Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-05-03
GANDRUD'S ARTICLE

Dear Editor Of the Herald: The |,
article by Senator Gandrud was the |
best discussion Of our economic. con- |
.ditions written by zone Of u.s. that ! I
have ever read He diagnoses the di-
sease perfectly, but his remedy was
tried out in: England by the Political
Economists early in the nineteenth
century and found to be an utter fail
ure as it, surely}will when tried today.
When the strife between capital
and labor: first began students of hui
mainly, seeing the havoc being
wrought to minds and morals by the
increasing overwork and starvation
of the workers, planned system
called Political Economy, reasoning
in this way: ''When the capitalists see
how theyJare running the souls and
bodies Of their servants the workers,
they will surely see that it is to their
| interest to treat their helpers more
fairly at least to feed, clothe and
house them we'll so that they may do
their best work, SO let us start cam
paign. of publicity. Benevolent per-
sons will surely introduce a new era
of cooperation by agreement. The
government should not interfere in
economic problems
After thirty years of this endeavor
: they found that neither the landlords,
the factorys owners nor the coal mine
operators would reduce the working
hours below SIXTEEN hours a day
nor pay sufficient wages so that their
labOrers could eat meat even ONCE
AWEEK. Their cry was "These. laws
will ruin industry" ENGLAND can new
er hold industrial leadership unless
capital is given a free hand" The cry
of the capitalist is the same today in
America but he makes his cry to the
legislator, he elects by his campaign
contribution, who naturally needs his
cry. When the Political Economists
understood that laws were necessary
to protect the manhood of England
laws were passed, just as laws will
have to be passed in the United States
if free agricultural class is to sur
i vive. Earl Grey was one of the far
: seeing members of the British House
Of Lords whose tireless and skillfu
labor did much to better the conditions
of the workers, but he was not depend
ent on Big Business for campaign
q funds. For any influential Democra
or Republican today to oppose BIZ
Business would mean immediate OF
livion.
n Be sure that individual capitalist
in America today will not loosen thei
t grip on the workers until they ar
|. forced to do so by legislation agains
them as a class. and so long as can
paign funds are raised by the contr
buttons of the capitalists so long vii
the men elected by the use Of thos
campaign funds legis!ate to protec
the men who put them in office, New
berry for example.
v Gentlemen, POLITICS is the sprin
from which our river Of economic dis
tress' takes it's source and until w
]: workers, who are in the vast majority
y unite and elect men whose interest
are our interests our case will go fro1
bad to worse. Capitalists in the mort
control the Republican party, cap
2 talists in the south control the Demo
n cratic party, and there is no good i
r. them. Do we not need a new politica
e party whose interests are not contro
d led?
IT Any legislation by these two pt
1t litical parties for the workers or tn
farmers will surely bring the sam
s. results that legislation made by tn
n wolves for the sheep would bring.
is -HBOURGEO1S." II
GlenWOod Herald.