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PAGE FOURTEEN
LIFE IS CHEAP.
Life is cheap. If you doubt it, look at the
stories of disaster in the mines of this country
during the past three weeks. Over 500 men
have perished in the recesses of the earth as
the result of explosions in three different coal
mines. Can you think of what suffering that
means ? Five hundred men represent probably
at least 2,000 dependent upon them, who are
thus suddenly robbed of their bread-winners,
and whose homes are darkened with the ter
rible shadow of tragically sudden death.
Life is cheap. It is probably true that there
will always be danger in mining, that risk can
not be wholly eliminated; but it is not con
ceivable that in this twentieth century of in*
ven lion and discovery it is necessary to supply
the nation with coal at such tremendous cost.
We are forced to the belief that many such
disasters might be averted if proper precau
tions were taken, and all mines were properly
equipped with the best safety appliances.
Unhappily, while this is a century of in
vention and discovery, it is also a century of
indifference to human life in the pursuit of
the dollar. Life is cheap. It will be easy
to find 500 more men to take the place of
those who died at Monongah a week ago, and
Monday at Yolande, near Birmingham, Ala.
It is cheaper to hire new men than to install
safety appliances and take the necessary care
io prevent accidents.
The government ought to interfere, you say,
The government does interfere. It requires
certain things to be done, and it appoints in
spectors and officials to see that they are
done; but the field to be covered is wide, and
there are many ways of escaping from strict
obedience to the law for the man who wants
to. Not until the mine operators are made to
feel their personal responsibility for the safety
of the men whom they employ will it be pos
sible to secure a full measure of protection.
That realization can only come in one of two
ways. Either by a sudden development of the
altruistic spirit to a degree not usually found
in mine operators; or by a campaign of prose
cution on the part of the law against all men
on whose property accidents happen that can
iu any way be ascribed to negligence. The
latter way will probably prove to be the
quicker and more effective under present cir
cumstances. —Louisville Herald.
WHAT IS A DEMOCRAT?
On the Second page of the Jeffersonian of
December 12th it is claimed that no one can
tell what is meant by a Democrat, these days,
and I suppose that is the reason your paper
is called the Jeffersonian, and if the Demo
cratic party is to be controlled by the Bel
ments of Wall street, Rogers, Sullivans,
Taggarts and such cattle, we would soon have
to repudiate the name, if we are true Demo
crats. But so of the name Republican. The
name means about the same as Democrat, but
that origination has set up an oligarchy and
aristocracy of thieves made rich by special
privileges conferred on bankers, manufacturers
and railroad corporations, nearly all hatched
and grown since the Republican party took
THE JEFFERSONIAN.
possession of the Government in 1860. Mr.
Lincoln is reveranced as the great Emanci
pator of a race, but we seem to have forgot
ten that even if it is true that the negro has
been elevated to equality with the white race,
we must not forget that a large proportion of
the white race of the United States have been
reduced to a state of dependence poverty and
helplessness little short of slavery. The
National debt is growing to an alarming and
degrading condition, out of all proportion to
our increase of wealth, if we compare what
a dollar will now buy to what it would fifty
years ago. It is encouraging the demand that
has arisen for the monthly and weekly
Jeffersonians, in these days 'when such pub
lications seem crowding one another to the
wall, I see the Commoner and the Jeffer
sonian are furnished at $1.85 for both, and
as my Jeffersonian expires January Ist. 1
must renew soon.
I congratulate J. D. Watson on his editoral
of the 12th on Judges Newman and Seabury
and the Bankers’ Clearing House perform
ances; give us more editorials.
With best wishes, yours.
J. D. PORTER.
Brother Jeffersonian, Get up a Club and send it in at once.
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The honeymoon was over, and the husband,
returning from business, was grieved to find
his little wife crying bitterly. “Oh, George/’
she sobbed, “such a dreadful thing has hap
pened. I made a beautiful pie all myself, and
Fido went and ate it.” “Well, never mind,
my dear,” he said, cheerfully, “we can easily
buy another dog.”
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