The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-10-16
WHATOPPRESsHS THE LABOR.
ERS.

WHAT OPPRE3SBS TIE LABOR
Joseph Medill, of the Chicago Fri
bune, on Wednesday last. gave his
views before the senate labor commit
tee of the causes of the impecunious
condition of the masses of laborers.
He says they are hard up because they
do not take care of their earnings, and
that they must be taught to save a
part of what they earn before they can
hope for any improvement. They
pay too much for liquor and tobacco.
He thinks the amount annually spent
in drink is four hundred million dol.
lars and half as much more goes for
tobacco and useless amusements.
This. if not a complete exposition
of the difficulties under which the
working people labor, furnishes all
the explanation required. Six hum
dred million a year for lager and other
beverages, for tobacco and cigars, and
for useless amusements No wonder
the persons paying this enormous tax
make little Roadway pecuniarily. No
wonder they consider their lot hard
one.
A large majority of mankind seem
to prefer being employees to employing
themselves. They consider that they
are very fortunate in being able to
obtain situation in which they are
to be paid one, two, three, four or five
dollars a day nd receive the amount
of their earnings at the end of every
week or month. The larger their
wages the more they will have to
spend and the more they will spend.
1t is just as easy to get rid of IS q
day, as it is s1-we have sometimes
thought rather easier, for the recipient
of the larger amount does not see any
reason why he should economic,
while the person who is earning only
dollar . day knows that he must. As
a rule, employees save nothing and
would not were their compensation
raised one hundred per cent. through
out the land tomorrow. Doubling
their pay would give them double the
money to spend. They would be no
better off at the end of the year than
they are now.
The road to afauence-perhaps we
should say to competence-is by way
of ECONOMY, by saving a portion of
what one earns. IF a person receives
only 81 q day. he ought if possible to
save q dime if he cannot do that,
let him save halfa dime, just nickle.
To do it he may have to 60 without
his glass of lager but better do that
than spend his entire earnings; for
this much is morally certain. if one
spends all he earns. he won't saw any
thing. He Will make no Roadway.
We don't say man should dispense
with his tipple if he thinks he derives
a benefit from it and can afford the
expense, but he should understand
this much to q dead certainty he can
not have the amount the tipple costs
if he spends it. That is as plain as a
pikesta6.
And 80 with the use of tobacco. IF
q man does not care to save, if willing
to spend his entire earnings, the chew
ing of a paper of tobacco every day,
or the smoking of half a dozen cigars,
will help him to dispose of his wages
without question. What he should
understand is that he cannot have the
money he earns and spend it. The
two things are wholly incompatible.
Then as to amusements. Let a
show come along, and who but the
employees in our various manufactures,
mechanic shops. stores and Offices, per-
sons in the receipt of moderate sala-
ries, hurry to give it a benefit ? The
travelling theatrical companies, as well
as those which do not travel, derive
their main support from salaried peo-