Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-05


| inal outbreak. The one hope for sue.
cess for our people lies in a rcsolute
and fearless but sane and cool headed
| advance along the path marked out
| last year by this very congress. There
| must be Il stern refusal to be misled
into following either that base creature
| who appeals and pandcrs to the low
est instincts and passions in order to
| arouse one set of Americans against
| their fellows or that other creature,
/ equally base, but no baser, who in q
! spirit Of greed or TO accumulate or
add to an already huge fortune seeks
| to exploit his fellow Americans with
callou; disregard 10 their welfare of
SOIL and body The man who de-
bauches others in order to obtain q
high office stands on an evil equality
of corruption with the man who de-
bauches others for financial profit, and
when hatred Is sown the crop which
springs up can only be evil.
Demasogue and Corruptionist.
The plain people who tLink-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
damaging blow that can be given popu-
lar government is to elect an unworthy
and sinister agitator on q platform OF
violence and hypocrisy. Whenever
such an issue is raised in this country
nothing can be gained by finching
from it, for in such case democracy is
itself on trial, popular self government
under republican forms is itself on
trial. The triumph of the mob is lust
as evil thing as the triumph of the
| plutOcracy, and to have escaped one
danger avails nothing whatever if we
succunb to the other In the end the
honest man, whether rich or poor, who
earns his own living and tries to deal
justly by his fellows, has as much to
fear from the insincere and unworthy
demaSogue, promising much and per-
forming nothing or else performing
nothing but evil, who would set on
the mob to plumber the rich, as from
the crafty corruptionist who for his
own ends would permit the common
people to he exploited by the very
wealthy. If we ever let this govern
ment fall into the hands Of men Of
either of these two classes we shall
show ourselves false to Americas past.
Moreover, the demagogue and the cor
ruptionist often work hand in hand.
There are at this moment wealthy re-
dictionaries Of such obtuse morality
that they regard the public servant
who prosecutes them when they VIC
late the law or who seeks to make them
bear their proper share of the public
burdens as being even more objection
able than the violent agtator who
hounds on the mob to plumber the rich.
There is nothing to choose between
such reactionary and such an agita-
tor. Fundamentally they are alike in
their selfish disregard of the rights Of
others. and it is natural that they
should join in opposition to any move
ment Of which the aim is fearlessly to
do exact and even justice to all.
Railroad Employees Hours and Eight
=. Hour Law.
Z. call your attention to the need of
passing the bill limiting the number
Of hours of employment of railroad en-
ployees. The measure is a very mod
crate one. and can conceive of no Sc
Hous objection to it. Indeed. so far
as it Is in our power. it should be our
aim steHdily to reduce the number of
hours Of labor, with as a goal the gen
eral introduction.of an eight hour day
There are industries in which it is
not possible that the hours of labor
should be redueSd. just as there are
communities not III enough advanced
for such movemeatSto be for their
good or, If 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
conditions are in every way so differ
ent from what they are here that an
eight hour day would be absurd, just
as 1t Is absurd, 50 far as the iSthmus
is concerned, where white labor can
not be employed, to bother as to wheth-
or 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 it should be
our object to do what we can in the
direction Of securing the general OBJ
Servance Of an eight hour day. Until
recently the eight hour law on our
federal statute books has been very
scantily observed. Now, however.
largely through the instrumentality of
the bureau Of labor, it Is being rigidly
enforced, and shall speedily be able
to say whether or not there is need Of
further legislation In reference there
to. for our purpose Is to see 1t obeyed
in spirit no less than in letter. Hnlf
holidays during summer should be cs-
tablished for government employees.
1t is as desirable for wageworkers who
toll with their hands as for salaried
I I'll fol