Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-11
CHAPTER XVI.
WHAT WILL THEY BRINGi

| 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 steE
had grown frmer and his eyes met "A glance
| with new steadiness.
One morning the three men who had been
| once on the fire escape committee met in the
| doorway Of No, mill, restored after the fire.
| They had left their work for breath OF
| fresh air
"He is closer than his father; lie scrimps
| and saves Ikea poor cuss trying to support a
| family on q the week. What show is there
| for us''
"Yell mind it's all list as l told ye Bill
| Rogers suggested Graves, the comfort of i
told you so being left to him out Of the
general wreck "Jist as [ told We that night
more'n u six month ago in front of old
| BretOn's As soon as the lad feels his oats
that's the last of his kind heart"
THE boys had hard mck since them" said
Rogers, handling his pipe out of old force Of
habit "P'raps he's punishin' us for it. 1t
seems so strange somehow his changin' all so
sudden
"'Taint that" said Graves, as he turned To-
go back to work, and then lingering mo-
ment longer; 1t is the natur' OF a man and
crops out as sure as lie gets his swing. There
amt one of us but would make meaner
rich man than him 1t comes easy to be n
labor reformer and radical as long as fellow
is poor, and its just as easy for man TO talk
beautiful if he amt looked to to do nothing.
But it makes Il man drunk when he feels the
reins i'll his hands, and him nothin but man
. A. rI,, ! OF
Curran now; how much better'n the rest is
he! He deserted us at the most critical mo-
ment Somethiu made him throw lis up as
if we had all Of sudden sickened on his
stomach. We're poor stuff, oil on us, boys.
never seen finer Teller than that Curran,
but he's forgot all about the wrongs and
rights he used to boiler so purity about,
There's 10 chance for us in any mans mercy;
we must depend on ourselves"
At this very moment Philip Breton was
pressing the little brass bell on his counting
room table For an answer his paymaster
came in with his pen, wet from tho 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
at the young mill owner.
1--WE can get 1000 as good for the same, If
that is what you mean" All, what chance
have the poor mills people, when the young
master chooe s such advisers as this9
"No" said Philip, slowly. sit 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 500 bill To
every hand. But You couldn't afford to do
that thing long, and don't think it would do
anybody any good l wouldn't assume TO
advise you, sir but why not just as we'll go
up street and insist on paying fancy price
for your fiour3"
"But!don't they find it hard to live on what
we give theml And what life it is at that
suggested Philip, sadly. Apparently he had
not quite forgotten them.
mo doubt, no doubt" repeated tho pay
master with the querulousness of. his class,
but is there any sense in putting in your or
my fiat? You can't make a ninety cent
laborer worth dollar and a quarter by CIV
ing it to him, You insult him and damage
business by making it all uncertain with the
gratuitous clement"
81 see you don't believe in benevolence, my
dear Jennings" and Philip smiled curiously
'Yes, do, for sick people and paupers, but
il you don't want to make paupers of every
body you mustn'tn--
"ButaI am not pauper, and never earned
a penny in my life till few months ago"
Philips eyes flashed at a sudden revelation.
But, ah--but that is different. Drop that
then To make our cloth there are a 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
al olyo tIiit u will dollar
you spend on machinery, no matter how poor
the man that sells to you. Now comes an
other element, labor That should be as fixed
as the rest and all calculations based on its
market price. When you go to market with
your cloth you don't ask any gratuity, nor
does the buyer claim any; the price is fixed
better than the caprice of a moment could fix
1t. The element of labor enters into the cost.
The difference between the 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. II
you paid higher wages your profits would be
SMALL you would give up your enterprise
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" The young proprietor
was looking musingly out of the window
where the autumn wind was chasing the
russell leaves in savage glee Mr.. Jennings,
the paymastcr, had reached the door, but
waited a moment to clinch his argument
"Then if you lost money your help ought
to contribute. But it might not he at all
their fault that you lost, any more than it is
to their credit you succeed. Their labor in
quantity and quality would he just the same
What reason in changing its valuations No,
/ am sure there is but one way, to measure
the value of your labor as you do everything
else, by what it will bring"
mot quite everything, F." said Philip; but he
said it so low the argumentative Jennings did
not hear it, All he heard was just as be was
closing his door:
please send in the overseeIscf No. weave
ROOM
1t was but few moments, during which
Philip did not move from his seat, before the
overseer came in, stroking his apron defer
entially
MIR Bright, the men and girls complain;
they say they ought TO 10 paid by the day
instead of by the piece"
(Which ones complaint The lazy ones, |
guess. Why surely, Mr. Breton, it wouldn't |
be right to pay the best weaver and the poor
est the same
"Why notf asked Philip, with unchanged |
features watching the look of establishment |
that shone on the mans round fat face. |
"Nhy not if we paid them all the highest |
price,
"Well sir it wouldn't be a month before |
bad and good would all be worth about the |
same, and tlfat as little as the poorest Of |
them. 1t would be poor way to encourage |
them to be smart
Does Graves work in your room"
"Tos, but he is just going out for this
"Send him in if you can find him. Philip .
rose TO his feet now, and was walking the
roorl impatiently when John Graves slouched
in. He turned on him if he was going to
do violence 10 his visitor. but it was only a
question. he hurled at him.