The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-05-22

Municipal Abuses Not Due to Our.
Present Form Of City =.
Government.

1t seems 40 strange " that people
should SO strongly believe that wrongs
are the bad actions Of man. That
man Is bad because ne prefers toabe
so rather than be good. Were this
true then surely we are in bad
plight, but when we view the actions
Of man from an economic point we
are able to see plainly tnat man is not
bad because he. would rather be 50,
but because he is materially benefited
by so being. A man sells his vote at
the polls or In public office, not for
the reason he wishes to do wrong, but
tor the reason he derives a benefit
from 10 doing, and the prevailing con-
d1tions place a premium upon dis
honor. Frankly, then. money makes
the mare co.
Commission Form Of Government.
The commission form Of government
Is being agitated very strenuuusly by
Its advocates in this city. They pre-
sent their views very ably, and have
proven themselves very efficient in
handling the subject In order to pre-
sent to the public its most captivating
phases. and placing their views in
such manner as seems to them unan-
swerable.
All the speakers I have heard upon
the subject, grant there are great and
gr1evous wrongs in the present forms
of municipalities in the country, and
they proclaim they exist solely be-
! cause Of the mismanagement and
graft, brought about through politics.
They rather infer that The politics Of
today are Of the kind that have for
their motto. IL give you must pay,
| and the spells you must divide.
Some Errors Indicated.
TO lay claim upon any form of gov
eminent, In which all of the people are
concerned, and wherein oil OF the peo-
pie may be benefited, to say the least,
must be Of such a nature as can give
the direct cause of the things against
which they protest, to merely take
under advisement the effects, and pass
by causes is erroneous as the pre-
v1ous charge that man was bad be-
cause he wanted to be 50.
Graft, it Is true, has followed in the
footprints Of some Of the notorious
sayings OF the politicians, such as,
| Vote for me, will do the right by the
people, Or as a public servant shall
at all times be mindful 1f the interests
of the dear spaobles? Es'roAs. >.::,.:@
~ The Correct Principle. :. :, ..,s.
! In seeking methods BY which we can
correct the. existing wrongs, We: should
not commence at the top, but ferret
| them / out from their commencement
and by SO doing we will. be enabled to
learn their cause, and when once. we
become Of an investigating frame Of
mind, we can see things as they are
more clearly. The speakers who are
advocating the commission form of
government, use the term "The Peo-
ple," but they do not specify who the
people are, we the physical laborers
have not in the past received any re-
cognition at the hands of city Off
Gals or the learned politicians. only
on election day. But from now on
it seems more than probable that there
will be a change by. the workers as
a whole.
A Visionary Agitation.
One peculiar feature of this agita-
ton is that these persoIs do not reck-
on with causes, but with effects, they
treat very learnedly and with mucn
skill, the terms they are pleased to cal
truths and facts, while they build
their utopias, line the path OF our on
coming prosperity with dreams and
wishes, and they build in fancy gov
eminent for our future in which they
believe no wrong can be done, anG
assign us to the palace OF contentment
where virtue will grow as do the flow
ers planted in the fertile SOIL honor
and service to bloom out Of the COM
mission form Of government, to be wa
tered by the will Of the people.
We all bow or at least should be
compelled to do SO, to the right en-
people to initiate what shall be law
and the right by them to the recall o,
all or any person that they believe tt
be unfit to hold public office. -:
Honesty Of Advocates. 90
TheseN people we believe to be strict
ly honest in their beliefs and respect
them as such, but nevertheless we be-
lieve them to be wrong from the view
point that they do not reckon with
causes, and therefore It seems to u:
to be our bounden duty to attack
them, not In the spirit Of malice on
hatred but because we believe then,
to be in the wrong. They DC not take
cognizance Of the fact that there are
sectional Interests :. in our city. they
cannot see the geographical division
Of the cities, one division being the
! home Of the workingman, the uthel
being; the the well kept, well paved
the section in which large sums OF til.
peoples money IS expended yearlysir
decorating and cleaning to beauty
the scenery that they may be pleasing
- to the eve. wholA In the wOrkinprnan,s