The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-02-19
consult their interests in all our future

WORK.
At the recent session Of our General
Assembly. held at Denver. Col. our
General Master Workman recommends
ed that the local assemblies discuss the
tariff question and gave as reason the
fact that every four years we are called
upon to east our votes on one side or
the other Of this great question. con-
slider 1t in the line of duty to repeat that
to the locals Of this
state assembly. and will give as my
convictions. after careful study, that
high tariff is robbery perpetuatcd under
the g1lise Of patriotism and exalted SEN
timent to develop the wilderness. But
it helps to make the wilderness when
developed the property OF the few.
Labor had better have an undeveloped
wilderness than plutocracy.. because
q wilderness never made slaves and
plutocracy never made anything else.
But the wilderness needs no restrictive
markets or discriminating assessments
to insure its development. And it is a
significant fact that those who clamor
the most for high tariff as method of
development are the first to tell labor
that its poverty is caused by too much
development and over-production: or
recommend, US did the leading high
tariff organ Of this state. that the farm
ers destroy one-fourth of their corn
crop by fire in order to create home
market for the balance. while eastern
coal miners produce the elements of fire
at starvation wages. Mr.. Mcbride Of
Ohio, says in England the average annu-
al production of each employe is S496 of
which the laborer receives 1896 and
capital 500. In the United States the
average annual production Of each en-
ployc is S72O, of which the laborer re-
ceives 1916 and capital s314. In England
the laborer receives three-fifths of the
products and in the United States less
than one-half. This fact alone should
convince the laboring portion Of our
people that it is the redundancy of soil
and our rapid production over other
countries that has enabled us to live in
spite of high tariff assessments. It is
charged by the subsidized press and the
enemies Of our order that we raise the
standard of discomfort, mar the relation
ship between capital and labor and en-
danger the public peace by our ex-
posure of conditions. Wendell Phillips
once said: If you will convince the
people that wrong exists they will
find their own remedy" The people
will certainly find no remedy for a
wrong of which they know not. 4
physician cannot treat disease until
some one complains of illness. The
people are the physicians of society.
and are licensed by constitutions to
treat every social and political disease.
and through the ballot-box they apply
the art Of surgery to civil codes until
the last virulent tumor is removed. But
until through organization, education
and well directed effort, the ulcers that
eat away the vitals Of social equality
are exposed to public view and their ex-
istsnce acknowledged by a majority OF
the people no remedy can be applied.
The exposure of the auction bloc.l.and
the whipping post with their train oi
persecution and torture has the crystal.
| izing force that pnrgcd the social at.
mosphere Of chattel slavery. And had
not the fostering cankers Of chattelhood
been opened to public view by the clo-
quent Garrison and Phillips. and q
long line of other philanthropists who
consccratcd their lives to the cause o1
freedom. clattel slavery would be in
the height of its glory to-day. No rem
edy can ever come to unknown wrongs
and unexposed conditions, and those
who use the press or the rostrum te
condemn organized labor for its com
plants or raise the cry of falsehood ano
/ slander when actual conditions are eX
posed. play the same part in the strug
| gle for industrial freedom that thos,
| did who drowned the Voice of Patricl
Henry with the cries of treason, Oh
those who mobbed the propagators o.
universal freedom for their exposure o.
chattel slavery.
The cause of poverty is found in thu
monopolization of natural bounties, pri
vate control of railroads. contraction o1
the currency and the unjust apportion
ment of burdens and rewards. Th,
factory girl may in a single day add 81,
fine shirts to the material wealth of tn,
world. but the 81 cents paid for the Ia
Dor means poverty and rags for tn,
maker. Labor produces Sll,OOO.0O0 0
wealth in this nation every day, We
labor starvcs. The cause is the restric
ton of opportunities and the inequalit,
of rewards. TO where you will and tn
laboring man is the poor man. Sa,
what you will. charge labor with intem
perance and extravaganza all you wish
but the fact still remains that q dolla
and half per day will not provide
comfortable home and educate the chil
dren of the toiler. Remove the cause
break the shackels of greed. insur
equitable distribution. increase the or
portunities to labor and make the re
wards of toll more certain and the rem
edy is applied.
According to the tenth census tn
! average yearly earnings Of America
J labor decreased from little more tina
800 in 1870 to little more than 500 i
, 1880, yet the wealth Of the nation in
| creased during that period more than
billion dollars per year. In 1880 tn
farmers of this nation owned thre.
{ tifths of its wealth. in 1850 they owne
but one-third of it's wealth and to-da
: they own about onc-fifth of its wealth
, yet the farmers are still paying tn
eighty per cent of taxes paid by thel
: in 1850.
! In 1860 there were but few childre
: under Is years of age in our factories
in 1870 there were 739. 163, in 1850 ther
: were 1,l1s,356, and it is generally col
. ceded that the number will now far e,
, ceed two millions. Not alone has civ
4 lization been outra- red by the introdu
: ton of infant slavery in numbers nearl
equal to the chattel slaves of thirt
: years ago. but the low wages paid the
= associated with other degrading met
S DDS. has reduced the average earning
: of all labor. skilled and unskilled,
S less than dollar per day. and col
1 sumption of products hereby reduce
until even the farmers of proud low
S have sold their products at a loss sint
S 1850. except when other western state
K suffered universal failure. and the NOR
4 gage Indebtedness on the homes
: | Iowa now aprrerate n nearly three hu