The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-05
THE WAGE WORKERS.
STEPHEN 3. eLkINs DISCUSSES TIE
LABOR QUESTION.
The Means OF Averting Strikes and Inn
proving the Condition Of the Laborer
Conference of Sheet Mill Mem
Printers and Plates.

COLUMBIA, No., June s. in an address
delivered before the Alumni association of
the University of Mis- orri Wednesday even
ing, Hon. Stephen B. Elkins gave his views
on the labor problem, and said:
There Is no natural antagonism.
between capital and labor. These
two forces must act together or not at all.
The antagonism is between employer and
employed, and comes of error on both sides.
The one seeks to get as much labor as he
can for the smallest wages: the other to do
the smallest amount Of work for the
most wages he can get. This through
the law of competition, leads to a
constant war of interests. It is said the
country is suffering from overproduction.
But SO long as millions want more food,
clothing, and shelter there is not too much
production for them. The people now con-
sumo 90 per ceat. Of our products. What is
needed is to cultivate home markets, not SO
much to produce cheaply but to distribute
wisely. As market one of our great states
is worth more than all the markets of South
America and Mexico combined.
Mr. Elkins added a few words in favor of
protection to both the laborer and his
products, declaring American labor should
not be brought into competition with that
| Of Europe. He continued:
Criminal classes are increasing; in 1880
the persons actually imprisoned were one
| out OF every $50 of population, as against
one out of every sac in 1850. This is
largely due to voluntary and enforced idle
| ness.
| A very large part of the other work in the
world is by corporations. They constitute
| great force i'm production. and will in
crease, because men derive advantages and
benefits from them which could not be had
otherwise. The evils that have grown out of
corporations proceed from the abuse of
their powers and privileges. Heretofore cor
porations have been organized mainly as
the instruments of capital Hereafter, as
education becomes general. may not labor
make like use of corporations May not
the wage receivers combine in their own in
terests, and become Incorporated un-
der the law for peaceful and legal action, to
do their work in way that will bring them
/ the largest return2
| The two agencies that can be invoked in
| the attempt TO solve the indu trial problem
| are the state and the individual Thus far
the state has not deemed it wise to do much
affirmatively. The education of the people
is the safeguard Of free government--the
only means by which they may know what
is best for their interests and how to obtain
/ it Hence it is also the one essential con.
dition of any well-defined step towards the
solution Of the industrial problem, and the
creation Of better industrial system.
He advocated compulsory education and
the reservation Of public lands for Ameri-
can citizens who are actual settlers As tc
the methods Of solving the difficulty he said
The methods which now seem to promise
the best results in solving the industrial
problem after knowledge becomes more
general and society better prepared for theil
adoption, are: First, arbitration and con
citation; second, cooperation, and third,
profit-sharing. Arbitration, as a method
Of settling differences between nations and
individuals, has already made great tri
umph and secured the best results. Pro
ductive cooperation has made the great
est progress IN France; cooperative credit
and banking in Germany, and distributive
cooperation in England. The British
official report shows that, in 1888, thert
were 1928 industrial cooperative societies
with 1911, 96I members, and over s45. 900 ,00t
working capital, whose sales exceed $40,
600, 900, and whose profits average IS pei
cent, the average of Scotch companies ever
| reaching IS per cent