The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-12
EARNING ABILITY
is HALVED AT 81

1t is a matter of common knowledge
that when the average man who depends
REACHED the age of siXty-two his earning
ability is in all probability less by half
than 1t was When he was in his prime; and
that by the time he has reached the age
or seventy he has probab bly, lost all earn
ing ability. If there is doubt upon. this
point let the sdoubter examine the en-
ployes. doing manual labor in any great
manufactory or on any great railroad
and ind out how large is the proportion
OF men between the ages of siXty-two;
and seventy, and wle Their these men are.
sun employed at~the highly paid tasks
which they did in their prime. AS n mat
ter of fact, many railroads pension their
employees when they have reached these
ages, and In nations where old age pen
Slons prevail they always begin some
where between the two limits thus set
1t IS easy TO test our opponents SINGER
ity in this matter The order in quest .on-
Is reVocable al the pleasure of the execu-'
tive If our opponents come into pow
er they can revoke this order and ar
nounce that they win treat tie veterans
Of sfxty-two to seventy "a presunabIy
in full bodily Vigor and not entitled to.
pensions. VIII they now auth3ritatiyely
state that they intend TO DO this2 Ii SO,
we accept the issue. If not, then we have;
the right to ask why they raise an issue
which. when raised, they do nos venture,
to meet -.
mlnistration which they venture TO assaii
only after mlsrepresenting them, there are
others which they, dare not oveFtly CT Of
hcially attack, and yet which they
covertly bring forward as reasons for the
overthrow of the party. In certain g cat
centers and with certain great interests
our opponents make every effort to show
that the settlement of tle anthracite
coal strike by the Individual act of the
president. and the successful suit against
the Northern Securities coI,ipanVE-ihe
merger STANDARDIZATION by the dcbai't-
ment of justice, We're acts because of
which the present administration ~sll:uld
be thrown from power. Yet they dare
not openly condemn either act. They care
not in any authoritative or formal rlan-
ner say that in either case wrong was
done or error committed IL the method
of action or in the choice OF instruments
for putting that action into effect. Ibt
what they dare not manfdily assert in
open day. they seek to use fuftiyely and
through special agents. II is perhaps
natural that an attack So Conducted
Should be made sometimes on the ground
that too much, sometimes on the ground
that too little, has been done Sosre of
our opponents complain becalse under the
antitrust and interstate commerce laws
suits were undertaken which have been
successful; others, because suits were. not
undertaken which would hare been rE-
successful. The Democratic state cen
vention IN New York dealt With the ar
thracite coal strike by demanding in de-
nbefate and formal fashion that The IA.
tional government should take possession
of the coal fields; yet champions of that
conventions cause now condemn the fact
that there was any action by the pest
dent at although they must know that
It was only this action by the president
tional ownership of the coal fields from
gaining what might well have been an
Irresistible impetus. Such mutually de-
structive criticisms furnish an ADEQUATE
measure of the chance for coherent ac-
ton or constructive legislation if our
opponents should be given power