Chicago eagle., 1903-06-13


stars and the sun. not the clouds or the
dust"
~eA
One hardly knows whether to pity
| the Car or to smile at his attempts
to learn the real feelings and wants of
the Russian people. The st. Peters
burg correspondent, of the London
Times says the Car was much i'm.
pressed by the accuracy Of the wealth.
er predictions in one of the st. Peters.
burg papers; therefore he sent for the
| editor and asked him to learn and re-
| port upon the condition Of the people.
| The incident may or may not he true.
That it could be credited at all Is sig.
nficant of the exent to which autoc.
racy has destroyed freedom of speech
and of the press. Presidents of the
| United States do not have to consult
the Weather Bureau to learn whether
or not their party is likely to be snow.
cd under.
The girls In an Eastern college. who
were tired of teas and dances. gave a
Greek festival recently. One Of the
girls recited prize ode in heroic
meter. and the others engaged In
wrestling matches and archery con-
tests. The sophomores and freshmen
had tug of war. That night they all
slept better than IL they had drunk
| quarts of tea and eaten pounds of
fudge. The Greeks knew how to do
some things pretty well. They lived
out of doors. breathed fresh air, and
developed their bodies as well as their
minds. Girls colleges as well as col.
leges for boys are approaching more
nearly to the Greek ideal than they
did few years ago.
>e~
Attention was called in these
columns some days ago. says the
Springfield (Nlass.) Republican, to the
letter Of n Vermont farmer setting
forth his entire inability to get hired
help. He had been driven into
a position where he must work him.
self to death. so to speak, or give ND
his farm. and similar cases In New
England are doubtless to be counted
by thousands. Western farmers are
making louder complaints than ever
for this cause. Ordinarily. in the re.
gion tributary to Chicago. farm hand
Is paid from S15 to SIS a month. with
board and lodging. This year S25 Is
being offered. with extra inducements
us to hours and privileges. but the de-
sired help Is not forthcoming In any
thing like the needed quantity. Some
thing more than the unattra ctiveness
OF farm life ut the moment enters into
the problem. The demand for labor
in manufacturing and transportation
Is now Mt II higher point probably than
Mt any previous time during the pres.
ent period Of industrial revival. Pro.
duction Is taxed to Its utmost. The
great railroad companies Of the coun.
try are planning extraordinary cxpen-
ditrres for Improvements which will
call for large amount Of extra labor.
ns to force into employment every
available hand for which room can
be found. Labor In manufacturing |
ana railrOading Is demanding higher |
wages or shorter hours with cxccp.
tlOnal confidence that Its place cannot
be filled and that 1t has but to strike
to bring employers to terms. Nor Is |
this all that the farmer has to contend |
against. In the west there has been |
going on n speculation In farm lands |
and the opening OF new tracts to set.
tlement which has caused an emigra. |
ton Of regular farm help tenants and |
sons Of farmers from the older to the |
newer agricultural regions. The rail-
roads have been active In forwarding |
the movement, extending It southwark |
toward New Orleans and northward |
through the DakOtas into Canada-of.
fering lands on favorable terms and
transportation thereto, moving whole
villages Of people. with their house.
hold goods and farm implements, as
colonies In newly-settled sections. The
speculative spirit Of the period Is thus
not confined to stocks and trust com.
binatlOns and street railway exten-
sions, but us usual ut such times seIxes
upon even the agricultural classes and
hurries of large numbers from estab.
lished positions into pioneer land en-.
terprises elsewhere. 1t IL a time OF
extraordinary industrial activity and
employment even for the boom period.
Labor has been taken up into the boil.
ing solution, as money has been taken
up and floating capital. and the labor
market is as tight as the money mar
ket In the more attractive lines of
employment, which do not include the
farm. SO the farmer must suffer most
from the situation.
~6
England boasts that In London.
G.OOO,OOO population, there were
twenty-four murders committed In one |
year. But two of the criminals escap. |
ed justice. The figures are official.
The record Is amazing; the more so |
when you remember that London has |
a criminal population large enough to
make a city by themsclves-lOO, 900
beggars and slum district that covers |
miles of territory. There are no records
In the United States to compare with |
such a showing. What Is the logic of |
the figures and the excess of crimes
Of violence shown In this country?
Respect for the law. There Is more of |