Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-04-29
THE LABOR PROBLEM.
A SENSIBLE LECTURE ON THE
QUESTION BE GAsO. w. STONE
Machine Labor and Hand Labor Com,
pared-The Purpose OF the Wage
Laborers' Organization.

4 Laborers' Organization.
On Wednesday evening q large audi
ence had the pleasure of listening to I
Il very able lecture At the Unitarian
Church on "The Labor Question" by
George w. Stone. The following wa,
his address;
History suggests no remedy for the
cure Of this great unrest among the peo
pie Only genius can see the causes and
devise the methods whereby the presen,
dangers can be avoided. This labor
agitation is in the line of the natura
development Of the human race, a de-
velopment that Is always attended by
pain and labor. 1t Is not merely an
econoInic question of trade and com.
merce, of capital and labor; but it Is o
lquestion of human equality and indi-
vidual liberty.
This problem of labor had Its origin
about 1881, when England and America
entered upon ian era OF industrial In
iveDtion," when machine labor began to
take the place OF hand labor. Steam,
electricity and sound have simplified
labor, to which have been added taste
for the many comforts and luxuries OF
this age, and all are contributing to the
II ahADobs 4Ho oSRoCAsy W uoo 1AA DhlOy
all these advantages Is here, but the
means for acquiring them is absent.
Hence the unrest, unhappiness and con
fusion of the times.
| Our capacity to produce exceeds our
capacity to COM ume, just as the surplus
OF rain will cover the surface of the
earth instead Of penetrating It. The
world progresses not in circles, but In
spirals, each turn IN the social develop.
ment bringing us on a higher level and
presenting new problems for our solu-
tion. In Russia these problems take the
form Of Nihilism; In France Commu-
nism; In Belgium and England they
partake of all the evils Of a II their neigh.
bors; but every where 1t is o passionate
protest against an unknown evil. The
people know not what IL ia that they
suffer, and therefore their resentments
rain blows upon friend and foe alike.
l For the frat time in history the wage.
earDers OF this country have made an
Intelligent effort to organize. Their
purpose has been misunde rstood and
their aims have been misdirected; but
their original object has been praise
worthy. AS Mr. Powderley disclosed.
the purpose Of the knights of Labor
was TO ed ducate Its members, and in q
reasonable period OF time to ask for q
reduction Of the hours of labor and thus
Iproduce an equilibrium In trade by
bringing the production down to the
standard Of consumption. This Ia 9
wise purpose in the face Of the ever
growing utility Of machinery. Skilled
labor Is becoming mere name. The
'machinist" 10 man who tends ma
chine. The drawing room, or the Office
Il nj fia m nj nj
ploys skilled labor nowadays.
The "blue-prints" furnish the pat
terms and the machines grind out the
work from an engine to o working
mans jacket. Machinery has invaded
the kitchen, the laundry and even the
artists studio; chromos complete with
oil paintinge, and one knitting factory
turns out more stockings In day than
q whole township Of grandmother
could knit in q month. In public
works the steam shovel and steam drill
have taken place of hundreds of labor
ers; and steam plows, threshers and
moving machines are supplanting ever
the farm laborer.
This then brings us to the question
II the work Of the world Is to be don'
by machinery, what Is to be done with
the millions thus deprived of tb,
opportunity of labor2 Is 1t possibl,
that the growth of human skill anC
wisdom means the destruction of tn,
human race2 That cannot be so
Whatever force steps in TO take thu
place of human labor is sent by an inf
mite power, and II we fail to regard it q
such we make q mistake. We shoulC
not despise the leisure that labor. saw
ing machinery gives us. Men shoult
be taught 10 welcome and to use
aright.
The tendency to concentrate labo
and capital by corporations is tn
+ enemy of rest and human culture. l
8 is the cause Of much of our trouble to
day. Laws must fix bounds for corSo
D rate aggrandizement, aud regulate tn
! amount of stock that shall be issued b
, each mile o; railroad and telegraph.
reliable standard will by and by
established by which all manufacturer
must hire and pay the wage Garner
). This will secure steadiness in the mar
z ket, for the wage Garner is the none,
b distributor. Unless he earns he canno
!, buy. A stoppage Of wages mean
/, paralysis of the whole financial body
i The time for labor must also be regu
lated. The hours must be prescribed
: such system alone will prevent tn
crowding out of the hand labor. Ho,
Is this to be done? Gan America alon
accomplish such n work? Well, II on
Communication with less favored ma
lions should interfere with our Bocia
reformation, then cut off from the res
lof the world by means of a prohibitiv
tariff. The American system OF pre-
lection will guard us against the Ion
hours and the low wages of Europea
Icompotitors. Again, the exBmple {
less hours and more leisure here woul
have its legitimate effect on the wag'
learner of Europe.
The men who have recently essaye
to lead this prodigious reform hay
made many mistakes. Only the wise
and the best are fit to take charge of 1
great MISTER. Then, too, classes Cal
8 not reform evils In this country. Meth,
wage earners nor wage payers can efie
anythinR in America. The whole PEI
pie are necessary to great reform. Tt
ballot box Is the channel through whiC
all such reforms must come. The wag
earners have much to complain of, bl
II they wish TO accomplish any thin
they must con6ne themselves TO I'll
proper limits of law aud public opinion
rs they are expressed through the ballo
box. Above all reforms, above all II
terests, and higher than all else, is tn
. vital force Of law which must be le
q sacred and inviolate Mr.. Gladstone
i definition of the ''firSt conditions
Icivil life," namely, "tbe free course
labor, the liberty Of every individual
the exercise of every legal right, the
confidence in the law and their symI
thy with the law" should be the Ike
lnote of our conduct
We do not want q larger army, bett
guns, or q stronger" government