The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-01-01
WHAT ARR. THE REAL GIsIlIVANGES;
rsJI . sg

the unsatistied condition OF all labor
ing people with things as they arc, and
also Of their earnest endeavor Tor rcfOi-
nation. Farmers, mechanics, miners,
day labors and intact all real producers
are agreed that something is wrong,
they are agreed that labor is too poor
ly paid. that it receives II proportion
atcly smaller and smaller share Of its
products, that is the pay OF labor con
tends toward the minimum
Notwithstanding this universal agree
ment, there is Il wide divergence as to
the cause. Many reasons are assigned
for this ever increasing poverty along
side the ever growing productive power
OF labor, Tor this strange phenomena
that brings IL millionaire and IL t!lous-
and paupers and tramps, poverty and
hunger with overprOduction, stnrva-
ton IN sight OF wasting wealth.
So. too. there is great difference OF
opinion III to the remedy; many THINGS
are advocated. We hear governmental
ownership and control OF railroads and
telegraph advocated, governmental
loans to the people, the ISSUE OF green
back money and shorter hours for labor
are put forth us among the necessary
things to be done, and we also hear the
talilf reduction, the election Of honest
officials, reduction Of salaries and many
other remedies proposed. Many OF
which, no doubt, have more or less
merit in them and the adoption OF
which would be BENEFICIAL. But can 1t
be aid OF any and all OF these that
their adoption would give to labor That
which is take under present conditions
in greater and greater and greater guam
titles as progress and Improvement 90
on. Study them well and see.
These questions should be diligently
studied, they should be freely discussed
through the columns of our newspapers;
these long, winter evenings, while the
mind is free from the p%reiudices always
accompanying IL political campaign, is
the best time to study them. When it
is 50 universally conceded that some
thing is wrong i'll the present condition
OF things and it is so necessary that IT,
form be had, let us honestly, without
prejndlces seek for the cause, and if
there be one, the fundamental and prin-
| cilal cause, and when we find it then
provide a remedy. lis not-bc like
the man who stopped to fight the
mosquito and was run over by the Gle
plant. For many minor evils that are
so easily observed, when rightly UNDER
stood will be found to rest upon and are
supported by some deeper and more
universal one and are destroyed BY the
destruction OF the greater. Timer" is
nothing gained by turning one party
out OF power and putting another i'll,
unless the incoming party is 10 DO ava
with some existing wrong. There can be
but little merit in all this TUX about
corruption in Office and the election OF
honest officials as IL remedy Tor existing
evils, however desirable it may he, iul
are We not apt to turn as many ,iscais
in as we turn out: Nor will the lower
ing the salaries afford any extensive re
lief. If all the officers in the whole stat,
and county received no pay at all thei,
would be no prcceptable difference III Oul
financial conditions as citizens, cacl
would be As poor us now, And so, viii
almost Ill OF the remedies prOEUsrd
they cannot bring about the end dc
.:,,1 'rl,,,,, r.,,,,., g., L., ~, ,,.i,,,,,y,
and unbiddcn consumer that Is takMl:
away the produce OF labor and This W,
should diligently search for. | am sHr,
many are overlooking the root OF all thu
evil OF our social conditions and art
embracing as their dearest irirnd tht
cruel and heartlcss rObDcr that is silent
ly carrying away the produce OF homes
industry. It boldly stalks into tn,
house OF the farmer and is present IL
every meal, drives away his stock ant
hauls off his grain, is ever present IL
the humble home Of the laborer aux
fingers like Il ghost about the cottage o
the widow.
y When one counts up what goes will
all the wealth he creates, that is all tn
real tangible things he has raised ant
5 produced Tor the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
: what he gets i'll return when he part
with them, he seems to see where it la
) all properly and justly gone: and her
he becomes perplexed. But the troubl
l here lies in our overlooking the distino
ton between those things for which W
should give or exchange our producean
things for which we should give nothing
When this distinction is once clearl
1 recognized our perpleXity fast fade
away. ignorance OF this great funda
; mental truth has wrecked other "civiliza
! tons and buried them beneath the drift
i OF ages past, and may not the failure {
4 Our own statesmen to recognize 1T, 500
I turn us down the long grade to slowl
: drift back to barbarism.
! 1t is this unjust demaud made upo,
t labor, this hidden and unseen tribut
that producers all over the world ar
paying that is impoverishing them ant
the evil that must be removed. / vii
endeavor to present my lucas Of thi
!, subject in my stumbling way throug'
the columns OF The UNION in a humble
Of articles making inquiry into it sui
, ject by subject. I would very much Xix
= to have those who feel enough interes
in them, read all Of the articles, so a
, to get at my meaning. LEVI MCGEE.
4
J See Schleuning & Young as to prices 0
: fresh and sailed meats.
Stubborn Facts.
+ Hot SPRINGS, S. D., Dec. II, $780,