The Labor enquirer., 1886-11-27
Effect of Machinery on Wages.
The Wage Rate Depends on
the Number of Idle.
The Right TO Rebel is lnalien-
able-Abolish the School
house or Gag Law.
Ready as an Honest Man to Explain
His Connection With the
Haymarket Tragedy.

When Mccormick got possession Of
the molding machine he had got posses.
sion OF machinery which did with the
assistance oftwenty-fve men what it
had required 125 men to do before.
Don't YOU think, your honor, that that
was an attack upon the interests of these
twenty men out of twenty-five, or 100
out of 1852 1t would not make any diff
ference whether he had right to do it.
am not speaking of that phase of the
question. These men had families after
the introduction of those machines as
they mad before. The families cried for
bread. The children cried for shoes,
and the women cried perhaps for a sew
ing machine. These 100 men were
turned out, and then Mccormick said
to the men: Now, am master of the
situation. I will take back all the con-
dtions that 1 have made with my men
when needed 125 of ihem."
The rate of wages is regulated by the
number of men who are out Of employ
ment. When four men out of FIVE are
turned out of employment there is moth
ing in this world for these four men to
do but to bid and see how much lower
each one can work on that mau's job
than the others. 1t tends to reduction
of And hn fpkr s
machinery in that way is direct attack
upon the interests of those who have no
means and cannot have auv Maxwell
Brothers introduced some box making
ma hines about year ago. There was
quite lively quarrel between them and
the bo1-nsllers. 1 understand that after
the introduction of those box-making
machines only one man is required to do
the work that was formerly done by two
and a half-two persons could do the
work of five. Now, I claimed in public
speeches and discussions that these men
who fought about the introduction of
the box machines did not understand
the real question at issue. Improved
machinery, I claim now what l have
claimed all along in the discussion of
this industrial problem, is calculated to
benefit all classes of hum anitY aud sOCi
ETY.. But it is the use to which they ar e
put. If they can be bought bv one psr-
son and used in the interests of t. at
person, 80 that he can hire labor cheap,
or dispense with labor, they are bene-
At to no person only the man who has
money enough to purchase a machine,
and they are a direct injury under such
regulations to those who cannot pur-
chase machine.
1t is ridiculous to argue that 1t requires
men to make machines and it makes
work in that wav. II it required as
much labor to make them aud as much
expenditure to make them as it did
away with labor, why there would be no
interest in a mans buying the ma?htn9.
That answers itself s. that under the
present regulations tbs language
of mine will bear the Interpretation
when you take everything into consld
Grafton. aud think it Is the N ore plans
lble tervretation-and l will say to
YOU here that Mr.. English brought this
report, admitted tiny conception OF
Justice is this, that mau ought never
who Is on trial for his life, whe1 he al
mits before he gives his testimony that
tits incorrect. I do not think it Is in
the interest of justice that such testl-
mony should be given.
Mr.. English admits that before he left
the Tribune Office that night to 60 to
that meeting, he was advised not to
bring a correct report. If he had brought
a correct report he might have been
discharged. He was instructed not TO
do it. That was his work for that nlght,
to only take what he considered tle in
fammato.y or lncendiarv portions OF
the speeches. You can take no speech
delivered bv any person and doitJustlcs
BY extracting what you consider the in
hammatory portion.
have heard men make speeches IN
nv time, and have had to pay VerY
strict attention to know what they were
driving at. They would take an honr 10
prove a position. II you judged the n 10
half an hour you would notget at all the
position they were trying to prove. IL
is often the case when listening to puo-
lie speakers that I have noticet thew
will speak al ong aud along, and then In
the last few miautes of the eia9ney
will show exactly what they mean
There will be some Language used there
that modiHes your conception OF thelr
meaning, and opens 1t all up and you
see the beauty of the whole argument
Maybe you would not have seen 1t II III
hadn't been for that unlocking OF the
secret. .
lam charged with having spoken OF
rebellion. But before l speak OF that l
will refer again to some of the words
which have been introduced here. am
charged with having said "Stab the law"
No one claims but that it was in c9nnec-
tion With my conception ofthe meaning
OF Forsn's speech, and the word stab