The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-03-06
CUT Down AND SHUT Down.

incse Two MHlstNnes Amor u nrtNR
Mcrcilcssty Ground.
l'Iionorius," IN the Irish Worlll
In looking over industrial reports
from various parts Of tho country there
seems to BIO widespread shutting
Town" Of production. Thousands Of
workingmen arc already out of employ.
ment, and the condition contingent upon
the shut dawn generally Tint upda
the resumption OF operations heavy
cut down OF wages Il to be cxaeted, In
many instances the proposed cut down
was announced in advance in order to
induce the operatives I'd strike, AMI
thus create pre.eNt for tho shut
down. Between cut down aud shut
down, the upper and lower mill
stones of capitalistie tyranny, labor il
now being ground into submission.
l lately asked manufacturer why hc
proposed Ia shut down, and lac politely
and good naturedly Invited mo to mind
my own business hy telling mo- TINT il |
would shut up l,c weald vduthsate to
tell me why he proposed to shut down,
! have not got quite ready yet tn shut
up on these great questions Of justice
and equity, and until there IL u general
shut down ON ink, paper, and personal
liberty propo q To keep hammering
away npon the hard heads and harder
conscienees OF tyran's. both great aud
small. Oh, what n glorious day it will
be for the devils own, dear working
men, when these great bosses can not
only make everybody shut down hut
also make everybody shut mp. Int lot
liz look into shat down bus nessa little.
The whole fact of the matter il that
while We arc politically republic We
are industrionsly m absolute monarchy.
"Niye In Republique!" shouts tho
French workingman ON his way to the
Lyons silk factory, hut the moment he
enters the door Of the Workshop he en-.
ters an absolute monarchy ~ dcspotic
rs that welded by Louis XIV. The
American workingman il no better oil.
He shouts and filings his hat high IN tho
mir at some mention Of "our glorious
institutions on the public rostrum, hut
the next morning when he closes tho
door Of IN American factory behind
him he leaves "this glorious republic"
outside, and does not sec il again till
he goes home from his day Of toll To
find the next months rent-bill on tho
table.
So long IA these great industrial
bosses "own" and control tho land, the
currency, and the prime Instruments Of
wealth, Of course they can shut down
whenever it suits their de,potic pur.
poses, and all they need have to say to
You or me who protests is shut up. OF
course We do not propos, to shut up,
but we might as we'll shut up II w fail
to see and attack the emnipotent point
wherein they are made bosses vi tho
situation. LII had stood on no higher
plane in the labor question than some
OF these poor trade s.union fellows who
are SO Mortified at "communistic lie s"
and simply ask for u "iair days pay for
fair days work" the manufa turer
above mentioned would have had too
great a contempt for mo 10 want mo to
shat up. The reason why he wanted
me to shut u, and why he would s Mt
me up by force il he had the power
is because no knows that / know the
secret Of his power to prosecute work
ing people, and am constantly airing
that secret befo.e his vic,ims~-am try
ing to cut loose the ma n string that
keeps the cut in the bag. Ii is on this
same principle that Gladstone il plying
with might and maia the shut up game
on the Irish world in Great Britain.
The most savage, anarehtic, atheistie,
nihilistie, and revolutionary papers
have fire, calculations, while the British
Empire lays siege to this journal with
zeal almost akin to desperation,
Why? Simply because in the provi-
dence Of things il has come TO publish
to the poor tenants of Ireland the real
meat upon which landlord SIN feeds.
and to ask the victims to take that meat
ont Of the monsters grip The mere
circulation Of this saving idea among
the rent paying slaves Of ireland
carries greater terror in itself than
whole army Of shifting parliamentarians
or Of soldiery. Hence the Irish tiord
must he shut out in order to DO shut
up, else landlordism would sooner or
later be doomed MS with thunderholt.
But the manufacturers maintain that
they are compelled to shut down for
time about the beginning of the
count Of stock and see where
they stand. This may all he true;
but, my workingman friend, do not for
get that the manufacturers operatives
are the most important part Of that
stock" which he proposes to take an
account Of. The great employing bosses
will know better "where they stand"
after hunger has worked upon the
stomachs of their employees for a few
weeks. In many cases thev will uG-
doubtedly stand so well that the III per
cent. cut down will supplement the
shutdown as a condition Of getting
job. Alas, here il the sad fact at tho
bottom Of these tricks, via, i: that YOU.
yourselves, workmgmen, are s,mply
nothing more than u part Of the manu-.
factWer's stock. lou are nothing
but wages merchandise in his business.
How can you ever 10 anything more SD
long AS you eoneede to him legitimate
ownership in the prime sources If
wealth aud opportunitys II. in the
broad light of saving ideas, You call me
a Communist, because ask for equal
rights to natural wealth and the prime
tools Of industry, 10 You really deserve
| any better treatment al the hands OF
those who ask me to shut up and would
like to shut me up by force il they dared
| to-
As industry il now organized, or
rather iisorsanized. the relative status
of employer and employc is simply the
status of master and slave. III sou con-
suit the law books YOU will iind tina, all
| she legal relations existing between
employer and empleye are treated un.
der the head Of master and servant"
A workingman has no legal status u,l.
der the law except rs a servant The
term master mechanic" which i now