The Lincoln County leader. [volume] (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 1882-189?, 1886-06-12
Labor.

Go an important work Tor the caust
of industrial progress. With the
general purpose of labor associ
ations, which we take to be the
improvement of the physical,
moral and intellectual condition Of
the iaborer, the public is in genu.
inc sympathy.
American sentiment is, has been
and always should be favorable to
good wages for workingmen--the
best, indeed, that it Is practicable
to pay them. The fact is recog-
nized that labor lies at the very
foundation of our national pros
perity, and that with the improve
ment of its condition the entire
social and political fabric is solidl-
fed and strengthened.
The great question which lies
before the wage-earners OF the
country is how best to bring about
the improved condition which they
desire. 1t is clear that lby organ
lied effort theycan exert a tremen-
dous power. But power alone is
not sufficient. Unless guided by
intelligence and restrained by ihod-
Grafton, 1t can do incalculable
harm, not only to capital bnt TO Ia
Dor as well. The result OF the re-
cent strikes throughout the coun-
TRY has made this painfully evident
to all. It would seem that what
the labor organizations most need
is ii better understanding on the
part or their members Of the prln-
cipes of economic and industrious
Sc Dnc', and of the true relations
AMI mutual dependence of capital
AMI labor To the extent that
such knowledge increases it is GER
tam thuJ strikes and all violent
methods of labor reform will be
abandoned as rccklessly expensive
and impracticable. Brute force
will be exchanged for argument
and reason : threats will give place
to persuasion The more intclli-
gent leaders Of the labor move
ment already occupy this higher
ground. What they need to do is
to bring the rank and file OF their
followers up to where they them
selves stand. This can be done by
intelligent discussion and the cir
culation among them, not of in
cendiary documents wl,o only ef-
feet is to inhame passion and excite
prejudice, but of books and trea-
tiscs which set forth, with u sim
plicity and clearness that all can
understand, the elementary prin-
ciples of social and industrial econ
omy. There must be Il prompt
and utter abandonment OF social.
istic and anarchial methods, and q
hearty adoption of American prin-
clples and practices. 1t must not
be forgotten for a moment that
this is not Ruasia nor Germany,
Poland nor Bohemia, but that it is
America, and that here American
ideas and methods mist and will
rule.
1t may be added eAat there is
nowhere on the globea more rea-
sonable md fair minded people
than the American Wherever
there is any wrong ber insist that
it shall be righted Oppression
and tyranny can not live upon this
soil nor in this atmosphere. The
national instinct demands that al
ways 1.-the fair thing shall be
done. When, therefore, the la
boring men of the country, or any
portion of them, have any real
grievance, and will patiently aud
calmly submit 1t at the bar of pdb
lie opilion, they may rest assured
that their reasonable demands will
not be ignored or disregardrd.
II ey viii have Justice done them,
for IN this country public opinion is
tn. final arbter, and in the end
! cNnPels compliance with its de
crees.