The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-10-27

'leave well enough alone?
why the depression we ask? Have
not we had seven years of Roosevelt.
who, according to Republican orators
and assistant Republican, as we'll as
Republican newspapers is the great
est, wisest and best President the
country ever had? Haven't we had
twelve years OF 'standpatism with
Hanna, Aldrich and Cannon sitting
on the brakes. to prevent the enact
ment of legislation not desired by
the gentlemen who are so conspcu-
/ Gus In their support of Taft and Sher-
man-'NIorgan, Rockefeller Carnegie,
Hartman, Schiff? DO these men ever
/ make a mistake when they select
candidates? Which is most Likely TO
be misled these men who say that
Taft is "all right" that he Is con
servatiye, or the Western farmer who
is told that Taft is a radical?
Where is the Astounding prosper
ity? Wealth has certainly increased
enormously, or, at least, prices have
/ been boosted to point that ought
to have satisfied the most avaricious.
The fortunes of the few have became
| gigantic-bounded out of sight.
Morgan, we are. told has three hun
dred or SO millions, Carnegie as
much; while Rockefeller Is credited
! with a billion; few thousand 9TH
ers having from one to a hundred
millions each These seem to have
had their 'full time and keep going
cards In operation, while they are
generally credited with having in
OctoberlNovembe last gathered in
nearly everything in a large way in
the shape of banks, trust companies,
industrial and railroad combinations,
which had so far escaped them. In
fact, the bulk Of the people have been
set lively pace to pay the increasing
prices for the necessaries of life these
and few others control.
but what has happened to the
masses, whom you and other boosters
of Mckinley and Roosevelt assured
were to share in the prosperity? With
a total estimated wealth of some one
hundred and ten billions of the per
capita tables work out all right,
there should be enough to go around,
for that's equal to about $1,000 per
family. But who has It? How many
OF the millions OF toilers have q
tenth Of that sum free and clear?
How comes 1t that the bulk of the
people are shy their proportion Of this
enormous wealth? Have they been
lazy, thriftloss, or improvident, dur
ing these twelve years? If lazy, then
who created the wealth? Has the av-
erage farmer, mechanic, salesman,
clerk, teacher, or laborer, squandered
their portion in riotous living? Did
they spend il for automobiles steam
yachts, or even for diamonds? If not,
what has become of IT? Why haven't
they got 1t, how did they lose It?
| What has been the unseen subtle, but
apparently all-powerful force that
has taken ii from them? Why have
matters become so appalling in Amer
lea that the so-called effete coun-
tries of Europe have. felt impelled to
take official cognizance of the de-
plorable conditions in which so many
of our toilers are compelled to live.
The Italian Government (as a result
of the shocking reports that reached
J iD having sent commission to in
vestigate. Most revolving conditions
| were shown to exist. Whole families
| were found crowded into one and
two-room apartments, while not only
+, the women, but little children not
much more than babies, were found
working in filthy, unhygenic quarters,
helping to ake out scanty living
for the family Oyercrowding was
shown TO be the rule not the excep-
| tion. In one case seven adults and
seven children were living In dark,
middle room, and a large, bare rear
| room.
''The daily press also tells us that
since October, thousands of entire
families have been out OF work, as a
result, they have used up all their
savings, not their proportion-$7,00 900
as aboye-but paltry $50, all they
had been able to save during the
years Of boasted prosperity. The
president of the Association for Inn
proving the Condition of the Poor, II.
II Cutting, says; L cannot remen-
her such a condition existing before.
Not even in 1898 and 1894 did the
depressioin persist so long, While.
according to Serator Foraker, on Ju
ly /, % 900 skilled workers are out
OF employment here in Cincinnati.
Presumably the number of the un
skilled was greater yet. These IL
lustrations of unparalleled pros
perity have been duplicated all over
the blight. rhere has been tre-
mendous exodus of those who could
not find employment, three quarters
of million more having immigrated
, to Europe than lave immigrated here.
"Why the depression, why the
blight? This marvellous prosperity
seems to have been wonderfully ef-