Telegram-herald., 1890-09-02

games. he commenced .Blt allow
me % congratulate y0G on the TACT
that Ne can scuss the labor question
az ALL IL : only until . recent date
Lnat the l4oOr question could De put
forward in - proper Agnt. Ne 10 not
have % 20 far back 70 reach a time
when the great mass of human beings
Vas IN state OF slavery. Al the pres
eQl tine Ne are asking IN What way
can the products be justly distributed.
Common sense or the labOr ques-
ton viii De one OF the topics on which
1 viii touch. People say what i the
use of talking on the labor question:
IL Is mlxed up, complicated thing.
aud Why don't YOU leave IL a.onef
When we hear people say, i am tired
OF this i reminds me OF the German
whose VIE died. lie called IN the
minister, who asked hin # she WAS re-
signed % her fate. The German
answered, Mine GOtt, she had 10 die
Aud that the way We are situated.
We have got 10 be resigned. What are
the methods az distributing the pro-
ducts OF the land eQultaolyl We are
facing a coalition, and the tact IS, We
are trying 10 distribute the products or
industry equally between capital and
labor.
"What is il that controls and reg
ulates the wages OF workingmen2 IL Is
a complex question 10 answer. In the
first place il can only he determined 10y
the character OF the workingman him.
self; other things being equal remem-
Der the faithful, honest, true man Is
of more benefit to the capitalist than
the shiftless, lazy, indifferent fellow.
| wall give you an illustration. After
the war the Southern planters were
obliged 10 hire the negro 10 cultivate
their plantations. They were paid 81
per day for their work, but they soon
found that they could live on 50 per
week and the result was that they had
three blue Mondays out of SIX days.
The planters found that their crops
were spoiling, and they held a meet
ing, at which they agreed to cut down
wages from 81 10 80 cents a day. Then
the negroes were obliged to work the
full week in order 10 earn enough 10
live on. Therefore it is shown that
when workman has not ambition or
forethought wages will certainly go
down.
Secondly, everything being equal,
wages are regulated by the law Of sup
ply and demand. When two bosses are
after one man wages go up, but when
TIVE men are after one boss they go
down.
/ viii give you q striking illustration.
During the terrible plague in Europe,
known as the black plague, one-third
of Great Britain died. The result was
that the wages of wOrkmgmen went up
100 per cent. 1t remained so for
200 years, and during the 10th century
q laborer could earn enough in ID
weeks, working 8 hours 3 day, TO
supply his family for a year.
Mechanics could earn enough
IN ten weeks to keep their
families q year. Do trades unions have
anything 10 do with wages? They tell
me that is a ticklish question. Trades
unions are not new. They have been
in existance thousands of years. We
can trace them back to the earliest
days of the Roman empire. In those
times every hamlet had its trades
unions. In Norfolk, Eng, at one time
there were no less than 500 trades
unions. Where we find trades unions
NE find thrifty and prosperous men.
How do unions operate economically?
Why they operate exactly like a Joint
stock companv. number of men get
together aud say we VIII organize %
operate \ railroad or furniture factory.
The trades unions operate the same
way. These men get together and say
we have skill, muscle and ability 10 sell
exactly the same as the stock com
panv sells 20 the highest bidder. The
man who has stock ia corporation has
no right 20 object to a trades union. If
you look the world over you will
always tind low priced work thc dear
est n the end. When q manufacturer
is obliged 70 lay of any men he does
not turn ont the high priced
oncs. lie knows there is more
money 10 be made out of
the skiliful men. When trades unions
puts uD wages Il benefits the corpora
tons as much rs the workingmen.
wages are determined by tine char.
actar OF the man and the law Of supply
and demand. Hasn't legislation some
tliing 90 ao with ig Unjust legislation
cuts wages down but no kind OF legs
/ iad0n can pash wages u9. An li.ustra-
I ton az This was .n England two hum
+ drsd years ago when man could sup
+ port bis family for q year by working
+ ten weeks and therefore / say working
men should fear bad legislation. There
came a day ia England when the good
Z times wer- doomed 70 pass away. Work
. ingmen hal no ratio and the King, Army
and priests arrayed themselves against
them. In the first place a Jaw was
{ passed preventing workman from go
I ing from oue PARISH 70 another without
+ permission of tae authorities. Thus ha
could not 81 from his home 70 another
( place 20 accept a pos son. The kln~s
army and priests next got together fol
I the purpose ot forcing a ratio OK wages
( "a be regulated lv Justices and
I the vorkmgaen became virtusl v
bound In Chaius. The Queen tatu
cnnfscated she Trades Union heneh.
fIad For 90 years the workinErea
Z were crowded down until every spars
Of manhood vas tread ont 0f thcm
{ Dtirnz the last fftv years thev have
+ been Clint bing up sgain. however. Bat
I work inruaa IN this c0uatrY have more
+ to fear from unjust legislation than any
enc thing.
i There isa little bilI IN Congress now
when asks for a tarlf on TN plate
i This = done 70 afford feW men 2
+ chance 10 build up a monopoly Tor yor
E al know ftst there is not a. ounce q
tsn pate manufactured in tnls country
/ It means that the price 0f your ainne'
naIs wG be "a sed Ans
a woFkingnsr would be
/ fool 20 vote tor tx that vi turn