Daily Republican., 1890-05-08
Do st,ikes Benent Labor
TooMauNIoATEp.l


The question, do strikes benefit Iabor7
Ie problem that civilization fs trying to
solve, and there are as many different
opinions on this question as there are
different views on political economy. It
is said that all liberty has been pur-
chased with blood" and In the Old
World. where ell government is for the
benefit Of the few, u may still be neces-
sary TO resort to the same old methods.
but In this country the case 10 very differ.
ent. IN the old countries they keep one
half OF the weslth-producers shooting
the other half to death, but In this coun-
try. our civilization being more advanced,
we manage TO keep one-hslt voting the
other hall to death, and II is just as effec-
tive. ii 1t was not for that, could
answer the above question, think, satis-
factorily to any Intelligent mind. Strikes
are very narrow-lninded indeed. As
things are at present 1t become. only
matter OF endurance tetween those with
accumulated capital and those whose
capital Ia only labor. If labor loses only
one day 1t 10 lost, gone forever, q 1t can
not be recalled.
They may work on other days, but that
does not make up for the one lost. while
accumulated capital loses only interest,
viii admit that capital 10 only the un-
unconsumed products OF labor, but Il has
oeen concentrated into the hands Of the
the lew, and when such 10 the case, In
stead OF its being blessing TO those who
have produced II, II becomes An opprss-
sion. will give some of my reasons why
strikes do not benefit labor, as well a.
what Will benefit II. In the first place,
all labor OF every kind should be thor.
ou9hly united, with sufficient means of
sustenance while 1t lasts, (tne strike,
whicn is not tho case; and again, ma
chinery is so perfected now, In taking
the place Of bone and muscle, that It does
not r.Quire skilled labor to manage Il.
and machinery is monopoized by capital
that labor cannot own II. And why?
Because OF our. patent laws, that double
and sometimes thrible the cost of 1t.
Right here you may ask, what profit an
invention will be to the inventora /
answer. IN eight out Of ten cases. Now,
how much 10 the actual inventor bene-
fitteda None. As It 10 SOME one with
capital receives all the benefit. But
by repealing our patent laws and giving,
BY the government, to every inventor .
| reasonable premium on Q useful inven.
tion. then II would be paid for by the
whole people, and the whole people
Take, for example, the sewing ma
chine: there has been paid 10 this country
At least S30, 0J0, 900 above fair profit on
them. and most Of 1t paid by the poor
| sewing women, and since the patent en-
them has ceased you eau now buy a bet
ter one for e25 than you could before tor
x65. If an organization Of labor does
| cease work, and refuse To work longer
until certain conditions are compiled
with. which employers refuse, ~ the
| labor market under our present system ID
overstocked and emigration still adding
to the overstock, every man who strikes
will find two or three ready TO take his
place, forced By circumstances AMI per-
haps against their will, as hunger and
nakedness are hard taskmasters, and In
most cases the strike ends disastrously
to the workingmen engaged In 1t.
know that the workingmen claim that II
1t was not for strikes that they woald
never get an increase of wages, and the
time may have been when strikes were
successful, but In this country the time
has passed, and workingmen have IL in
their power to remedy all the lila they
have without any loss on their part.
They have the ballot Ia their hands, and
If they will only sink their partizaDship p
into patriotism, and vote only for thos Z
who will legislate In the interest of the
whole instead OF class, legislAte SO rs Il
have equal distribution, repeal all law
that retard human progress and that en-
courage monopoly. trusts and combines
In order to rob both the producers and
consumers, as all Legislators. both STATE
and National. are now in the Interest oi
the few and against the many. The
problems of civilization are production
and distribution, and as we are per +
Ing production, why do not laborers
organize aud be as industrious and ener-
eelic at the ballot box az they are In
organizing strikes, and vote for those
who Will leeislats for equal and pro-
gressiye distribution You can at any
general election alter our lutte ,ests and
let LEGISLATORS know thst you intend to
resent any injustice by them ut the ballot
box, and do not be compensated for all
OF the injustice and inequality you
receive from them by having brass
band and coal oil torch. few hours just
bofofe the election some evening.
| JAMES B. WEIGH.
l