Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-09-03

compee0on, 10 . marked chAHnctRS110e q
the age. Manual lsbor has heea displsee
| 30 great extent. either ts0pssaRily o. psl
msnenfiy. 1t cannot - sxpeeaed II
| this dispiaes ment and rs-adjsseneas .
labor can be accomplished vishess j.
and serious discontsns- Ths feiievinI
illustrations. Furnished BY Prof BoIles, y
aoie writer on economic ssbjects, give
vivid iiea Of the savins in labor which ha
been wrought by machinery ''One persoa
In . cotton nill will annually spin and vesv'
cotton cloth enough for $50 persons. and II
voolen mill, for 50 more. One pefsos
With hand loom couid weave from 42 10 u
yafds daily; with six power looms his prod
uct is increased to !, 800. One persen in I
man's boot factory will annually make i.e0(
pairs Of boots or shoes. and in . voman''
shoe factory 5000 pairs One man with I
cotton gin can do the vork Of $50 men b.
hand in removing seed from cotton. Ona
man in Dakota can annually produce 5,50(
bushels Of wheat, and retaining 900 bushell
for seed. the remainder BY labor equivalent
70 that Of one man for one year, can be
manufactured into nour and put into barrels.
The 1900 bushels will make 1000 barrels.
which can be transported to New York by
rail by two men during the same period.
As further illustrating this point. l cite the
following statistics collected by the United
States Government There are in the
United States rs 800 locomotives. To do
the work Of these locomotives upon the ex-
isting common roads Of the country. and the
equivalent Of that which has been done upon
the railroads the past year. would require
in round numbers, 54,000,000 horses and
Il, 500 go men. The work 10 nos done, %
far A. men are concerned, by $50 900, repre-
senting population Of 100000 while the
population required for the number of men
necessary to do the work With horses would
be 67,500.000. To do the work.
then, now accomplished by power and power
machinery in our mechanical industries and
upon our railroads would require men repre-
senting population of l72, 10000 in addi-
ton to the present population Of the country
Of 55.0O0,000, or total population with
hand processes and with horse power Of
227 800 600, which population would be
obliged to subsist on present means. In an
economic view the cost to the country would
be enormous. The present cost of operating
the railroads of the country with steam
power is, in round numbers $500, 600, 600
per annum; but to carry on the same
amount of work with men and horses
WOuiu COBt tnc Nouuuy vLAscpC,vcorooO.
These illustrations, of course show the ex-
treme straits to which country
would be brought il it undertook
to perform its work in
the old way. The figures are only interest
is utterly impossible. They are, to . ceF-
benefits gainei by the people st large through
, tha al, - vaA
They illustrate. too, the extreme view Of
the displacement of labor, which, as al
ready remarked, has been positive. and, it
may be we'll said, to some extent permanent.
Certainly, to the men individually involved,
the displacement has been severe indeed" +"
Carroll ID. Wright, the eminent statisticiau,
and. at present at the head of the National
Department of Labor concludes that. while
to machinery is due the progress of our in
dustrial development, the working man
has just received his rightful share of
the benefits which labor saving
machinery has conferred upon the country.
Observation aud experience demonstrate,
that, while immediate disturbance follows
the introduction of IAbor-saving machinery,
the product is chespened and the benefits re-
sulting therefrom are participated in by all
elias es of the community.
Whether labor tn Is gets back into one
pocket all it loses out of the other" 10 an I'M
portant question in the labor problem. 1t is
certain that the wants Of mankind can be
supplied by much less hours Of labor than
formerly, and this fact. together with the
possibility Of avoiding overproduction and at
the same time give regular employment to 9
large class who, especially In seasons Of bus
mess depression caused by overproductiol.
are thrown into the sad ranks Of the unem-
ployed, make the working mems demand for
fewer hours of labor. reasonable and just,
and economically profitable both to labor and
capital
A relief from many of these evils must
come from political liberty, which is pre-
requisite TO the development of individual
and social improvement. Happily for US we
have form of Government which recog-
nizes this fact. Our political contests must
he peaceful ones, in which ballots and not
bullets are the weapons employed. The
ballot .hould be kept unsulled by those in
fuences ~hich will prevent it's effect. and pre-
vent it from expressing the free will of the
people. The working man should resist all
attempts to influence his vote by improper
means. AS a blow struck at his holiest right
and privilege.
Organizations invoke, the working classes
hold a power in their hands, which will
surely, il not speedily, bring good results.
1.-THE Federation of Labor" declares we
combine ito secure legislation in the inter
ests of the working Masses to influence
public opinion by peaceful and legal methods
in favor of organize = ! ,b r. The Knights
of Labor state that their urpose 10 Ito as
sist members to better their condition morally,
socially and financially" And again: ANY
action that will advance the cause of
humanity, tighten the burden of toll, or
elevate the moral or social condition Of
mankind, is the proper scope and field of
n Local Assembly" The National Grange
of the Patrons of Husbandry puts forth these
as its general objects
LIST. United by the strong and faithful! tie
of agriculture, we mutually resolve to labor
for the good of the order, our country and
mankind
2ud. 1--WE heartily endorse the motto !:
In essentials, unity in nor-essentials, liber-
ty In all things. charity"
One of their specific objects" is Ito
develop better and higher manhood and
womanhood among ourselves"
Controlled and governed by such moral
and Christian principles ss these. orsaniza-
tions of laboring men and women can &C.
complish inestmable good for themselves
and society.
Finally my friends. let US always remember
that the best help in the battle of life. which
we must all wage, is self-help. That
strength that comes from within 10 better
and more enduring than that which comes
from without. ITO develop better and
higher manhood and womanhood" is noble
self-work whose results are sure to be felt
throughout the whole social body in improv-
ed physical. mental and moral conditions
and surroundings.
"In the worlds broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of life,
Be not like dumb driven cattle.
BE hero in the strife"