The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-09-28

social ambition, instead of intoxicating
the code and the standards which should
be adopted by orderly, sober, and USE
full citizens.
The consequences of the observations
which have now been grouped together
are familiar to US all. Population tends
from the country to the city. Mechan-
lcal and technical occupations are aban-
doned, and those occupations which are
easy and genteel are overcrowded. OF
course the persons in question must be
allowed to take their own choice, and
seek their own happiness in their own
way, but it is inevitable that thousands
OF them should be disappointed and sui.
fer. If the young men abandons farms
and trades to become clerks, book eep-
ers, etc., etc., the consequence will be
that the remuneration of the crowded
occupations will fall, and those ofneglect-
ed occupations will rise. If the young
women refuse TO do house-work, and 60
into shops, stores, telegraph offices,
schools, ETC., the wages of the crowded
occupations will fall, while those of the
domestic servants advance. If women
in seeking occupation try to gain admis-
sion to some business like telegraphing,
in competition with men, they will bid
be produced if leisure class in an old
social convulsion to support themselves.
They would IN down the compensa-
ton for labor in the few occupations they
could enter.
Now the question is raised whether
there is any remedy for the low wages
of the crowded occupations, and the
question answers itself. There is no
remedy except not to continue the
causes of the evil. To strike, that is to
say that the workers will not work in
their chosen line, yet that they will not
leave it for some other line, is simply
suicide. Neither can any amount of
defamation, nor even of law-naking,
force aman who owns business to SUBJ
nit the control of it to man who does
not own it. The telegraphers have an
occupation which requires training and
skill, but it is one which is very attract
i've in many respects to those who seek
natural occupation. It is also an occu-
patton which is very suitable at least in
many of its branches, TOR women. The
occupation is therefore capable of linn
tied monopoly. The demand that wom-
en- should be paid equally with men is.
on the face of it, just, but its real effect
would be to keep women out of the bust
nese. 1t was often said during the tele-
grapher's strike that the demand of the
strikers was just, because their wages
were less than those of artisans.
The argument had no force at
all. The only question was wheth-
er the current wages for tele.
graphing were sufficientSto bring out an
adequate supply of telegraphers. If the
growing boys prefer to be artisans, the
wages of telegraphers will rise. If, even
at present rates, boys and girls continue
to prefer telegraphing to handicratt or
Homework, the wages Of telegraphers
will fall. Could, then, strike advance
at blow the wages of all who are now
telegraphers? There was only one rea-
son to hope so, and that was that the
monopoly of the trade might prove
stringent enough and the public incon-
venience great enough to force con-
cession, which would, however, have
been speedily lost again by an increased
supply of telegraphers.
Now let us ask what the state of the
case would be if it was really possible
for the telegraphers to make success
full strike: They have very close mo-
Dopoly. Railroad men have much less
effective monopoly; Six years ago they
nearly arrested the transportation Of
the country for fortnight. They were
unable to effect their object. More re-
Gently the freight-handlers struck
against the competition of new influx
of foreign unskilled laborers, and in
vain. The printers might make com
bination, and try to force an advance
in wages by arresting the publication of
all the newspapers ON given day, but
there are 80 many persons who could
set type, in case Of need, that such an
attempt would be quite hopeless. In
any branch of ordinary handicraft there
would be no possibility of creating a
working monopoly, or of producing a
great public calamity by strike. FIVE
go on TO other occupations We see that
bookkeepers, clerks, and statesmen
could not as a body combine and strike.
Much less could teachers do so. Still
less could household servants do so.
Finally. farmers and other Independent
workers could not do it at all. In short.
. striker is man who says, I mean to
get my living by doing this thing as nv
share of the social effort, and I do not
mean to do this thing except on such
and such terms. He therefore proposes
to make q contract with his fellow-men.
and to dictate the terms of it. Any man
who can do this must be in a vely ex.
ceptional situation. He rcust have a
monopoly of the service in question,
and it must be one of which his fellow
men have great need. If, then, the
telegraphers could have succeeded in
advancing their wages fifteen per cent.
simply because they had agreed to ask
for the advance, they must have been
far better off than any of the rest of
their fellow-men.
Our fathersS taught us the old maxim.
Cut your coat according to your cloth.
The popular discussions of social cues
tions seem to be leading up to new
maxim-Demand your cloth &C ,ording
to your coat. The fathers thought that
a man in this world must do the best he
could with the means he had, and that
good training and development consist
ed in developing skill, sagacity, and
thrift to use resources economically. The
new doctrine seems to be that ifa man
has been born into this world he should
make up his mind what he needs here,
them to society" or the Estate" He
wants q congeniai and easy occupation,
and good pay for it. He does not want
to be hampered by any limitations such
as come from a world in which wool
grows, but not coats; in which iron ore
is found, but not weapons and tools: in
which the ground will produce wheat.
but only after hard labor and self denial:
in which we can not eat our cake and