Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-10-12
PLUNDERERS.
Let All, Who Like the Master And the
Maker, WOrk-Unite to Secure Justice
and Stop Robbery and Oppression-This
WIN Solve the Labor OueatiOn.

Let All, Who Like the Master And the
Maker. WOrk-Unite to Secure Justice
and Stop Robbery and OppressIOn-ThIs
VIII Solve the Labor Question.
The San Antonio (Tex) Truth pub
fishes the follow ing forcfble article
from the Springfield (O.) New Era 1t
is a clear statement of the case, and
from a practical standpoint. Let bust
ness men understands let all men once
| understand that a system that allows
the legal plundering of one person by
another, or one class by another, and
all class legislation ond special privi-
leges win soon be wiped out of exist
ence. The same system that is squeez-
ing the farmer out Of his farm and the
laborer ont Of his home, also caused
over L., 900 failures in business during
the year 1891. Under our present sys-
tenn business is a grab game, where
strength and cunning is bound to tri-
umph, and all wealth be finally held by
a handful of people. The New Era
says:
Zone of the mistakes that has caused
much trouble is the idea that the labor
question is simply a quarrel between
employers and employees on the matter
of wages, and that whatever is to the
advantage of the employer will be
| disadvantage to the employee, and vice
versa. The quarrels between the en-
| ployer and employe-the so-called con-
troversy between labor and ca is
| simply the result of those evils II, ioh
constitute and create the labor aes-
ton.
''The fact is, you cannot draw any
sharp line OF demarcation between labor
aud capital, between laborer and cap
itaEst. Capital is simply stored labor,
and labor is incipicnt capital AS soon
as the laborer receives dollar of wages
he becomes to that extent a capitalist,
and II the employer participates in the
| business as manager, overseer, or in
any other way, he Is a laborer. And
the real controversy is not between
labor and capital, as such; not between
employer and employe, as such; but be-
tween those whether employers or en-
| ployes) who are producing the wealth
of the nation and those who without
producing anything are gathering to
themselves the productions of others.
In brief, the controversy is between
producer and plunderer
combined in one individual A man
may be himself producer and at the
same time be engaged in plundering
others. But these are mere exceptions
and do not change the principle. The
real controversy is between the bust
ness of producing wealth and Of getting
wealth from others who have produced
II. Therefore in this controversy all
who are engaged in producing wealth,
whether as employers or employees,
should be on one side. The men who
work for wages-day wages-have been
the first to cry out, because, being near
est the bottom of the pile, they have
most severely felt the pressure. But
Others are just as much concerned, only
they don't see so well what hurts them
and their hurt does not come so near
the dinner table.
But it must be remembered that any
social system whereby the producers
are defrauded defrauds all the pro-
ducers- If our social and political sys-
tenn is robbing the ditcher working for,
a dollar a day, it is also robbing the
| preachers on d salary of a thousand dol
lars year. If it robS the farmer on
his farm, it also robs the merchant in
his store and the blacksmith in his
shop and the manufacturer in his count
ing room.
And the fact that the manufacturer
may be robbing others does not change
the principle at all As manufactures
he is being robbed; as a Spectator, a
gambler, n pensioner on government
s35S.dsos, nc may be robbin0 others.
| q . II
he himself is losing, but that does not
change the principle. Smith, the man.
ufacturer, is being robbed. Smith, the
gambler, Spectator, monopolist, may
be roobing Others but the conjunction
OF the two characters in the one man
does not change the principle at all
The principle is that the producers,
whether working for day wages or sal
aries, or for fees, or for profits, whether
employees or employers, are being
robbed by the plunderers.
And it therefore follows that all
producers, whether working for dav
wages or salaries, or fees. or profits
should unite their efforts 20 put stop
to the plundering Of the people by spec
ulation, gambling, trusts. combines.
monopoly, tariff and all the various
schemes that have been and are being
devised to enable 4 special class to eat
their bread in the sweat of other classes
face.
zone thing which helps to obscure the
popular mind on this subject is the sinv
idea that there is n broad distinction
between producers who work for wares
and those who work for salaries, fees
profits etc The ily-hauded clerk who
helps keep the books in the counting
room cannot imagine there is anything
in common with him and the grim-fisted
man in blouse and overalls who takes
care of the engine in the basement
The hly-handed young man, though
perhaps he never has more than ten
dollars at one time, thinks that he be-
longs to the capitalistic class, and has
no common interest with common
labor.
1.-THE thrifty young man, who by in
dustry and economy-helped out per-
haps by q legacy or n marriage-has
accumulated a few thousand dollars
and starts factory Of his own or goes
in with some others and becomes the
president of corporation, cannot inn
agine that he Is - much q working
man now while managing factory a.
he was when managing lathe. He
thinks himself . capitalist and there
fore of necessity opposed to labor.
Whenever he hears about the thirty
thousand who own half the wealth Of
the nation he thinks he IL one Of the