Daily Republican., 1883-08-29
The Labor Question.

The Labor Question.
The labor pro olem as, laid before the
Senate labor investigating committee,
now sitting in New York, IS assuming a
puzzlng aspect an rather confuses the
brains Of the august committee who had
never given the question OF labor much
thought before. One member OF the
committee, a Southern Democrat, whose
symparhies have generally been with
the laborng people and the telegraph
strikers, is quoted as saying that '"the
problem seemed IT, him now more com
pick and difficult than ever and that he
confessed his inability, from any light
which he had, to solve it satisfactorily.
II must he admitted that such evidence
as that given by A. G. Moody, of Brook
Ign, author of " Land and Labor" yes
ter!ay, is enough to stagger any man
His calling attention to the acquisition
VI NdSt llh's vi Ihi"l III 'lV H'htu W
foreign capitalists shou II serve as "A
note of danger warning 10 the people of
this country. We have onl to refer to
the United States to get data of the
rapid process by which land is gradual
ly falling into the hands Of large
CAPITALISTS. In 1860 there were 1lG
farms Of over 1000 acres and ten years
thereafter the number of farms of that
size had increased to 1886.
These were what were called farms
not uucuitivatrd tracts OF land bought
mp for speculative purposes. In the
LATTER II T. DisSton, Of Philadelphia, led
Of with 1000, 900 acres in Florida, and a
corporation in Texas owned $500, 900
acres. Mr.. Moody, who has given the
question much thought and considera-
ton, says that En- 'l.sh Lords and
French Counts are dominating over II
territory that was three times larger
than the kingdom Of Great britain,
and by system Of wholesale farming
had driven American far nerS into the
ankS Of wage labor. Our railroad
companies, he says, possess IA great deal
more power than the feudal monarchs
of Europe aud were in possession OF
25S, OOO 900 acres of land, an area larger
than the whole of Austria, Italy and
Switzerland combined Mr.. Moody's
evidence, however is given elsewhere
in the REP BLICAN and will bear
careful reading and more careful con.
slrration.
Then the question will arise as to
what can he done TO Coanirrdct the ten
dency Of the times towards huge
mOnopolirS while the working people
are hrcoming poorer and more M
mrruU>.
NJ. Finerty, Il brass worker, showed
plainly Hhat mouopoiirS were doing
IN tnat trade. Fourteen years ago
vorkmeu got from SIS to S24 "A week,
but now they only get from SlG to SIS,
while some years ago man could
star business ON S4Oo capital which
upw took - 600.
| Mr.. j. Il Miller gave gloomy pic
| turr aiiOrinL, which some years ago
paid cutters So, but now the Polish
jew had driven out the German work
/ n"u and was getting SIS a day and
upon that wa, depending II family OF
Ic;ght ur hin" persons.
John Morrison testified that ma
| "NiiI,'> ~"rr unable 10 earn enough 10
AFFORD th,lu til" common n"crs.a mes
Of Ni",
Tn' cvid,nr" when pIiuted will
| furnish abundant material for campaign
/ ort"ry IT, the coming Presidential
cam allyn, and political par'ie, will
! have 10 put their studying cap, on be-
| fore they can frame platforms TO sui
all pa rjl+s.
Cow. "TpM" Ford clearly Las the
inside rack for the Sheriif's nomina.
ZION nrXt gear, and already there are
muttering4 Of discomfort as well az Of
threats of Grarh TO the ticket if Mr.
Ford is nomuatrd. The Irish vote is a
Il, |, a. I