Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-05-30
MEDICINE LODGE. KANSAS WE
LABOR AND THE c. O. p.
The Republican Party's Friendship q
Labor a Snare-Its Hypocrisy Laid Rars

The Republican Party's Friendship for
Labor Snare-Its Hypocrisy Laid Bare.
The love Of the Republican party, and es-
pecially Of the Republican protectionists for
the working-man, passeth the love Of won-
an. The entire opposition to the Mills bill
so far as the lobby is concerned-comes
from Republican protectionists who can not
bear TO think of any injury to the working
man. They are mostly wage-payers; but
they shudder disinterestedly at the bare
thought of any legislation that will permit
them TO red.ce wages. They know, Of
course, that even if the Mills bill passes
they can still pay the same wages they now
pay-those muniEcent wages which make
the working Imam so contented with his lot,
and prevent his indulgence in strikes and
other labor disturbances. They are afraid,
however, says the Detroit Fec Press, that il
the tariff is reduced they may be tempted to
reduce the wages of their employees; and
against the possibility of subjcction to such
a temptation they are fighting with a zeai
and persistence which could scarcely be ex-
celled if they were selfishly at work for the
retention of their right to continue squeez-
ing the community for enormous profits.
In Congress it is tho same. Every Re
publican who has spoken thus far on the
spoken in the interest of the working-man
Labor omnid rfncit, which may be freely
translated, labor has vanquished every one
of them
1t is pity to throw doubts upon the un-
selfishness of this unanimIty in behalf of
the struggling toilers; but decent regard
for the truth Of history compels it. HIS
torically the Republican and the Republican
protcctionist have not been the friends OF
labor Far from it.
One Of the measures which working men
Justly regard as most favorable to their
cause is the law prohibiting the Importation
of laborers under contract to work here in
competition with native labor. 1t is meas
ure which was rendered necessary by the
grasping disposition of the protected mo-
nopolists. Not satisfied with the license
which the tariff gave them to impose a tax
upon all the consumers of the land, work
ing-men included, they were constantly
bringing in the pauper labor OF Europe TO
reduce, by competition, the wages of the
burdened American working men. We'll
knowing that the foreign workman would, in
the natural course of things, insist upon the
"going rate - of wages as soon as he be
came familiar with the country and the
condition of labor here, they forestalled
him for low rate of wages before his
coming. 1t was TO do away with this prac-
tice, so injurious to the American working
man, that the law referred TO was passed
and we invite the tentiOn Of working men
to the fact that it was a Democratic meas
ure passed by Democratic Congress.
Another thing should be borno in mind
The condition of things which was termi
mated by this measure Of justice to labor was
not due to mere Republican neglect. IL was
not a case of monopolists making contracts
for paupcr foreign labor simply because
there was no law to prevent it. The con
tracts were made under an express statute
"a statute passed by Republican Congress
comforting tho power. IL conferred some
thing more than the mere power TO make q
contract with those proposing emigration tC
the United States. 1t allowed the intend
ing emigraut to pledge a years wages il
repayment of the expenses Of his cmgra
tion, advanced by the American employer;
and in addition to pledge any land he might
acquire as homestead or otherwise for the
same purpose. And the Republican Con
gress which passed this act put its own In
depreciation on it by providing very care
fully that nothing in it should be deemed
TO authorize any cont ract contravcDing the
constitution of the United States or Great
ing in any way the relation of slavery OF
servitude." They had to put that in be
cause the law when they came to read il
over sounded so much like a permit to buy
slaves. And no wonder; even with the
saving clause 1t always had that sound until
Democratic Congress repealed it and did
away with the contract business altogether
In the light of passage like this from the
political history of the country, the pretense
of the q. o. z. that it is the friend of labor
stands revealed in all Its hidcous hypocrisy