The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-02-19
THE LABOR QUESTION.

among other interesting items, the
news that the Emperor of Germany
had proposed to several of the OF u
European powers to hold conf
ence upon the labor question. This
is regarded by some as a bona tide
attempt to do something toward sol
wing the labor problem, while others
look upon it as mere attempt to
conciliate the socialist vote It is
probably something of both. The
policy of Germany with regard to
socialism is one of mingled severity
and kindness. Through the social
istic law, it endeavors to suppress
socialistic agitation with a vigor I'M
known to the statutes of other coun-
tries, while at the same time it en-
deavors to conciliate and meet the
socialists half way by semi-socialistic
legislation, an example of which is
furnished by the Compulsory Work
ingmen's Insurance Act, lately
passed. Under this combined pol
icy of repression and Cancellation,
socialism in Germany has assumed
more dangerous proportions every
year, and the evil has grown with
every effort to stamp it out until
Germany las become the classic
land of socialistic agitation, the CEN
ter from which foreign missions are
sent out. AS to the labor confer
ence, it is not likely that it will be
fruitful in results. Similar confer
ences have more than once been
held, and have terminated as rule
in nothing at all, or nothing Of value
If the experienced of the last hun.
dred years is good for anything il
goes to show that there is only
one way permanently to i'm
prove the condition of the
laboring class, and that is by the
adoption of measures which tend t.
increase his industry and self-reli
ance. He must be reformed from
below, and any attempt to improve
his condition from above, like tn,
German legislation, is not likely il
the end to effect any permanen
amelioration of his situation. Pro
tecting him from the evil of want il
old age by compulsory assurances
does nothing for his character. H
might as we'll be directly provide,
for by charity. The more provision
there is made for the poor, the NOR
poor there will be. The more poo
houses, the more paupers. Th
true way to mitigate the suffering
of the poor from restitution in oil,
age is to devise some plan the oper
alton of which will tend to increas
the prudence and foresight of thos
who participate in its benefits. Thi
the German Legislation has no tend
ency to do, but on the contrar,
rather goes to make individual pru
dence and foresight superfuous.
A large share of the dissatisfac
ton of laboring men is due chief
to general causes, inherent in an,
operating throughout our Who'll
industrial system Almost ever,
one in our decade admits that tn
laboring men have real wrongs, an,
that the modern industrial system
does not of itself assign to labor
reward proportional to the value O
its contribution to the product. Th
rich cannot be very rich unless tn
poor are very poor The laborin,
classes all over the civilize
world are reused to the fact:
and feel in some way that the
are wrOnged. Honolulu is n
exception to the universal rul,
and our vigorous anti-Chinese agit;
ton was undoubtedly partially du
to general causes, to the gener;
pressure on labor existing through
out the world, and not merely (
Chinese competition. Here, as ever,
where, the evil is rampant, and or,
ing for remedy, and here, as ever,
where, it is much easier to discoye
and point out the defects in existin
arrangements than to discover an
apply remedy.
OF one thing we may be sur,
The successful remedies will be tn