The Labor enquirer., 1886-05-08
THE WAY To DOWN GOULD.
The Unemployed are Maintained Out OF
the "Strike Fund"-The "Knights -
OF Capital" "

OF Capital" u
For The Enquirer.
The Chicago Tribune calls attention
to the organizations being formed by
employers to oppose the Knights Of
Labor. AS the Tribune says:
"The workingmen ought not to be sur
prised. Organized assault always
arouses organized opposition. The
Knights of Labor are responsible for the
appearance on the field of the Knights o1
Capital"
The strength of labor is recognized
and the fight becomes more intense
Among the. actions of such organiza'
tions, resolution of the New York
chamber of commerce is noticeable:
Resolved, That this chamber, under
the circumstances now existing: con-
slders 1t the paramount duty of every
American citizen to uphold and
strengthen the hands of the guardians of
law and order as the only possible found
alton for the prosperity of the employed
as well as of the employer"
Mark the absence of any attention
paid to the unemployed. But the
meaning is clear. 1t is only the unem
ployed that threaten claw and order"
and strikers are unemployed. The Ian
guage of the resolution Is: Protect the Sc
who wish to work and shoot those who
would prevent them. While the con-
fict is conducted upon this plan the
capitalists must succeed, because they
command all the forces and subsistence.
Laborers must lay out an. entirely diff
ferent campaign. Their position is ut
terly inconsistent. The idea is just en-
tering their minds that thev should
have a voice in the management
of industry. But they I'VE not realized
that they can manage no capital but
their own.
Capitalists talk of claw and order"
Give them enough law and order to
throw them t of the industrial econ
omy. Make law, for instance, that the
state shall build, own and control rail
roads. This labor can do, and 1t can do
nothing else to bring the capital used in
I1 ,rInr hn of
laborers, who can then use the army to
enforce the "Order" demanded by Capi
taiists. Governmental railroads will
very likely be the outcome. The K. of
L. will become more aggressive; the
public will need to decide between them
and Gould for management of railroads,
and will compromise bv turning the
business over to the government. Then
as the control will be by majority rule,
laborers will have full possession unless
stupid enough to allow the politicians TO
hoodwink them again. If they are
not smart enough to avoid that, they are
surely not able to run railroads without
government.
The "Knights of Capital" have the ad-
vantage at every point, in the present
system. They are not burdened With a
load which now afflicts their opponents,
also mentioned by the Tribune, as fol-
fowe:
"In explaining the cost of the strike
and the manner of maintaining the men
J. J. McGarrv, leading man among the
Knights of Labor at st, Louis, confessed
his suspicion that tramps are pouring in
60 subsist on the funds supplied BIZ the
order. He said: They say they are
mechanics and out of work. They need
a lob, but they don't want to hurt the
strikers. Well, what can you do? You
must take care of them '"
Here is an interesting and almost lu j.
crous phase of this railroad strike. The
army of unemployed, i. e. tramps, are
primarily the cause of the strike, be-
cause they lower wages by competition.
They are the "scabs' that are hated so
cordially by the union men. let now
they come in to claim subsistence and II
refused they will 60 to work for the rail-
roads
Assemblies which are making up
purses for the strikers must increase the
amount to cover the support of all the
scabs in the country. 1t Is not pleas
ing picture and proves that the labor
leaders are not on the right track.
In 1883 Gould showed a willingness to
sacrifice the public welfare and his pro-
fits in order to beat strikers. He will dc
it again. 1t is matter of obstinacv, not
endurance, with him. He will refuse tc
take back the strikers except thev come
individually, therefore the help we senc
them Will be sent not to hep them on tc
success, but only to keep them above
want as unemployed men. The K O
L. will become tired of this, then they
may discover that the only way t.
down Jay Gould" is to take from hin
his legal powers, ZENo.
|
Intemperanee and Poverty.
| For the Enquirer.
"For every one who is poor because he
is ignorant, there are twenty who ar