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About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1904)
SEPTEMBER 15, 1904 THE NEBRASKA INDEPENDENT PAGE 9. CHILD WORKER! According to census figures just pub lished, every fifth cild in the country between the ages of 10 and 15 years is a greadwinner. Of these juvenile wage earners every third child is a girl. There are 1,Z50,178 children regularly employed. This is an increase of 33 1-3 per' cent in ten years. Alabama has jhe highest percentage of child labor, finding work; for 27.2 per cent of her "children, while Massachusetts has the lowest, having only 0.5 per cent of her juvenile population at work. Victor Hugo said: "He that sins against a child sins against God.4 Think of it. One out of every five chil dren of the tender age of from ten to fifteen years is a breadwinner. And .then think further. One out of every three of these little children is a girl. Think of it,, mothers , and fathers of this land. And then think still further. These figures show an increase in the number of these little toilers for the past ten years of 33 1-3 per cent-one third more children of these tender years pushed out into the world to be come "breadwinners" than we had in the preceding ten years. And of these ten years, mind you, eight have been dinner pail," "McKinley booms,' "standing pat," "letting well enough alone," etc. Well enough, indeed, with these appalling figures confronting us, These figures say that in Alabama more than one out of every four (27.2 per cent) of her children of this age are at work, jsvhile in Massachusetts . one out of every two hundred (0.5 per cent) of her children of this age are toiling. But the figures do not say that in Massachusetts largely live the Izinfrc! nrV n rnm T li nrtrr m ilia r Vio southland where these little cildren's lives are being confiscated to mammon They do not say that while these little infants are earning dividends for idlers . in the north these idlers with pious faces sit in the pews of fashionable churches, and plead for contributions from these same little children to send to the "little heathen children, who know not Christ." And while .the lit tle ones in the orient "learn of Christ,' through the sweat of the little faces of our own balmy southland, who do know him, our own little ones starve, Think of the playtime of these little ones sioien away; rrom nome ana ten der influences divorced; education de nied; health broken, and life-crushed out, and then say that you tremble not for your country; Nations can no soon er violate the laws of God witn im punity than can a single man. The avenging sword will be swift and sure, for "he that sins against a child sins against God." The United States government charges -3,000 per cent more for carry ing a package through the postomce from New York to Brooklyn than the uerman government does for carrying the same package to the remotest part of Hungary, and the German govern ment does it not at a loss but at a profit. The enormous charges of the United States government make it pos sible for the privately owned express companies to get all the business and pile up enormous fortunes for the priv ileged few. Thats the result of gov ernment by corporations for corpora tion ana a condition that the peo ple's party was organized to overthrow, A SCIENTIFIC RAMPAGE John Brisbin Walker has somewhere inhaled the same idea as Premier Bal four. He says: "Because we have had a false conception of matter the world has been obliged to grope its way for ward." As far as one educated in the theories of the past can understand, to these gentlemen, matter is electric ity, and the electricity is not matter at all. Then they say that ejectrlcity is not a form of energy, electricity can not be manufactured, matter is com posed of electricity and nothing else. That seems to be about the same kind of a mix-up of ideas as occurs in a Christian Science meeting when some member gets up and describes a dis ease that any one will Immediately recognize as typhoid, pneumonia, or dyspepsia, toll how he was cured with in a few hours, and then declare that it tt&s all a IS?, a mortal error, an il lusion, a "claim." that there la no sub stance in matter and no such thiiTg a dijjeasa at all. All that we can do, if wo know the man and know him to bo of good character and always truthful, ii to say we believe that you were hick and that you were in some way uud denly -cured, but it Is impossible for us to harmonize uh contradictory atato tuenUlhat Is that you Here nick and not lick loth at the tamo instant of time. Sir O'lm led ce, T. n. S. rtin to hare got Into the tame boat, but he trl. to explain matter. II flay: f thrt atom! of a iubstann no such that they io: Ucttj tbrr Hint as many electrons as hydrogen gas has, we call it sodium. If each atom has 200 times as many as hydrogen, we call it lead or quicksilver. If it has con siderably more than that, it begins to be radio active. Matter then appears to be composed of postitive and nega tive electricity and nothing else." But electricity is invisible. In vi bration it produces light, but light is not electricity. Matter is visible. There is something that we see. Is sight an illustion a mortal error? Have all the scientists gone on a hysterical ram page? THI BUTCHERS' STRIKE ENDED I The big strike of the packing trades has finally been declared off, in order to preserve the unions intact, as stated by President Donnelly. Mr. Donnelly stated that his men had lost the fight. Why did they Jose the. fight? They lost it because thousands of other hun gry tnen were on the outside waiting for them to quit; so the hungry ones could get a chance. By why was it that there were thousands on the out side? Because, and only because, un just economic conditions haw made it possible for monopoly interests to lock up the resources of nature and prevent all men from applying their labor to mother earth for the purpose of satis fying their wants. Yet there are some rascally self-constituted leaders among organized labor, apparently in the em ploy of labor's foes, that use their whole effort todiscourage and prevent the discussion r of economic questions in unions. But until the unions do take up these questions and understand them, and then fight for simple justice at the ballot box, strikes will occur and then, after the men have lost millions in wages, it will be. declared - off, to save the. union, Mr.