Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-04-16
The Labor Problem.

far the same may be regulated by law pro
misses in the near future to assume the
shape of difficult and embarrassing poll
teal problem. The recent extensive strikes
along the lines of the southwestern rail
roads and the riots that have followed
them, have served to bring this question
into greater prominence.
! Labor associations in this country have
been of slow but s'eady growth. From =
few small isolated socie les in the early
part of the present century the labor unions
have now multiplied and increased until
nearly ell the skilled labor of the country
is embraced in the membership of some
association or other. The tendency jus
now seems to be toward the consoli alton
] of all the diversified associations of vari
able constitutions and purposes into one
grand association which will combine to
protect the abering man from the en-
croschments of the capitalist throughout
the entire country.
| Should these various associations sffec
such a combination, the skilled laborers
of the country would probably constitute
balance Of power in politics. They
would then be in situation to demand
and obtain from the government sach
| legal regulations of the relations between
employer and employed as they might
| In tl,o. VI nf Hair
the option would be afforded the sagaci-
Gus party leaders of embracing the cause
Of tie laboring man In consideration Of
the united support of their national organ
izatien; or of al'ying themselves with the
capitalist in consideration of his contribu
ton to the corruption fund. 1t is proba-
BILE that both political parties would bid
high for The support of the organized
lsborers and that laws would be enacted
for their protection TO the full extent that
constitutional limitation would permit
Then the question would arise how far
legislation could be made properly avail
able for the amelioration of the coalition
of the laboring man and what measures
would probably be demanded 10 that be
half' Would he organized laborers de
mand high tariff as a measure for their
protection, or would they adopt the theory
of Henry George, the most intelligent Of
their leaders, and Insist upon free trade as
the natural means of increasing the rae
and stability of wagesl Would an at
tempt be made to obtain recognition by
law of the theory Of division of profits be
tween the capital aud labor employed in
the various industries, which is ius' now
favorite one with some of the thsorizers.
and would laws having that sbjsct III con-
temptation be practical and constiiutionsl2
These questions may in the not distanr
future assume q practical sbaps and may
exert an important influence upon the pol
itics and economy of thu country 1t hiss
been often said, but has not been made
true by the frequency of is rope ition,
that the labor market like that Of allother
purcbasabl Die commodities, would be regu-
lated by the governing principles OF sup
Ply and demand and that all sffnrts to
give an artificial or increased value %
abor through the medium of orga niz.tien
was false in principle and unavailing in
practice 1t has not been very many years
since grave Senators were heard 10 Con
gress to draw the analogy between the
laboring man and the beast of burden and
to advocate the application of the same
principles to the government Of the enc
to the other.
But that era is past. Experience and
observation have shown to the statesman
and the philanthropist, as we'll as to the
more intelligent OF the laborers themselves,
that the tendency Of tue capital devoted
to industries whether welded By corpora
tions or otherwise is to grind steadily
down upon the wages Of the poor laborsrs,
as means of increasing their profits;
and the laboring man, who looks to bis
wages for the daily support Of his family,
when unsssured by the strength Of associa-
ton. prefers TO endure the evils lie has
than fly to Others that he knows not Of
And thus the process has gone on, the
rich growing richer and the poor still
more helpless and impoverished. Thus
has the onerous taxes extorted from the
agricuturist and the general consumers
OF the country in the shape of a protective
tariff gone to amass vast fortunes 10 the
hands OF the few, while the very labor
that produced the wealth represented 10y
such fortunes is languishing in misery
and want.
A knowlsdgs of these facts forces upon
all calm Judging and disinterested minds
recognition and approval OF the righ
of laborers to combine for their mutual
protection. But this does not carry with
i, an approval of all the hasty and indis-
Greet things that have been done by labor
organization but, on the other hand, sug-
gests the necessity Of recognizing these as
sociations by law and seeking by that
means to direct and assist them in their
contests with capita for he preservation
of their rights But the meals and
agencies 10y which this shall be accomp-
lished are as yet prohlematical and IN
certain. But one thing is certain and that
is that these mnmentous questions will he
among the most important pc itical prob
lens which in he not distant future will
engage the attention of American sta es
man.
At recent meeting of the democratic
members of the Senate, senator German
was app"in ed TO head the congrsssioh, Il
campaign committee on the part of the
Senate When apprispd of his Sc &C ion