Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-06-25

makes it at once cruel and unfair. Who
would think of bOycotting Jay Gould or
the standard Oil company? The system,
therefore. it carried on. will in the end be
conducive of good to large and wealthy
concerns at the expense of the small and
struggling ones. But it is becoming evil
dent that public opinion is fast getting
INTO line IN opposition to the boycott. as
Is indicated in the case of Mrs. GRAY and
Others in New York.
Personally am opposed to the boycott
or rather the abuse of it. because il is an
tagonistic to the idea of the brotherhood
of man. and in practice will only tend to
intensity the baSer passions of man, in
humanity to man. In place of simplify
ing the labor problem, it WILL by keeping
up the irrepressible conflict. make its so
luton more intricate than ever. and a. all
experience shows in the past. tend to
make the capitalist stronger and the la
borer weaker. Two wrongs will never
make a right. neither will aconstant state
of warfare bring peace.
Employers and employees must learn
that their welfare as such dependS. not
on what each can wiring out of the other,
Dut on mutual concessions. Each must
learn to be just to the other A. their in
terestS are identical, then why is it that
they do not work in harmony with each
other. and in this way reach the best re-
suits obtanabe? EMPLOYERS must set
the example, as they have the advantage
OF wealth and education in their favor.
Norkingmen must RELY upon the prin-
clpleS OF equity and Justice and the moral
forces OF association to better their con-
ditlon The first object of association is
the moral. social and intellectual i'm
! proVement of those who labor This
means education of the highest type.
orkingmen must husband all the re-
sources at their command for this pur-
pose.
The last letter is signed by Henry W.
Blair, United States Senator from New
Hampshire, and reads very well, at least
till near the close. He saws:
Sir: The boycott is excommunica-
non. 1t l. dissolution of society as far
as 1t goes. Sometimes it may be indis-
pelsable. but as remedy it is. as a rule.
ltseli disease. Resort to the boycott
can be Justified only in extreme cases.
ana should never extend to the innocent
friends and associates of the supposed
offender. who are not responsible for the
offence and who may be far more injured
by the boycott than the perpetrator of
the wrong | prefer to write Of measures
which. if adopted. will abolish the boy
cOtt ANA the causes which lead to if.
am of the opinion that eight hours is
long enough for days work in all the
heavy manual occupations of life. and
that the elght-hour system should be in
troduced generally throughout the coun-
try a, rapidly as it can be done by peace-
ful and orderly methods and without Sc
rlouS arrangement of the production of
the country. This can be done. in NV
belief. without diminishing that produc-
non ana with greatly beneficial results
70 business men and wage-workerS alike.
Machinery can be kept in operation long
er hours. in fact for twelve or sixteen or
the whole tWenty-fOur hours in emerpeu-
cleS. by the system of hour or piece la
Dor or the employment of RELAYS of
hands.
The grand strategy" of labor should
he to improve and work machinery more
ana more and the individual toiler less
ana less. To distribute employment j.
to distribute productions The worker
: must remember that Il, education and
skill measure his wages a. an individual.
so general education and skill measure
= the general average of wages among a
: whole people. Education alone can pre-
vent the degradation of laborcrS to the
; level fixed by the competition of ignor-
= ancc in all parts of the civilized country.
Education l. civilization. and civilization
commands high pay. and consequently a
TAR and equal distribution of things to
he consumed. Highly skilled and there
fore highly paid labor must compete
more and more with ignorant and there
fore cheap labor throughout the country.
Ihrre l. no tariff between the North
and the south. and one general level of
wages must ultimately prevail. Educa-
ton Is the great equalizer of conditions.
and nothing but uniformity of intelli-
Sehce among the people can prevent COM
petition between ignorant and therefore
cheap labor on the one hand and intelli-
gent and therefore well paid labor on
the other. Intelligence must lift up igno-
rance or be degraded by it.
1t was Cain who said: Am my
brothers keeper"