Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-06-20
3 s75 90
1000 90
1,40o 90
1000

=. II OIL
Louis Schneider to John P. Hickam
N lot SO, except 20 # off south end, and
" hf lot 80, Old Town. 75O
Henry c. Schwartz to John W.
n Branch, lot 4, blk G. Hoefer's add to
John K. Smith to Robt. II. Smith, 0'
hf Sc, So, 50; p, 80 acres. .,....:... $500 q
Anna G. Dicken and husband to
q Mamie e. Steele. W hf lot l, all lot 2.
z sn9 10 r on side lot 8. blk 20, 1st
n Chris. E. Stone to Stephen Gates. 1''"
! hf blk 16. and hf lot and 4, blk
N y, Napoleon 300 O
Henry r. Baker to Mary E. Wae: low
oner. pt sec. s6, 40, 2S. lot in Odessa 225 O
THE LABOR PROBLEM.
+ HIGaINsvILLE, Mo-, June 13. 1885.
4 EDITOR INTELLIaENcER:-Y kind
ly published the communication con-
cerning the Labor Organizations of til,
Pacific Coast, for which tho member
of Davis Creek Grange are obliged
But your long editorial on the subJec
gives the opportunity and creates thu
necessity for further discussion, and
therefore hope that, even at this late
date, you will give us hearing.
Neither the correspondent nor the
grange at whose request the communi.
cation was published, is under the ne.
cessity of s'reading between the lines''
to detect the spirit of agrarianism that
Is apparent on its face.
1t was because evils existed that the
grange was organised. What they were
and to what extent they existed or
what the remedy, were all to be dis
covered. Directly, however, one
thing was clear to all, and that
was, that the agriculturists must
have an organization, and through
1t discover and correct the threatening
evils. The vast proportions which the
grange assumed alarmed corporations
and monopolists who found it necessary
to send vast number of unscrupulous
neutrality-suspicious. who get their
i bread by serving the interest of capital,
hindering justice, &C., to enter the
ranks of the order and misdirect its
blows and thereby discourage, and
break up the organization. Without
mentioning the vicissitudes through
| winch the grange has passed, it may
we'll be said that it has correctly meas
ured the power of monopoly, discover
ed ITS methods and forecast the results
which must quickly follow if not
| checked. 1t has also ascertained the
habits, numerical strength, condition
and methods of the labor organization.
| when there are nearly three million
workers employed in the factories in
the United States who receive less than
one dollar per day upon which to sup
port themselves and their dependents,
whilst the corporations for whom they
l work make a profit of over one dollar
per day on each days labor, and when
there is less than one-half of the wage
earning classes in the country who are
in no better condition.; and when the
e-earning class is ever increasing
and capital ever growing stronger and
more oppressive, is it to be wondered
at that the labor organizations fall in.
to communism Indeed is it not a
wonder that they stop at this?
They know that not one cent of the
large increase of wealth of which we
boast goes to those who produce that
wealth. They know that corporations
want strong government to secure
them in that which they never earned,
and which they use to oppress those
who did earn it.
Now in view of these facts and in
view of the fact that little good has
come Of former methods, is it not a
favorable omen when we see them
turning to the grange for council? The
grange cannot adopt their methods and
opinions, but they can adopt ours.
We see at once that we consume
what they produce, and produce what
they consume, and in this our interests
are mutual.
The labor organizations and the
grange have learned that they produce
and consume for each other and that
Justice would give them the right to
exchange their products without the
assistance of a syndicate, to set the
price on labor and on every commodity
produced. Yet we are deprived of this
right.
Corporations limit production at
will. They establish the price of
labor as well as the price OF the pro-
ducts of labor. They set at naught the
law OF supply and demand, they ex-
terminate competition so far as it effects
themselves, and control legislation in
their own interest. They reorganize
courts and dictate their decisions.
More than four thousand legislative
lenactments in England intended to re-
strain corporate power, are said to
be dead letters. The same is true in
this country. When such facts exist
and the labor organizations know them,
we say again that it is strange that
they stop where they do.
The grange could never agree to the
naturalization OF lands. 1t cannot
say that organized society is bound to
give employment to all who are will.
ing to work. But it can contend for
the removal of the restrictions placed
upon production. 1t can insist upon |
fair distribution of the products ofl
labor which will secure employment.
II the naturalization of telegraphs and
transportation lines is communism. |
then we have been nation of COM
munists from the first. The God given
waterways were national highways
which none had or asked the right TO |
obstruct, until we undertook to super-
sede the Creator and made (created) |
what we are pleased to call a creature |
OF the law, viz: a soulless corporation.
to this we give the right to obstruct.
not only the rivers whenever and
wherever they choose, but we also give
it any privilege it asks for without ref
erence to the wants or requirements of
the people. 1t never tires of asking.
and is never satisfied with receiving.
If it is communism to nationalize
transportation lines, it surely was COM
munism to call the rivers national high
ways.
The mail system has always been
national, yet to nationalize the tele-
graphs (wOrth twenty million dollars
and watered to eighty million dollars.
paying dividends of six per cent four
times year,, would be communism.
The whole matter may be summed up
about as follows:
The wage-workers number nearly
one half of the population. Their
are on the increase. They
are organized; they know they are op-
pressed by corporations. They know
their strength. They know that cor
porate power is not restrained, and
the time is not far away when thev
will follow in the footsteps of their
brethren in the old world, who HAVING
lost hope of correcting the evils by law
resort to any and all methods of re-
dressing their wrongs without regard
to consequences.
The labor organizations of this conn