Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-08
THOUGHTS ON LABOR.
How ths Labor Problem Gan Soon Be
Made to Right Itself.


Made to Right Itself.
FORT WORTH, TEX, April I, lsss.
To the Editor Of the Gazette.
There are several dreams underlying
the labor trouble that must be dispelled
before the difficulty can be adjusted.
One of these is the boosted equality of the
laboring clases, and Of humanity at large.
Nothing can be farther from the truth.
Only in one sense, possibly, and that our
being, eau the term be used. We are not
born equal, concerning which SO much
nonsense is being spoken and written.
We are not equal in physical and mental
endowments, T.hlch is original, ultimate
and unslteIable. There Is inequality also,
that is inherent and permanent, which
neither puolic statute nor private virtue
can do away with it; so, that all
any man can claim, and all that
public justice can secure to him
is fair opportunity. By necessity
there must be some to "grlnd the colors
as well as some to paint" and this must
ever remain until every child that is
brought into this world is surrounded by
like circumstances, receives like training,
and has equal ability to perform the du-
ties of l f.. Another dream is that hard
work is the lot of the lsboring man, while
the wealthy man rests at his ease. We
would all like TO be st our leisure, drive
out when we pleased and be
free. But it is very prossic
f.et that leisure is luxury,
and rarely remains even with the
wealthy man who INDUCES 1t, for he is
soon poor. Hard work is absolutely
necessary Cor existence. IL is very true
that man requires only about three
pounds of food per day, few yards OF
wooden or cotton cloth year for cloth
ing, two or three tons of coal for fuel
and given number Of cubic feet of space,
sheltered for protection. Yet has been
the fercest conflict on record to secure
even this. The world virtually lives
frsm hand to mouth and a universal fail
ure of crops would produce widespread
famine and disaster.
Another dream that causes much dis
content is thst vast stores Of grain and
merchandise are piled awsy, that vaults
OF money are under lock and key, which
II distributed TO 81 classes would forever
make want unknown. Let US see how
much truth is in this. The total wealth
of our country at the highest figure is
$4,000, 900, 900 in population of so, o00,-
600, with a producing population
of 100000. An equal dis
tribution Of the entire wealth
would give to each man, woman and
child sum of SS3S!, much of it worth
less to the individual owner, or the sum
Of $4,000 to every laboring man. This is
the extreme limit of average wealth at
tsinable. There Is no more to be
had. Let US approach the question
from another standpoint By analyztng the
annual production. The most careful es-
Inmates place this at S12 .000, 900. 600
Twelve billion dolIars.) From this
must be deducted $1,000, 900, 600 Gone
billion dollars) for taxes; $1,000, 900, 900
for wear of implements in the
means of production, leaving (without
allowing snything for interest on invested
capital or for its increase) $500, oC0,-
600 to be divided among 100000 con-
sumers. This gives to each individual
s15S 335 year, or 43t cents a day for
his labor, or to each laboring man S475 q
year, or S1.30 day. Four hundred and
seventy five dollars year must buy
bread, raiment, fuel, pay house rent, and
provide q margin for saving in every
family of three persons. Two dollars 8
day, SIS we have seen, is far above the av-
erage income that the produc
tive Industry of the country
can pay. He who receives 1t belongs
to the privileged class, with many per-
hsps receiving more, but far more receiv
ing less. And every man who owns S2500
worth of property or receives ever S475 q
year, or 4S1 cents das for labor, belongs to
the favored class, against whicn socialism
urges it's assaults. II these prosaic facts
we're more generally known, the classes
that now are most restless and discon-
tented would be deaf to all Instruction
ally appeals, and 1t would modify very
materially their traditional conceptions
about the tyranny of capital.
Labor becomes independent and Sc
cures increasing reward only in proper
skill. knowledge will always be power,
and the intelligent workman will always
receive double or treble the wages OF the
man is keenly alive to his own interests,
which is perfectly right, for II man does
not pursue his own interest, Il is
not probable that someone will
look after it for him. knowledge
UluSt Uo lIcb ny kAOWlCuSSs IL SaPieol
sees good in partnership, an equsl good
csn be found in labor cooperation. After
thorough sitting l believe the labor
problem will be found to be simply this
the employer wants the greatest possible
amount of work for the least possible
wages, and the employe wants the largest
wages for the least possible amount
of work. 1t is q battle therefore, be-
tween minimum and maximum, l will
not say between knowledge and ignor-
ance, but will say that one thing is Ger
tain, the laboring man in the past has
fought when he Should have remained
quiet, and has slept when he should have
been In the battle. We rejoice to see
him to-day standing up for his rights, it
is manly. For 600 years he has been
treated as child, who asd no right to
make free contract and who
had not the ability to confer with his EN-.
.,nyer. We believe in the organization
of laoor and are glad that the labor or.
genization has come to stay. But they
have been far from wise In many actions
Strikes have been organized upon the
slightest provocation; they have
demanded arbitration, and then violated
their own pledges; they have insisted
that no distraction be made between hon
est end worthless labor; they have de
manded That factories be controlled BY
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