Little Falls herald., 1904-12-02
OWNERSHIP COLUMN
Conducted by the Granit'
Club, Morrison County.

A ONDlTlON-NOT A THEORY.
The American people have given
Roosevelt a vote of confidence greater
than ever given any American. 1t was
ont the republican party, but the
man. The party, however, will be
held responsible and If conditions are
not made better for the masses there
will be something doing as astonish-
ing as his great vote. The people are
expecting something-something that
Roosevelt cannot do. even if be wishes
to. Roosevelt cannot give the people
what they expect-relief from corpor-
ate extortion. and could not. even if
he were crowned king. To attempt
any such action would dethrone the
czar of Russia or the emperor of Ger
many. Every nation is finally con-
trolled by those who own its property,
ard no one man can control there
forces. No matter what the presid snt
might want to do In the way of cur
failing the privileged class, he would
find the senate against him, the house
Of representatives against him, the
supreme court against him. the mill.
ionaires against him, the party leaders
everywhere against him. With these
forces arrayed on one side, what
could the president do? Nothing. un-
til he could rally the people to his
support in the way Of e]ectirz public
officials in hearty sympathy with
plans to bind the capitalists SO they
could no longer make money-for it is
the making Of money tn at is the
trouble. The trusts w1uld not hurt
the people if they did not make a pro-
TT off the people. There's the rub. |
do not think the president knows 1ns
what he is up against. He does not
understand that the scontent of the
people with conditions has for its
foundation the profit system. It is the
profit that the trusts are making, and
trying to increase, that causes the
whole ferment. To prevent profit
would be revolut,onary-wou be
making an entirely 6iff:1nt system
Of society. The president would be
brushed as easily aside as fly if he
were to attempt such change. The
grandfather of the present czar of
Russia visited England during the
time that Robert Dale Owen was at
tracing great attention by reason Of
his great factory, around which was a
model city, all the profit of the plant
being spent to improve the living
conditions of the working people. So
taken was the czar with the great re.
suits realized, the higher citizenship,
he absent of want, ignorance and
brntality-thst he spent week there
aud told Owen chat he proposed to
20 home and il stitute his whole realm
~ such a basis. And he tried to do
so. But the nobility and the leading
capitalists of Russia scented the rat
at the fist move; they saw that to
carry out such program would be
to deprive them of profit, and conse-
quently of power, and a threatened
storm Of revolution of the ruling class
compelled him to abandon his good
intentions, and nothing more came
O.: it. The czar is not the ruler of
Russia. The property owning classes
are the rulers So in this country-
Roosevelt is powerless to give the
people the conditions they expect.
The people don't know just what
ought to be done to make the condi-
tions they long for, but they are all
expectant of great benefit that will
not materiaIize, and there will be
greater dissatisfaction in the four
years to come than ever before. If the
president makes no effort to do the
things expe:t:d of him he will re-.
membered with disgust; If he does
tie capitalists will damn his memory
and humiliate him. The president is
between the devil of capitalism and
the deep sea of the people. Things
will go aivng as they have in the past
the ruling capitalists taking more
and more profits, and the discomfort of
the people becoming more and more
ominous. Appeal to Reason.
AS usual at this time of the year,
the power plants on the canal are hav-
ing trouble with anchor ice. The small
particles Of ice get Into the water
wheels and clog them, or accumulate
Oh tEo gratings and impede the flow
Of water. Iii the plants were both
cred by the ice, and some had to shut
down few hours to clear the wheels.
With the continued cold weather the
difficulty will soon pass away.
Mrs. G. A. Lindbergh entertained
Saturday afternoon in honor of Mrs.