Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-06
THAT IS THE QUESTION:


life. We may forecast the Democratic
platform and we may guess what the
Republicans will say in the hardy ana
unblushing rhetoric with the use OF
which they are familiar, but the run III
the campaign will be provided by the
man in the audience. The questioner
will be a feature of every meeting. Mr..
Taft only had taste of him. Coming |
political events cast their shadows be-
fore. The question asked by Mr.. Taft's
tormentor, and not answered satisfac-
torily, will be put to every Republican
orator, not only directly but in many
varying indirect forms.
IF a man is out of work, and can't
get work, and has a family to support, |
and has no income except the money
he can earn from day to day by his
work, what is to become of him and his
family?"
That is the question. By the way, 1t /,
is not fool question. 1t is GREAT
question, the question that is behind
all systems of political and domestic
economy and high finance and low
finance and wage earning and fiscal
arrangements and import and export
duties, high tariff, low tariff and no
tariff. 1t is THE question. and the
man who cannot answer it is not dis
graced. He is simply confessing that
civilization has a weak spot, and that
is must be strengthened. But the great
statesman will be he who can suggest
a way of strengthening the weak spot,
and not the amiable well fed citizen
who exclains "God knows" When Mr.
Taft uttered those two celebrated and
indisputable words he put himself in
an unassailabe position, because he
stated an incontrovertible truth. At
the same time he confessed his inability
to cope with the question which will be
the problem of the next administration,
the problem of employer, employment
and employed. Must the health and
education of an honest mans family
be endangered by a capricious system
which denies him the right to earn
living? Think of it! Probably those
persons who as a rule see the salary
envelope or the check that represents
business transaction do not think of
it half enough. They may be first rate
citizens, masters of their trade or pro-
fession highly experienced. able to do
not merely good work but the very |
best of its kind and yet under sys-
tenn indissolubly associated with Re-
pubicanism and with that vague and
mocking word Prosperity they may
be cast adrift, without rhyme or reason,
while on account of the refusal of their |
fellowman to give leave to toll at their
trade or occupation, those dependent on |
them may be deprived of food, robbed
of education and weakened in health. |
And there is no redress.
From the robber who steals your |
goods you may obtain redress. But
from the robber who deprives you of
an opportunity to earn living there is
no redress.
From the burglar who breaks into
your house you may obtain redress.
But from the burglar who breaks into
your life and steals your chance to
earn there is no redress.
From the holdup man and the high
wayman who halts you and commands
''Give met" there is protection. But
from the holdup man who halts you
and exclaims Thou shalt not earn,
there is no protection.
And how can the Republican spell
binder reconcile late or present con-
ditions with the spellbindings of yester-
day? Spokesman for the Republican |
party said that hard times came |
only under Democratic administrations
HOW CAN THEY EXPLAIN THE
REPUBLICAN HARD TIMES? That
is a fair question! And how Will he
explain the empty dinner pail? Can he
with mere words satisfy the hungry
workingman and his half starved
family? When a man is hungry he
wants food. He does not care about
explanations of the causes that pro-
duce the effects from which he sut-
fers 1t is a situation, not theory,
that confronts him. You may I'LL ms
dinner pail with explanations, reason
ings, or even with apologies, but moth
ing of that kind that you can put in the
pail will feed him or satisfy him. A
Fine speeches cannot take the place OF
food. 1t is all very well to talk about
a square deal, and we respect the big
square deal man; he means what he
says, every word of it; but we must
have a square meal as well as square
deal In fact there cannot be square
deal for citizen of the United States
without square meals. No matter how
prodigious the revenues of the country
may be, or the earnings of trust may
be, the starvation of one deserving cit
izen and his deserving family con-
tinues to be a disgrace to our civiliza-
ton. A land with deserving citizens
who can talk in billions should not
have other equally deserving citizens
who sometimes have not the price of
loaf of bread.
TOM WATSON
oar w ATGON of Coor0ia thp STAN