The Labor enquirer., 1885-04-25
7 .19Itf9gff ssN
Further Insight Into the Sys-=
tenn Which Breeds such alis Z
Want and Misery. eas s'sys y j,
The Freebooters Who Live Sum- 4
ptuously and Do Nothing sa
!. I. 9iss Useful to Society. saai9
Aerceaary Methods Adopted n Rsla.
ltion to Marriage Virtue Weighed
d Sit Against Starvation. n aasq
ccon1tiInusd.)

For the Enqnirsx " e sssssisss
q E"Now. the food and other articles are
of different grades, the poorer qualities
being adulterated the most, and are the
cheapest, while the purer grades com.
mand d higher price; 50 that the poor
man is unable, generally, to purchase
good food, while his rich employer can
procure all these things nearly, If not
quite, in pure state. Another advan-
tage which the rich have over the poor
| inthis manner Of dealing is this: they
may purchase large quantities Of all
goods at one time, and by so doing they
gat everything a good deal cheaper;
while the poor man, living from hand to
mouth, is compelled TO buy very small
quantities, and must pay q higher price /
in proportion. Thus you see the condi- i
ton of the workers, who are nearly all
poor, is deplorable in the extreme.
They are robbed on all hands, and adj
l,vantageis is taken of them In every possi-c c
BILE way eds Ee1i5a 9daiEt'Iato2 U.9t
T. Another thing I noticed in regard to
this industrial system, and that is, that
the more laborious, dangerous and dis-l
agreeable a mans employment. the less
was he paid, and the easier the work,
the better the remuneration, and this
has caused bitter rivalry to spring up
between the workers, so that they are
divided into classes, Those who do
scarcely any work, or rperform the pleas
ant tasks, look down with contempt /
upon the poor creatures who are forced
to do the hard and disagreeable work,
This feeling Of caste is one Of the worst
features about the whole system, and
promotes jealousy, envy, and constant
quarrels among the different kinds Of
laborers, tending to perpetuate wrongs
end abuses which might otherwise be
abolished. The rich neglect no oppor-
tnnitx of fnstaring and promoting tiris
unnatural rivalry, knowing full well
that it tends to breed diseord, and pre-
vent unity and harmony among the
workers. ....;-, =. ,. ri n Z. .atra atD
Between the producer and the con-
sumer is vast horde of middle-men,
who do nothing whatever to increase the
value of the goods, but who one and all
obtain good living in some way They
are called agents, commission mer-
chants, brokers, etc. All goods, while
passing through their hands, are in
creased in price-though the value re-
mains the same-and this increase these
middle-men call their profit, though
many of them do not even handle or
see the goods but simply transfer them
to other parties by means bits ofpaper
called bills and notes, These free shooters
live sumptuously, and meyer do anything
useful for society. They get their living
partly from the producer, who does not
receive enough for his product, and the .
consumer, who pays too much for 1t.
Thus labor pays for everything; for all
wealth is the product Of labor I think
you will agree with me that between the
upper milestone, the rich employer and
landlord, and the neither milestone, the
middIe-men who live off from the
product Of labor, the poor toiier has a
hard time of it.. But this is their indus
trial system one of the institutions of
which the children of earth are very
proud, and to perpetuate which most Of
them would shed their last drop of blood.
Any project Of reform il looked upon
with suspicion, and he who advocates a
change. must do 50 at great personal sac
rifice, and in some countries at the. peril
of his life.
Zone curious feature of this unnatural
system is that everybody is continually 4
preaching economy and the rich de.
clare that it is only the extrayagance Of
the poor that keeps them in misery,
The rich do not practice their own adj
vice, however, but as a rule are very
lavish in spending money for their own
comfort; excusing themselves on the
ground that this free expenditure on
their part gives greater impetus to
trade and manufactures Of all kinds,
though they, cannot or will not see that
the same rule should apply to both rich
and poor. This false doctrine economy
has obtained such hold upon all classes
of people that they are totally, blind to
the fact that it is only by consuming
much that much can be produced, 4 and
that this doctrine, carried out to its log
ieal conclusion and universally observed,
would reduce the race tothe most primrr
tive manner of living, until finally imam
would cease to produce anything. When
men stop consuming, they, must, as
matter of course, cease producing. How
lever, this is a legitimate outcome of /
their false system of industry, and can,,
not be changed as long as the system Of
paying wages and making profits is
allowed to- exist sgR aghiie J. .aaiit9a
r. "In passing through the various indus
trial establishments in the cities of
/ America as well as other countries on
/ = lConcluded on fourth pase] '4''i'itfs