-Donnelly began to see the truth, and he was right in advising a cessation of the struggle. Let us hope that , he will see a little further now, and encourage his men to strike where striking counts. It is estimated that this strike cost the men $5,000,000 in wages alone, and that the loss to the packers was $7,000, 000 in loss of business. In addition to this tremendous loss, we must consider the loss to the public in the Increased price of packers' products. Half of this sum. If expended to educate the stupid asses of the nation against vot ing for their masters' nefarious econ omic schemes, would have accom plished ten thousand times more good for all concerned than this costly strike. It seems that Dr. Dubois, professor of neurology in the university of Berne, has been running up against electrons, or some such thing as Avell as Sir Oliver Lodge and Balfour Dr. Dubois says that "a complete cure can take place only through a change in men tality." They call this "psychothera peutic treatment." This sort of thing is more distracting than politics. When we lay down to sleep and begin think ing over some of the new scientific theories, we can easily conjure up a world that does exist and does not ex ist both at the same time. We can say over and over again, "Matter is elec tricity, electricity is not matter," until we go to sleep HAVING CON VICTIOKS Rooseveltin his letter of acceptance says: A party which, with facile ease, changes all its convictions before election can not be trusted to adhere with tenacity to any principle after election. A party fit to govern must have convictions." That Is brought as an accusation against the democrats and is well founded. But it applies with equal force to the republican party. If the republicans ever had convictions upon any subject except that of the tariif, it should be pointed out. It started out with quoting part of the declaration of independence In Its first platform. It has completely reversed its "con victions," if It ever had any on that subject, and instead of insisting that all governments derive their just pow ers from the consent of the people, it has adopted tho very opposite policy and defends a government by force. On tho money question it made at quick and "farllo" a chaii a-? th democratic party baa done. The most logical and eloquent Rpmhes ever made In congress fur Mmciallsm cre undo by William McKlnlcy and he made a change with Bich "facile tast" hat Mark llanna was able to elect tho nald MTKInlcy president tf the tolled Mates t'cause he was a elngle told standard man. The republican party will make an antl-trtint campaign, chlllt IN trut butter a tho great friend of th peo- to an.1 when the tarn pa I km 1 over, It will make a c hacg "with fad! eaV and tho trusts will not be disturbed. In thU retard the two old panic i ire a win-like 0.3 in every thing eh. The Month of August Is generally considered one of the dullest months of the year, but in the case of the Bankers Reserve Life Company Of Omaha, Nebraska. it proved to be the best month since its organization; with two exceptions. 1904 IS THE BANNER YEAR FOR THE BANKERS RESERVE. FIFTY additional lacal and sqecial agents wanted. For terms and particulars address B. H. ROBISON, President. 222C ffiiMMMawmftir Farm Insurance A Speciality for Twenty Yearo - Established 1885 After a loss, you need the money. Therefore ' when you insure your property; Patronize a Company which lias the cash to pay your claim as soon as adjusted. FARMERS AND MERCHANTS 1 INSURANCE CO. " i ' . ' ' " : - ''. ' ' -: ' Lincoln, Nebraska. Has paid to policy holders over $850,000.00 Premiums written 1903 $314,272.49 Asset? 389,lT2.12 A tested Home Company. " " - ' Fire, Lightning and Tornado Insurance on city and farm property JAILS "WITHOUT OCCUPANTS" Dixon county, Nebraska, built a jail a year or two ago, but it has never had an occupant. Compare that sort of a community with the police courts of our cities crowded every day with scores of unfortunates. Reflect that they are all human beings, all, or near ly all of the same rare and then try to think out what causes the difference. Is it because in the country there is always an opportunity to get work? Is it because that opportunity to work always provides food and clothing and none ever go hungry? Yet the wealth per capita In the country la Insignif icant when compared with the city. Wherever there are millionaire, there ai always paupers and criminals In largo numbers. Where wealth Is more evenly distributed, even though there may not be so much of It, there are no paupers and few criminals. There are many county farms In the west that mct had a permanent occupant. The concentration of wealth la few hand brings with it evils and suffering be yond calculation. To fmht that ac cumulation the iffipk'n party enters the arena. It would ieera that every lover cf his country should t In Its rank, A nation Cllnl with criminal and pauper It t wrak nation, no mat fr what ItJ wealth may be. Walth ra t make a nation prrat. It li free, Independent men, though they may be poor. There la something greater and more powerful than dol lars. . W. W. Astor of London made visit to New York the other day. No one paid any attention to hira on the steamer or after he landed except a newspaper reporter to whom Astor im parted the information that ho was continually adding to his real estate In that city. That Is the kind of a man the pops would like to get after. He takes out of the people of New York every year several millions of dollars for which he gives no return. It goes to Hngland to be spent therev except what Is used to Increase his holdings In New York city, and most of It comes from the poor. No wumief that there are paupers In New York by the tens of thousands. Astor re pudiated America and becarao a Brit Uh subject several years ago. IOMK Did LtlKO It always will bo a wonder to honest men how republican editor can have the face to He after the manner In which they are to prona to do. Now here h the tuning News of IJncolu whUh lava: "When thi fulonlt wer In power tlmii were hard and far cf political drfrat rompelM the party leader to kep ftriripiUtlcc 0od. It UM Lwt,