. and he thinks the mar
ried state conduces to this and incidentally
to conservatism and orderliness among
men. II do not mean," he says, that
every employee should be a married man.
but IL he is any good at all he should soon
become a property owner. That Is the
first step toward his becoming a husband
and father. When a man has these respon-
sibilities he will become good, peace-lov-
ing, fearless citizen, who will foster the
best interests of his city and shun the little
differences which have in many cases
He recalls the fact that during the Pull
man strike and the railroad riot in Ham,
mond In 1894 the men who did the bully
ing" and were the chief fomenters of
trouble were men who had no local inter-
ests or responsibility, and when the SOL
diers came they fed. He thinks If these
men had had families and homes they
would have been less violent and more rea-
sonable Drawing on his personal expe-
rience the mayor says:
For the last ten years have been a close
student OF social questions. When I in
vestigate labor troubles do IL by mingling
with the laborers. meeting the tough ele-
ment personally on the sidewalks, or any
where, and making a close investigation of
their opinions and their lives. find that
most of the labor disturbances are caused
by fioaters They may be married or they
may be single 1 have also been actively
engaged in locating new industries. Ham
pose. In locating factories give them
low water rate. a rebate on taxes and other
benefits. These floaters who are employed
in the factories do not help repay the taxes
and in many instances they do not even
pay their bills. OF the $1,000 population
which Hammond has there are 5000 factory
employees. If they are disturbers and do
not add to the permanency of the city and
do not pay into the city what they should
to compensate for the benefits given the
factories. they should be kept out.
This shows that the mayors proclama-
ton in favor of married employees as against
single ones was based on what he con-
ceived TO be motives of economic value
There is no doubt but as a general rule his
to exceptions. but from a broad point of
view ii must be admitted that marriage
tends to induce men to become property
owners, and that property ownership tends
to make them conservative, In regard to
labor troubles II has been demonstrated
many times that the adoption of rash poll
cies has been due to the fact that a con-
sentative minority was overruled by a rad
ical majority, and generally most of the
latter are unmarried and not property
owners. 1t stands TO reason that a man
who has taxes to pay, little property to
keep up and a family to support. is likely
to be more conservative than one who has
not these responsibilities. 1t is evident that
I the objective point of Mayor Knotts's rec
ommendation was not so much to promote
matrimony as TO promote property owning,
thus increasing the number of conservative
citizens and taxpayers. and diminishing the
number of "fioaters." or men without any
local ties or interests. II Is probable that
most large employers would say his view
| is founded on reason. All social economists
! agree that family ties and property are