Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1912-08-02
MAKING WORK

MAKING WORK
Stoughton Cooley in the Public: The
protective spirit, as Buckle well named
It finds many manifestations, graduated
all the way from q protective tariff to
q franchise monopo1y, and from the
closed shop to the licensed lawyer or
doctor; but one CT the strangest yet
noted is that discovered by the writer
in recent number Of Lippincott Is. The
claim is made that burglary in the
United States furnishes employment for
$4,000 honest people; which, allowing
six hundred dollars a year to each,
means salary list Of So, 100000. And
after showing in detail how: conserva-
tive this claim is, the writer asks:
'"What would become Of these men
and women and all the millions of in
vested:capital should the burglar heark-
en- to the teachings Of morality and
religion, cease stealing and: turn to
honest pursuits9" :::.::... 49, s.
! Here is a clean-cut proposition.
There may be some excuse: for the
confusion Of the average citizen when
he attemptszto unravelthe protective
tariff snarEfor there have been so
many interested In 'smussing it up''-
but this is q simple, concrete statement
that should come within the mental
grasp of all. Behold! IF there were no
burglars there would be no need Of the
"25,000 good American citizens earn
ing their, livelihood as private watch
men," Nor would there be any oc-
casion for the manufacture and. sale
of the burglar alarms, burglar:proof
safes, etc., etc. Fc-ce it is as plain as
a pikestaff that since it is desirable
that honest men should be employed,
burglars are benefit to society.
The converse also is true:
Whoever reforms burglar, or in
any way discourages burglary, strikes
at the welfare Of seventy-fve thousand
honest American citizens. And as it is
fact recognized by all protectionists
that the freetrade advocates in this
country are in the pay Of the Golden
club and other foreign organizations
that are seeking to destroy our in
dustrial system, SO it is equally clear
the the men and women who are engag-
ed in the work Of reforming burglars
are in the pay Of the enemies Of this
republic.
II II II
An excerpt from the article in ques-
ton is quoted in an editorial by the
New Orleans Picayune, one Of the pa
pers that has made such an ado over
the proposed free sugar bill in con-
gress.
To remove the duty on sugar, says
the Picayune, means the throwing out
Of employment of many thousands Of
honest men and the humiliation Of
many millions Of capital. And why
should this be- Because God has been
partial in making sugar lands that
whereas the cane has to be planted
about every nineteen years in Cuba. it
must be planted every two or three
years in Louisiana. Therefore, every
| washerwoman and every day laborer
throughout the country who would
| sweeten cup of coffee must pay six
cents for four cents worth Of sugar.
That is to say, should one boat per-
sist in steaming up the middle Of the
river where the current was four miles
an hour, while another Rugged the
shore in a current half as strong, it
would be necessary to protect the
former from the competition of the lat
ter. To prevent shippers from giving
| all their patronage to the cheaper
boat the state would have to add a
special tax to it's rates. It would require
more boats and more men TO carrv the
freight up the middle of the river;
hence, it would be the part Of wisdom
for a paterna1istic' government to see
that the cheaper boat were properly
handicapped.
Tt NAV he noted in passing that there
is a peculiar fitness in the sugar duty.
Being the largest single item OF import
revenue, it is fitting that it should he
levied upon citizens not in proportion
to their ability to pay, nor vet accord
ing to the benefits received from ~"
government, hut according to their
necessities. Thus. the 1aboring man
,, uses as much sugar as the millionaire,
and hence, will contribute as much to-
ward the maintenance Of the govern
| ment-and the support Of the Louisi-
! ana cane and Colorado beet-growers,
Indeed. the poor man. or the washer
! woman, with several children, will con-
tribute a good deal more than the mill
1UDd1Tc UdCHClOI. HIS II dCCOA"ihS W
the eternal fitness Of things; for, as
the peculiar development Of flesh on
the person of the child shows nature 8
intention that it should be snanked. 50
! the broad back Of labor proclaims that
| it was intended to he taxed.
Il II II
tt is inspiriting to contemplate such
profound thoughts as the sugar bounty,
and the protection OF burglary. Once
before, the protective spirit stirred a
man into the utterance of a similar
GREAT truth. It was when the head Of
the KNIGHTS Of Labor advised the
Knights to break the beer bottles af+e-
emptying them. This, he said. would
make work for the bottle blowers. Here
was another simple proposition +h"'
proclaimed great underlying prin-
chile When YOU have finished dinner.
smash the plates; after spin in your
auto, dump it in the ditch: when g.
howe mead horse ki11 Kim Time Won