Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-04-01

difference their forms are bent, dis
torted, shoulders rounded their faces
are slim, sad and pale; their clothing
is untidy; in their eyes is an appeal
an appeal to each human heart for love-
for home, for school, for play, for sun
shine. That appeal will be granted.
Their little hands are no longer plump,
but sinewy, calloused, knotted. The
darkness of ignorance hovers about
them. No hope of happiness, no ex-
pectancy but slavery. Imagine your
little loved one among them. Onr Re-
publican papers have long articles about
mosquitoes and dogs, but not "a word
for child slaves.
| presume, your bread e butter being
at stake, you would not dare publish
this, so | will not ask you to. My wish
is to make an abolltionist Of you.
Your abolition friend,
w. r. BLAIN.
Friend Blain has evidently been lis
tening to John Brown of Connecticut.
He takes II great deal "for granted"
If he is as well posted as man in his
position should be he knows that labor
is better paid today than ever before;
he also knows that America leads the
world in this item. Being in the cloth
ing business, he also knows that the
laboring man may buy good suit of
clothes cheaper than ever before. 1--WE
are not prepared to say that this is true
in Albany.) He draws sad picture
(from John Brown of Connecticut) of
sweatshops aud child slaves. If he will
investigate aud take notice as those
who have "been around" little have
done, he will learn that the unfortunate
child in the factory has drunken,
worthless father, who fails to do his
duty by his family; he will learn, also.
that the cost of living in the great fac.
tory cities of the east is less than here
in Oregon, and that an Industrious man
can support family better on the same
wages; he will learn that all the misery
and want which he has so graphically
portrayed may be traced directly to in
temperance. This is the strong argu-
ment of our prohibition friends, and it
has never been refuted. Aud that
heart-breaking pictur. of the poor
girls and the brothels Original by John
Brown of Connecticut)! Here Mr..
Blain shields mans duplicity aud
charges the poor girls downfall to pov-
erty. We believe Mr.. Bain means
we'll, but he is loaded to the muzzle with
"hearsay," literally mixed with sar-
.casm, which assumes form in the clos
ing paragraph which might offend
narrow-minded person - but not the
editor of The LEADER. We agree with
Mr.. Blain that the condition of the
wage-earher may be improved and the
first step is to teach the wage Garner to
treat himself like a white man. Who
supports the innumerable saloons and
gambling houses which flourish all over
the land? The wage-earner. Why is
1t that such large per cent of families
do not own homes? Because a large
per cent of the heads of these families
spend all their surplus in drinking and
gambling. 1t is not our purpose to give
temperance lecture, but to show that
the questions raised by Mr.. BIain have
no relation to politics save from the
standpoint OF a Prohibitionist. What.
ever may be said of the Prohibition
party, it is at least founded on a con-
dition and not on theory. AS party
1t can never succeed, for the good and
sufficient reason that large majority
OF the poor, oppressed wage. .earners do
not wish to be deprived of even one of
their blessed American rights aud priv
lleges. AS long as they can get drunk
and "blow' themselves and thus show
their appreciation of freedom under
the Flag," they don't care if they never
own a home. The condition of the
aole.bodied American wage-earner is
just about what he chooses 10 make it.
---
1t is related that an Atchison man.
when told that he must die, begged his
vile to be brave. And she obeyed him,