Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-06-02
KNIGHTHOOD, AND WHAT COMES
OF IT.

OF IT.
There seems to be good deal of fas-
ciDation in the word "knight." We have
Knights Templars, Knights of Pythias
(whoever Pytbias may be), and now
Knights of Labor. How many others,
know not. The danger is, of more
knights than days. At all events there
Is more darkness shed abroad than light.
Nor shall | attempt to illustrate all the
matters connected with this business
which now disturbs the country, seeing
much of it is secret, and only becomes
visible IN its effects. Yet few things
seem evident, even to one up among the
\ Michigan pines.
Now this very large country, and its
pursuits are of immense diversity; and
the conditions and requirements of all
these branches Of industry, as to wages.
hours of work, severity of effort, and
skill demanded, are endless. insist that
the place to settle these matters is on the
spot where the work is done, and where
its conditions are familiar, and that the
parties engaged in them, and who come
face to face. But this organization steps
in and says ''No, you are not the right
parties. We take all these things in
charge, and must be adjusted not on the
plane OF your interest. but on that of all
the labor in America" That is, body
of shoemakers, tailors, plowmakers, sew
lDg-machine men, must settle how the
railroads shall be run, though they know
no more about railroading than they do
of the tribal government in Central
Africa
There are some thousands of men to-
day idle who wish to work, because some
Knightly Mogul has sent them word to
stop, and net only to stop them
selves, but to stop every body else.
Suppose l set up the business of
making jews harps, and hire man to
help me. L make contract to supply
some dealer with few gross OF the arti-
Gle. | get my steel and coal and shop,
and Jews-harp making huns with my
man and me. Suddenly he picks up his
hat and says No more jews-harp herep'
"What is the matter? Are your wages
unsatisfactory?'' ''No, but my head
centre has sent me word to STOP" "What
for?" IL do not know what for, but he
says Stop "Who is your head centre?"
'WeH, he is a tanner of hides over in
Dakota. There is some quarrel, | guess,
over there about hides or tan-bark, and
word through the States is to stop till it
is settled"
Can such body, so constituted, regu.
late this vast and complicated matter of
employ? They can throw il all into
dasorder. They can get the country shy
the ears" No matter how good their
intentions are, they are simply medGlers
-"busybOdies in other mems matters"
Well-meant but misadjusted efforts are
often the most damaging known. The
world agrees to hate a meddler. The
Scripture says, ''He that meddleth with
strife not belonging to him, is like one
that taketh dog by the ears''; and if
some of these Knights do not get bitten
before they are done with, it will be that
the dog is better natured animal than
common.
If these ideas are in the neighborhoo6
of truth, this organization is not, on the
whole, helping the laborer It is getting
him into hot water by melting quarrel in
all ranks of the community: for all suffer
by ii. In war both parties suffer-the
conqueror as we'll as the conquered; but
the weaker suffers most, and all the non.
fighters suffer. The wider the trouble
spreads, and the more effectually the
people feel it, the worse will be its out
come.
Wages paid, suppose wage-payers.
Now man with half an eye can see that
to reduce the employed capital is to
reduce the amount paid in wages; and
all about us We hear of projected enter
prises suspended till it is seen what is
the result of this disturbance. Let the
withdrawal of capital go on. and what
becomes OF the prosperity Of which we
boast! L do not expect to see our rail-
roads rubbed out, and the return of
wagons and foot travel; nor our factories
all stopped, and the old spinning wheels
and loom reintroduced But one can
imagine such thing, and it lies in the
direction these disturbances point. In
Oriental countries capital has withdrawn
itself by insecurity in its investments,
till 1t consists often of nothing but coin
and jewels hidden in the earth. Read
ODonovan's visit to Mevy in Turkestan.
There are economic questions con-
cetned which [ do not care to discuss.
There is that of reduced hours of labor,
say to eight, as applying to all employees.
1t is doubtless the case that for some
varieties of work, eight hours is enough.
But before it applies to all varieties OF
labor, 1t will be well to consider how far
the increased cost of products will offset
the gain of leisure. If. for instance, a
man working ten hours can make a pair
OF shoes in day, in five days he will
five pairs; but if he works only eight
hours, in five days he will make but four
pairs. Must he not sell his four for the
price of the .fve? And all the people
wear shoes. Twenty per cent. added to
the cost of all manufactured articles.
would seem not to help the poor man.