Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-03-22
CHAPTER XVI.
WHAT WILL THEY BRINGi


Days passed till they made weeks, and
weeks till they made months, and no change
came for the mills or for the lives of the
creatures who worked within their grim
walls, except the change from poor to more
poor
His acquaintance saw new expressions on
his face-the open, boyish look had gone, and
his voice had new tones of decision; his step
had grown firmer and his eyes met glance
with new steadiness.
One morning the three men who had been
once on the fire escape committee met in the
doorway of No. 2 mill, restored after the fire.
They had left their work for breath Of
fresh air.
"He is closer than his father; he scrimps
and dsaves Ikea poor cuss trying to support
family on IS the week. What show is there
for us?"
"Ye'll mind it's all jist as told ye, Bill
Rogers" suggested Graves, the comfort of 4
told you So being left to him out of the
general wreck. "Jist as I told ye that night
mcfe'n n six month ago in front of old
BIston's. As soon as the lad feels his oats
that's tho last of his kind heart"
"The boys had hard luck since them" said
Rogers, handling his pipe ont Of old force OF
habit ''P'raps he's punishin' us for it. Il
seems so strange somehow his changin' all so
sudden"
"'Taint that" said Graves, as he turned to
60 back to work, and then lingering mo
ment longer; "It is the natur' Of man and
crops out as sure as he gets his swing. There
amt one Of us but would make a neaner
rich man than him. 1t comes easy to be
labor reformer and radical as long as fellow
is poor, and it's just as easy for man to talk
beautiful if he amt looked to to do nothing.
But it makes man drunk when he feels the
reins in his hands, and him nothin' but man
of the same stuff as tho rest on u.s. Look of
Curran now; how much bettern the rest is
he? He deserted US at the most critical mo-
ment. Somethin' made him throw us up as
if we had all Of q sudden sicllened on his
stomach. We're poor stuff, all on us, boys.
never seen finer feller than that Curran,
but he's forgot all about the wrongs and
rights he used to holler SO purity about.
There's no chance for us in any mans mercy;
we must depend on ourselves"
At this very moment Philip Breton was
pressing the little brass bell OH his counting
room table. For an answer his paymaster
came in with his pen, wet from the ink, in
his hand.
"Do we pay our help enough"
A thousand eager voices would have shout
ed a no to him that would have shaken the
foundations of stone, but Mr.. Jennings, the
paymaster, put his pen behind his ear, took
it down, looked kcenly at it, then in surprise
at the young mill owner.
"We can get 1000 as coed for the same, If
that is what you mean" All, what chance
have the poor mills people, whom the young
master cLoo cs s1ch advisers as this?
"No," said Philip, slowly. "1t isn't ex-
actly what / mean; can we raise the wages|
"Can you; why yes, suppose you can step
right into the mills and give u 500 bill to
every hand. But you couldn't afford to do
that thing long, and don't thi''k it would do
anybody any good. J. wouldn't assume to
advise you, sir, but why not Just as well so
up street and insist on payinga fancy price
for your iiour?'
"But;dont they find il hard to live on what
we give them! And what Il life it is at that"
suggested Philip, sadly. apparently he had
not quite forgotten them.
''No doubt no doubt" repeated the pay
master with the querulousness OF, his class,
"but is there any sense in putting in yoSr CT
my fiat? You can't make a ninety cent
laborer worth IL dollar and quarter BY CIV
ing it to him. You insult him and damage
business by making it all uncertain with the
gratuitous element"
II see you don't hclicve in benevolence, my
dear jennings and Philip smiled curiously.
Eyes, do for sick people and paupers, but
il you don't want to make paupers of every
body You mustn't''----
"But am not pauper, and never carried
n penny in my life till e few months ago"
Philips eyes flashed at sudden revelation
'But, ah--but that is different. Drop that
then To make our cloth there are number
of expenses; there is the mill and the ma
chinery, the money locked up in fabrics and
material These are fixed you don't think it
your duty to pay extra prices for raw ma
terial, nor make gratuity with every dollar
you spend on machinery, no matter how poor
the man that cells to you. Now comes an
other element, labor That should be as fixed
as tln rest and all cal"i'"tions based on its
ma: ,-aa rec Viz So 20 to market with
your cloth you GonU ;.J.i any gratulty, nor
does the buyer claim any; the price is fixed
better than the caprice Of moment could fix
it. The element of labor enters into the cost.
The difference be, Wcen LAo cost and price is
your profit. If labor stands you in its mar
ket price your profit will reward your efforts,
and it will pay you to keep up your mill. If
you paid higher wages your profits would be
and all would suffer-"
II didn't know you could be so eager But
supposing they tell me my profit is too large,
that my labor pays me so well l ought to
make it up to them.n The young proprietor
was looking musingly out of the window
where the autumn wind was chasing the
russell leaves in savage glec. Mr.. Jennings,
the paymnster, had reached the door, but
waited moment to clinch his argument.
''Then il YOU lost money your help ought
to contribute But it might not be at all
their fault that you lost, any more than it is
to their credit you succeed. Their labor in
quantity and quality would be just the same.
What reason in changing its valuation? No,
am sure there is but one way, to measure
the value of your labor as you do everything
else, by what it will bying."
"Not quite everything" said Philip; but he
said it SO low the arguraentative Jennings did
not hear it, All he heard was just as lie was
closing his door:
please send in the overseer of No. 1 weave
room.n -
It was but few moments, during which
Philip did not move from his seat, before the
overseer came in, stroking his apron defer
entially. Na sys
''Mr. Bright, the men and girls complain;
they say they ought to be paid by the day
instead of BY the piece"
ssWhich oLcs complain?, The lazy ones. I