Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-12-05

corporations ana trades unions, Their
IL one matter more important to re
member than aught else, and that 4
the infinite harm done by preachers O
mere discomfort. These are the mel
who seek to excite violent class ha
tired against all men of wealth. They
seek to turn wise and proper move
ments for the better control of corpora
tions and for doing away with tn,
abuses connected with wealth into I
campaign of hysterical excitement ant
falsehood In which the aim Is to In
flame to madness the brutal passions
Of mankind. The sinister demagogues
and foolish visiOnaries who are always
eager to undertake such a campaign
Of destruction sometimes seek to as
sociate themselves with those working
for genuine reform in governmental
and social methods and sometimes mas
querade as such reformers. In realits
they are the worst enemies Of the
cause they profess to advocate, just as
the purveyors of sensational slander In
or magazine are the worst
enemies Of all men who are engaged In
an honest effort to better what Is bad
In our social and governmental condi-
tions.
Corruption il never so rife as in conn.,
munities where the demagogue and the
agitator bear full sway. because In
such communities all moral bands be-
come loosened, and hysteria and sensa-
tionalism replace the spirit Of sound
Judgment and fair dealing as between
man and man In sheer revolt against
the sQualid anarchy thus produced men
are sure In the end to turn toward any
leader who can restore order. and then
their relief at being free from the in
tolerable burdens Of class hatred, vio-
lence and demag0gy Is such that they
for some time be aroused to in
dignation against misdeeds by men of
wealth, so that they permit new
growth Of the very abuses which were
In part responsible for the original out
break. The one hope for success for
our people lies in resOlute and fear
less but sane and cool headed advance
along the path marked out last year
by this very congress. There must be
q stern refusal to be misled into fol-
lowing either that base creature who
appeals and panders to the lowest In
stincts and passions In order to arouse
one set Of Americans against their fel-
lows or that other creature, equally
base, but no baser, who in spirit of
greed or to accumulate or add to an
already huge fortune seeks to exploit
his fellow Americans with callous dis
regard to their welfare Of soul and
body. The man who debauches others
in order to obtain high office stands
on an evil equality Of corruption with
the man who debauches others for
financial profit, and when hatred Is
sown the crop which springs up can
only be evil.
The plain people who think-the me-
chanics, farmers. merchants, workers
with head or hand. the men to whom
American traditions are dear. who love
their country and try to act decently
by their neighbOrs-Owe it to them
selves to remember that the most dam
aging blow that can be given popular
government Is to elect an unworthy
and sinister agitatOr on platform Of
violence and hypocrisy.
Railroad Employees' Hours.
ott 30 N<
passing the bill limiting the number of
hours Of employment Of railroad en-
ployees. The measure is very moder-
ate one, and l can conceive of no seri-
Gus objection to it, Indeed. so far as
1t Is in our power. it should be our aim
steadily to reduce the number of hours
of labor. with as a goal the general in
PRODUCTION of an eight hour day. There
are industries in which it is not pos
sible that the hours Of labor should
be reduced. just as there are communi-
ties not far enough advanced for such
a movement to be for their good. or, IL
In the tropics. so situated that there Is
no analogy between their needs and
ours In this matter. On the isthmus
of Panama. for instance. the condi-
tions are In every way so different
from what they are here that an eight
hour day would be absurd, just as 1t
Is absurd, so far as the isthmus is con-
cerned. where white labor cannot be
employed. to bother as to whether the
necessary work Is done by alien black
men or by alien yellow men. But the
wageworkers of the United States are
of SO high a grade that alike from the
merely Industrial standpoint and from
the civic standpoint 1t should be our
object to do what we can in the direc-'
tion Of securing the general observance
of an eight hour day.
F.. Let me again urge that the congress
provide for thorough investigation
of the conditions Of child labor and Of
the labor Of women In the United
States. The horrors incident to the
employment of young children In fac
tories or at work anywhere are a blot
on our civilization.
In. spite Of all precautions exercised
by employers there are unavoidable ac-
cidents and even deaths involved In
nearly every line of business connect
ed with the mechanic arts. It is a
great social injustice to compel the EN-.
ployee. or. rather. the family of the
killed or disabled victim. to bear the
entire burden Of such an inevitable
sacrifice. In other words. society shirks
Us Guty by laying the whole cost on