The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-10-22


ure or to save enough to start IN husl-
ness for himself The corresponding
and even greater cost OF living Goes
not affect the young man as 1t does
those with family to support. Hl2h
trust prices do not impair the income
of the young man as they do the
father OF a family.
But the Republican system OF pro-
lection is more disastrous to the
vcrnr man than to his father. The
first voter has to win his way to H.
dependence and he finds the tariff
pred trusts have by concentration OF
business into large corporations. elm
mated many opportunities that USED
to be open and free. Most young
mon must now be content to serve
others and can never aspire to be
their own masters. The reduced num-
Der of we'll paid employees or corpora
lions and wholesale houses is another
clrtailment of the chances OF young
men for a good position In lie. Inc
number OF travelling men sent out.
since the consolidation of manufac-
turing and distributing concerns is
much smaller than it used TO be and
tho salaries and allowances cor ex-
penSes are not as generous. CLERKS
in stores do not get nearly as good
wages now as before the trust era
reached it's height If the cost of
living is taken into consideration the
decline in wages is much greater,
reckoned by the purchasing power.
Unless a young man has influence, or
is especially bright, his chances CT
advancement i'll the services OF cor
roratiCn is restricted to filing the
place OF those wto resign or through
the deaths CT other employees that may
occur.
In the professional world the num-
Der of aspirants has increased in a
much greater ratio than the popula-
ton. in consequence Of the greater
number of colleges and reduced out
look for good living in other occupa-
tons.
When those young men who choose
l.
in it, they will soon feel the full bur
den of the tariff and its high prices.
as professional mans income does
not rise and fall with the cost OF liv
ing. When the cost of meat, coal.
groceries and rent are increased the
fees Of the doctor or the lawyer re-
main comparatively stationary.
In the mechanical trades many ave-
nues have been closed by the con-
solidation OF small manufacturers into
great corporations, or the competition
Of the trusts has wiped them out OF
existence.
The increased cost Of land has re-
duced The opportunities for young
men to acquire farms of their own.
unless they are willing to work many
years to save enough money to make
the required payment and buy the
necessary stock ard implements.
There they find the full weight of the
protective tariff and the resulting high
trust prices. The farmer sells near
ly all his farm products in competition
with foreign countries and everything
he buys is advanced to the highest
possible price by the protection the
tariff gives to the corporations that
produce what he buys.
The system that has been develop.
ed under these Republican politics is
all against the young man starting out
in life unless he is content to only
aspire to being a drudge for a cor
poration and then only enc in a thou.
sand ever gets beyond the lower rung
OF the ladder.
The labor unions have made it DOS.
sible by combination, for a few young
men to obtain fair wages as stonema-
sons, brickiayers, carpenters, paper.
hangers, painters or mechanics, but
the number of apprentices is limited
ir those trades and the high cost Of
living again prevents much saving and
the slack times when work is scarce
has to be provided for.
Under the Democratic policy Of
equal rights to all and special priv
ileges to none" everyone could achieve
independence by work and attention
to his business. The moderate tariff
does not protect the trusts at the ex-
pense of the consumer. Wages might
not be SO high but the cost of living
would be much less and the balance
saved for the rainy day would be
greater. That was the condition dur
ing the low tariff period before the
war, when nearly every man could sit
under the shadow Of his own vine and
fig tree. Now the great majority are
at the mercy of landlords and masters
or the soulless corporations.
The young man just starting in life
must investigate and weigh the advan.
tages of the two systems and vote ac-
cordingly and not be led away by the
specious promises made by the Re-
publicans.