Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-07-13

at an unprecedented rate in agriculture
and manufacture, but the production Of
the country except on the farm was
hardly larger. The production of pig
iron, which, in the words of Mr.. Wright
himself is one of the two great direct.
ing materia ais which indicate the welfare
or the progress Of other industries
was 4,3OD,0 900 tons in 1850, and rose to
5,2OO,OOo tons in 1882, but fell back to
4,jO0,00O in 1885. 1t were easy, indeed,
to demonstrate from the data within
reach ID that the great army Of the un-
employed numbered over two million
people IN 1885, one.half of which i'm
stead Of 1853 900, as per Mr.. Wright
belonged to the mechanical, manufact.
uring and mining group; and (2) that
the number of wage workers now forCi-
bly, idle cannot be less than it was in
1888.
True, business has revived and pro-
duCtion increased and wealth accumu-
lated at an unprecedented rate in the
hands Of a comparatively insignificant
number of proiit.makers; but popula-
ton and labOrsaying machinery have
increased faster than production, and
surplus labor is perpetuated. 1t is
the latest Improvement Of the capitalist
system. 1t is more potent agency for
the degradation and enslavement of the
working classes than any invention Of
man. 1t has over all known forces the
advantage of costing nothing, for it is
developed by inertia and fed upon fam
Inc, And 1t has come to stay-unless
the workingmen, strongly organized,
may succeed in compelling reduction
in the hours of labor,
We say "strongly organized' and
accentuate the expression for reasons
which, in the light of the foregoing
facts and figures, will appear sufficiently
obvious. Every battle with Capital
having to be fought against Surplus
labor, the ratio Of the organized to the
unorganized is the question of greatest
moment. Upon their relative numeri-
cal strength absolutely depends victory
or defeat. If Mr.. Wright's estimate of
the quantity Of "surplus labor in 1850
had been correct; if the number of per
sons idle or equivalent to idle had
not then considerably exceeded 10000
in the mechanical and manufacturing
industries of the whole country, no
such disasters as befeII Organized Labor
from 1856 to 1883 could have occurred
But IN most cases the striking or locked
out employers found themselves over
whemed by numbers. Ten "scabs'
appeared here one was expected; and
even the prOudest trade union, the
heretofore unconquered Locomotive
Engineers, found that their superior
skill no longer afforded them that
ample security IN the enjoyment of
which they would not he disturbed by
the quarrels of other trades,
In this Introduction to our weekly
reviews we have enlarged somewhat
upon three points; !, the importance of
statistical information and the necessity
OF so famllarizlng the masses of the
people with the chief facts of the eco
monte movement, as to enable them to
deal intelligently with the economic
questions involved in their contests
with Capital; 2, the practical services
that the labor bureaus could and should
render in this respect by comprehensive
and systematic cooperation; 3, the
amount Of enforced idleness and the ne
ccssity Of counteracting, by organiza-
ton on an Unprecedented scale. its dis
astrous influence upon the condition of
wage workers, In view of the move
ment initiated by the Federation of
Labor for reduction Of working hours
these three points are timely, We trust
that they will commend themselves to
our readers, through whom they should
immediately be brought to the atten-
tlOn Of their fellow toilers.