The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1920-03-04
THE AGE OF PROTEST

With the signing of the Armistice
there commenced throughout the
world, and particularly it would
seem in America, an age of protest.
While the war was at it's height we
Thought we wanted an international
lpeace pact, but it took months and
months of quibbling and dickering
and protesting by the representatives
of the Powers ut Paris to get the thing
into any sort of shape; the Senate
has been wrestling with the matter
until everybody is tired of hearing it,
and now, fifteen months after we
thought the World War was over, our
status of war with Germany and Aus
tria is still unchanged; and to cap the
icllmaX, as a result of the President S
own protest to the Allies regarding
the proposed Adriatic settlement, the
treaty has been indefinitely side
tracked by the Senate
Moreover, we find the same trouble
in other Legislative matters. The lab
or leaders protested and the proposed
anti-sedition law was promptly aban-
doned in both houses of Congress.
Again organized labor protests and
faction on the railroad measure comes
to a halt, after bills have been passed
by both Houses and the difference
reconciled by conference commit
fee.
little while ago our people,
aroused by the hardships and losses
resulting from the steel and coal
strikes, made a general demand for
an anti-strike law and Congress went
actively to work to enact one. But or
ganlZed labor lifted hand of pro-
test and Congress dropped the nat
ter Immediately.
The Washington authorities have
received thousand protests against
the huge Government expenditures,
but wherever an attempt is made to
reduce this cost, somebody protests
and the effort is nulifed. Congress-
men protest against giving the Fed
eral Departments money to maintain
their big forces of unnecessary clerks
and other employees; the employees
protest to their congressman against
being thrown out of work; and the
Congressman in turn protest to the
bureau chiefs against the dismission
of employees who happen to be their
nStI &c
Shipping Board undertakes to sell a
lot of the idle ships, cut off expenses
of maintenance and repairs, and in
cidentally put few millions of dol
lars into the Treasury, some enter
prising taxpayer" Mr.. William Ran
doyph Hearst for instance, enters a
protest in the form Of an injuction,
and the ships continue to ride at an
chor among our hundreds of other
idle Government merchant and pas
senger vessels.
Then too, there is the ever-present
universal protest against the high
cost of living, along with the protests
against too long hours and too little
pay, on the one hand and on the 9TH
er the protests of the farmers that
| they have all Of the real work of pro-
duction to do, with but few Of the
comforts and pleasures Of life, and
only small share Of the Just reward
Of labor
There is also a protest by doctors
against intOlcrablc conditions in their
profession, and the recent threat to
lnionizc. They may soon, by strike
issue an emphatic protest against fur
ther, efforts to restore people to
health. And, Of course, if the "hu"
or something else comes along and
makes an honest attempt to relieve
The protesting thousands of all their
lis here below and give them en-
trance to happier sphere, just think
Of the protcsts--the real and iusti-
liable protcsts-that will be made to
he last and worst of all profteers,
he undertakers.
And so it is everywhere. Everybody
has kick or protest of some kind
and nobody seems to be able to do
anything really worth while.
And Mr.. Root said the other day, !
in his keynote speech, it is time for
everybody to begin to attend princi-
pally to his own business and 90 to
work.