The Labor enquirer., 1885-03-07

ports Of every country consists Of articles
for which there is only q sale among the
rich, and in which the working classes
have no share. though they produced the
very goods with which such articles
were purchased.
The rule Of any special class, being 8
direct violation of that natural law by
which all men are created equal, gives
rise to MANY absurditiesa which we Sc.
lect two for your consideration. The
first is that, under our present system,
the harder we work the poorer we be,
come, and Of the truth of this tabsurdity
Il moments reflection will convince you.
What is it that causes commercial panics.
and the shutting down of factories, bul a
lglut Of goods in the market? Itfollows
therefore that the more we labor and
produce, the more quickly we glut the
market and throw ourselves out of work
The second absurdity arising from oui
present unnatural social system is that
thrifty habits upon our part, and the
cheapening of the necessaries Of life, d.
but aggravate our misery. As proof Of
this We have only to remind YOU that,
in the gospel of political economy by
which the wealthy swear, the natural
wage of labor is said to be the lowest
amountiupon which the laborer will con
sent to live. Yes, ii is an absolute fact
that if tomorrow any large number OF
us were to so lower our standard of living
that we could exist upon quarter of a
dollar a day, for q quarter ofa dollar we
should all have to work, That is how
the Chlnaman and the Hungarian beat
ns out of the field at first and reduced
our wages to the level of theirs in the
long run. But you think that ifbread and
meat we're only cheaper, and rents reduc-
( M =
Are yon so blind as to be unable to see
that, ,.,if all these necessaries were to be
HAD for ten cents q day, there would be
thousands ready to work for that amount,
and that to ten cents the wages of you
would come? TIE day.laborer in India
gets but five dollars year for his work,
because he can live in that hot climate
upon rice alone, and his clothing is to be
had fora few cents, therefore, FIVE dol
lars being the required to keep him
alive, five dollars is all that he receives.
We need not remind you that the true
law of wages is that, to the laborer belong
allthe fruits of his toll; we have unfor-
tunately to remind millions of brothers
in their benighted ignorance, that ma
ture's final law is that whoever owns her
is lord and master, and that those who
have. like towards, given up their birth
right must be inevitably his slaves. This
no human institution can override, no
false charity alleviate; it is the fixed. un
alterable law ofthe universe ITSELF
You enquire. then, how you may i'm
prove your lot. that, though suffering
yourselves, your children may hereafter
reap the benefit OF civilization. You TASK
whether we, as an association, will not
aid you in your trades unions and strlk es,
for more often than not your efforts in
this direction have but added to your
burdens. In your every fight against
those whom we recognize as being, under
our present system, of necessity your
enemies, We will assist YOU, but we tell
you frankly why. We have not the
faintest hope that the, disinherited can
ever, by mere refusal TO work, perma-
nently better their condition. So long
as the raw material. the soil, which
nature meant for all, and so long as the
products which we ourselves have
created, are permitted to remain IN the
hands Of a limited elasss, that class Of
necessity holds our lives in the hollow ol
its hand. Doyou know that since the
BEGINNING of this century we have been
perpetually striking, and what Is the re-
ruft? Let the women and children en-
gagged in the Baltic Mills in Connecticut,
the miners of Pennsylvania with their
65 cents day, the "fringe o. unemployed
labor" that swarms in the alleys Of every
large city, answerl Moreover, as often
as not, you do but play your masters
game, since by abstaining from produc-
tion YOU raise the prices of the goods
already produced. Taking a view lot
trades unions and other kindred organi-
zations which attempt to check theoyer-
crowding of any particular trade. what
does their work amount to? Granting
that, under favorable circumstances,
they may, by limiting numbers, secure a
trifing rise in wages, what fs the effect
upon theunadmitted, your brother work
man, whose cause is identical with yours
and whose interests should be guarded
as jealously as your own? Is it not pal
pable that you force them to starvation ?
Is it not notorious that there are always
members wiling to face the hatred Of the
union men, and even to risk death at
their hands. for accepting work, because
| work means breadf
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