The National tribune., 1906-11-22
THANKSGIVING DAY.

| anu thanksgiving 10 Almighty uou Io
all the benefits which have been show
cred upon this Nation In spite of al
that has been said about the degener.
acy in public and business life; in spite
of the jeremiads over the extortions
and expressions of the trusts and rob-
Der barons, the people of this country
have far more to be thankful for than
at any previous time in their history
The aforesaid eXtortions and oppres-
sions are. large and dangerous as they
| may appear on paper, but a small miti-
CATION of our prosperity While we
| fervidly wish that they were otherwise.
yet when We come to compare them
| with what other people have suffered
| in other times and to contrast them
with our manifest, substantial and real
blessings, We can be devoutly thankful
that they are no worse than they are
1t can be said with entire confidence of
the impossibility of contradiction that
never before have our people been so
generally employed, never have wages
'SS'i 81 iiisoii. hCNcI lids IIldfl received
so many dollars for his days work,
and never has dollar been able to get
him more of the necessaries and COM
forts of life. This broad assertion may
take away the breath of the profess
sional ciamorers over the conditions of
the poor, but it is absolutely undeniabIe.
and the statistics will support it.
&c
higher than they were some years ago,
vet they are lower than the average
thru a great period of years, while
clothing, furniture and house rent are
all much lower than they have ever
been. Any man can out of his wages
support his family in better comfort
and give them far more advantages
than ever before in the annals of the
world. We can hope that next year
and coming years will show great i'm
provement in this respect over the
present. Nothing is more absurd than
the cry that the poor are getting poorer
and the rich richer. All history dis
proves this. The most casual study of
the laborers in the street and in the
oiOp SiiSSludily IL, ana IL IS
Overwhelmingly refuted by any visit to
workingman's home, and comparing
what is found there with what would |
have been possible even a generation
ago. We are sanguine that we shall
be able to continue this Improvement
in the condition of the working classes
at even more marked rate than has
tod e;,,a
war.
The year has not been disturbed by
any wars or threats of wars. Our re-
lations with foreign countries have
been of the most amicable nature and
there is not even a speck on the hori.
Zon to indicate future trouble. Pesti-
lence has stayed far from our land
The earthquake and fire at San Fran
cisco was fearful calamity, it is true,
but it was the only one of magnitude,
which is matter of profound graft
tude. In country So large as ours
with such mass of population, the
ordinary doctrine of chances would
bring many catastrophes to portions of
it in the course of year. There were
So lew INdI we may cOUSlQer OurSeiSeSI
a blessed exemption.
More serious, however, than any
physical calamities or the ravages of
famine and pestilence has been the
revelations of the great deterioration
in the American public and private
The insurance and other
business scandals have been most de-
pressing in their development, for it
seemed that men were losing sight of
the old rigid landmarks as to honesty,
and that business brigandage was be-
coming more prevalent. Every form of
business seemed to suffer alike from
this relaxation of the old manly tone
of honor and rectitude But we can
take heart. The revelations have been
by prompt condemnation and
exemplary punishment of wrongdoers.
While this has not always taken the
form of judicial proceedings, yet the
stern reprobation by the community
has been as severely felt as any judicial
sentence, and will be as useful in pre-
loing. This shows that no matter what
prominent men ana trusted OHlclaiS
nay do. the people are as true and
solid at core as they have ever been,
md the scoundrel finds even less mercy
rom them than before.
Our crops have been unusually abun-
liant The sun and rain have met the
earth in kindliest conjunction, and she
has brought forth food in amplitude for /.
nan and beast The farmer has been
blessed everywhere with a full har-
Test for his sweat and toll, his
yarners are filled to overflow
ng and there is market att
good price for what he has to sell. He {
s the cornerstone of our prosperity. !
ard everyone else is getting his full !
share of that which has brought smIl-
ng content to sit as permanent guest
by his fireside. We have, therefore, an
abundance with which to fill our hearts
with devout praise and thanksgiving
lext Thursday tn the Ciyer of All Gond