The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-15

tered into competition with American
mill machinery products, and an average
of so per cent. on every dollar his labor
received in foreign wages.
How did this affect the labor market?
Originally, 1000 bushels of wheat, rep
resenting at the most 500 for seed and in
terest, were exchanged for 1000 yards of
cloth worth Sl,000-and $500 went to the
farmer for wages and 500 for raw mate
rial and plant. Congress imposed fine
of $3.50, and what was left did not pay the
farmer for his time.
Capital and machinery then made the
cloth and supplied the demand. Only
5000 was paid in wages to machine tend
ers, and the remainer was the earnings of
the machine and the cost of the imported
raw material.
The farmer was euchred out of the
market for his 1000 bushels OF corn latter
the exchanged. and 81 900 worth of farm
labor-S900 to be eXact-lost its profitable
foreign employment.
The machine and the capitalist got il
all, but gave back some of it to the ma
chine tender, and little to the producer
OF the raw material. But the machine got
the lions share.
The farmer lost all. What he lost was
divided between the machine and other
workmen, but what little the machine left
for labor did not help the farmer. Though
the machine tender spent all his wages
for extra food the farmer was loser still
of four-ffths.
Labor lost in wages what the machine
made for the machine owner.
Every machine built takes its profit out
of the wages of labor. The Massachusetts,
bureau of labor statistics presents some
eforflinO facts 70 chou
COTTON FABRICS.
Production In yards....... 175,s75934 s74,776,7s
No. oil workers.----...........- 4,l5l 81, 1OI
WOODEN GOODS.
Production in yard'.........- 46.Oos14l so2oS $50
NO. OF WoTkers..................- lS,IoS u,5iO
BOOTS AND SHOES
No of pairs.... S1s72,5si So 76o s66
NO OF "orKers-....-...... oZe-l 2Sooi
The constant improvement in machin-
cry is such that an increase of 500 per
cent. per decade in the production in
creases the number of machine tenders
only % per cent. while merely to increase
the production 100 per cent. results in a
reduction of the machine tenders by one
half.
When Nat Lud was ordered to set his
needles he took hammer and smashed
his lo)m. The memory of the 'Luddite
DAYS" has almost vanished but if we in
this generation had the sense that he had
or the backbone that the Luddites had
we would repeat them, even though the
result should be the same.
But reUenoas nos mO,tons-the sheep
who vote in Vermont" The gift OF pro-
lection to the machines against his sur
! plus farm labor was not enough to satisfy
the republican farmer. He gave 1t all he
! had-he surrendered the government to
| it. He spurned al warnings, insulted
! every man who asked him to seriously
think of what he was doing, and by his
! approval OF reciprocity opened wide the
| gate for machine products to buy in South
America three-fourths OF the farm prod.
ucts consumed in the United States.
! The machine now has him by the
throat. His surplus farm labor has gone
! His other farm labor within five years will
! be pitted sguarely against the machinery
of the bonaza farms, and the cheaper farm
! products Of our neighbors bought with
! our machine mill products. In fifty years
! he Will be a wage slave to the machine, a
wage slave working with collar around
! his throat, in competition with Asiatics, as
| the mill machine tenders in this country
| are now doing.
So will we all. The struggle between
labor and the machine outside of farming
has been hopeless ever since the repub-
! lican farmer surrendered his mind and
body, and with it the liberty of all the
| people. to the triumph of plutocracv.
There is only one way OF salvation left
for the farmer-a short, sharp and bloody
one, beside which that OF the French
revolution was child's play. But that way
will never be his. The republican farmer
"prefers to be buncoed." He takes his
anger out in talk and kisses the hand that
smites-protection in 1868 and reciprocity
| in 1891.
The American republic has been de
stroyed by the American farmer.
! New York, April 10. T. E. WILSON.