The Labor enquirer., 1883-11-24
0UetDt E1lUuEAD0.
How the Rich Man Gets the
Comforts Of Life at Low
Rates,
While the Exploited Poor Pay
the. Pound Of Flesh in
Full.
a Word on the Subject Of Co
Operation Among the
Workingmen.

In taking the train few days ago for
neighboring town some fourteen miles
distant from my home, I happened to
sit beside wealthy gentleman who
knew me veil by night and reputation,
and whom knew equally well, although
We had never spoken.
After riding some distance ventured
to extend to him the ordinary saluta-
tions Of the day, which he reciprocated
with becoming politeness and cordiality.
After few superficial exchanges of
words he finally looked at me with a
mischievous smile and said =
"Well, you agitators seem to feel good
deal of malice and bitterness towards
railroads, but / call this q pretty cheap
ride for fourteen cents in such an ele-
CANT and we'll ordered train as this"
Is that the fare ?" said I,
That is all / pay" he replied; -four
teen cents to Bristol-a little over cent
per mile"
At this, laboring man, sitting behind
us, who had listened to the conversation
rudely asked. the gentleman's pardon
and quite exEitedly exclaimed :-"Is it
fourteen cents ye say F-and the .rascally
devils charged poor man like me forty
cents for the same ticketw
ut is your own fault" the gentleman
condescended to say "a single ticket
costs forty cents, but you can buy fifty
two limited tickets for $3.50, which
makes it come at about fourteen and a
half cents for the single ticket"
"And what if poor devil has not the
S.. so ?" replied the laborer at which
the gentleman looked at him in angry
contempt and cut off the parley.
After the poor man had subsiaed and
fallen back into his seat to reflect, l re-
minded the gentleman of an anecdote
that is extant regarding certain de-
ceased millionaire of our town. During
an exceptionally hard season for labor
he was one day visited by very de-
serving man who begged that he might.
be given employment at any price that
would keep his family from starvation.
II have nothing for yonp' retorted
the millionaire savagely, "and further
more there is no need of so many work
ing people peing poor and out of employ
ment. Why don't you fellows take
$2,5OU and go out west and buy you
farm ?"
1t was something in the same spirit
that my wealthy fellow traveller told the
poor man behind him that it was his
own fault if he paid forty cents for his
ride instead of fourteen cents, since he
had only to take $3.50 and buy fifty-two
tickets as he did.
mention this incident as one of the
thousand cases where the poor are ev-
erywhere Disseminated against in all the
necessities and comforts of life. 1t seems
abominable enough that labor should be
robbed of all the prime opportunities of
well-being and loaded down with rent
and other forms of usury. But after the
laborer finally gets his poor pittance OF
what he produces he beholds the rich
riding on the trains and steamboats,, as
partial deadheads everywhere, and OBJ
tanning the necessities of life at nearly
cost prices, while he has to shoulder the
burden of mercantile profits.
The cost of ton of coal in New York
City is now something like $6 Or $3.50,
and yet there is scarcely rich man in
in town who did not get his coal at S3
or $3.50 at the very time when working
men were charged S. or $3.50 ton.
Thousands of Door people do not even
get enough ahead to buy as much as
ton, but purchase one-half or one-fourth
of ton, and many buy by the basket
These latter are charged at the rate of
81 or IS a ton, and yet they are those
least able to pay it. The fact is that a
syndicate of rich buyers 90 to a coal
dealer in summer and say 1--WE can
charter a vessel that will deliver US five
hundred tons from the mines at $3.50 a
a ton. Now, if you will book us at that
price and deliver the coal to US as we
want it through the winter you shall
have our trade; otherwise we will char
ter vessel.n Of course the dealer as
sents, and the result is that out of the
same bin where the workingmen is now
paying $3.50 for his ton of coal the cars
destined for the rich mans palace is
loaded up at $3.50 per ton.. What is true
of coal is true of nearly all the necessi-
ties of life. Rich men everywhere buy
at half price, and the dealer who is over.
awed bytheir capital simply makes it
good by grinding excessive. profits out OF
the poor and suffering.
aAh r. but says the advocate of coop.
Grafton, "here you come upon the main
KEY of salvation for labor. Why don't
workingmen club together as do the rich
and force dealers to terms in the same
4 way? Is it not their own fault if they
neglect this equal right for all :"
In reply am obliged tofall back sar
castically upon the question Of the
stingy millionaire: "Why dontall thest