The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-03-01
WHY ARE THEY STARVING?

WHY ARE THEY STARVING?
Within the shadow of the famous Madison Square Garden in
New York, where, during the last few days, certain wealthy New
Workers paid as high as $4,000 for a dog, other New Workers gath
cred and begged that bread and potatoes be put down to a price
within their reach.
the doors of putocracy and prayed for the bare necessities of life
at a price that they could pay.
These are the occurrences of the last few days, according to
news dispatches in the associated press.
And this news source may be depended on not to paint the
picture too black, because it's services are usually enlisted on the
side of those exploiting the masses.
And this horrible drama is actually enacted in "the land of
the free and the home of the brave" at a time when the entire
country is supposed to be enjoying a period of unprecedented
prosperity.
At a time when organized Greed is cutting juicy dividend
melons every few weeks.
In the metropolis of free America where is represented more
wealth than in any similar area in the entire world.
In the shade of the Waldorf Astoria hotel where the idle rich
give elaborate and costly monkey dinners in order to while away
their worthless existence and in an effort to get rid of a portion
of the loot which they have taken away from those in the street
crying for bread.
Within ear shot of where every time Uncle Sam fires off a tor
pedo in target practice the yearly wages Of eleven workmen go
up in smoke.
And at a time when the Criminally Rich are demanding,
through their subsidized lingo press, governmental protection for
more extended traffic in foodstufs, through a prescribed war
zone, in order that they may reach their filthy "hands across the
Perhaps we should smugly and complacantly sit back and view
the situation with impersonal Indifference.
The "sane and conservative" citizen may tell usthat these peo-
pie are largely the creatures of their own imprudence.
Such a contention is as un-American as it is untrue-uness
the public is to be blamed for having permitted the food trust to
pick their pockets without protest.
~ When the Criminally Rich become so arrogant in their greed
for more that they will actually horde up the necessities of life
until the masses must pay an exorbitant price or go hungry, the
time for direct action is at hand, and amply justified.
History records a former instance when the masses cried for
bread in the midst of plenty.
And, because it is history, we look upon the fate of Rome as
just retribution.
It is devoutly to be hoped that America will not share the
fate of the mighty Roman empire. But humanity, when hun
cry, is of about the same temperament in this year 1917 as it
was some centuries ago.
The food barons are playing a dangerous game when they at
Tempt to commerciaize hunger.
They may awaken too late to a realization of the might pos
sessed by the hordes which they are attempting to gouge through
starvation.
America is in greater need of a just and equitable distribution
of her vast wealth than more cannons and battleships.
According to late Geographic reports from Bismarck, the
Northwest Hotel is still on the Northern Pacific right-of-way,
where it has been for the last twenty odd years.