Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-09-17
A Few thoughts for Strikers.

strikes aud labor differences occurring
in this country. In fact, those who
watch these matters closely, and study
the subject carefully, declare that an.
nually the list of strikes grows and
multiplies and that the number of idle
men each succeeding year grows
larger.
There arc few points in these re-
peated labor differences that the labor-
ing men themselves seem not to note,
or IL they do see them, they do not
heed. They are points that are stead
lily "telling" in the interest of the en-
ployer, and each year gives him
larger hold on the handle of his whip.
Every twelve months witnesses vast
improvements in old machinery and
the introduction OF new machinery
mechanisins that perform the labor of
two, three 10 dozen men. These i'm
provemcmts are invading every Occu-
patton of life. The days when farm
hands could sit on the fence and de-
mand whatever compensation they
thought was right, have forever passed
away. The scf-raker and the self
binder have made the farmer indie
pendent of the hand binder, and he
and one man performed in 4 day or
two the work that formerly required q
week and large force. Machinery
has invaded the ranks Of St. Crispin.
and thousands of men are compelled
to look 10 other industries for employ
mcnt. The type setting machine, do
ing the work OF seven or eight rapid
composiiors. by the aid Of two work
men, is hurting the type settlers bust
ness. The vast extent of territory
covered by the press association, with
their stercotyping apparatus, making
ono setting Of type produce plates that
would have required hundreds of
printers 10 "sci," has created Il surplus
of printers until in nearly every city
in the country there are as many UNI
employed typos as there are those
holding steady situations. This is one
point that many w0rkmen do not take
into account when they enter upon
strikes.
During the last two, three or five
years there has been wonderful
growth in the number of Young girls
and women who have entered the
ranks of hired l4horers, taking clerk
ships in dry goods house, and positions
as book-keepers, stenographers and
typc-writers. These were positions
formerly filled by boys and Young
men. The males have been displaced.
The girls do not smoke, they do not
swear, they do not play cards for
money, and they do not stay out so
late at night AS to render them unfit
for their duties the next day. Thous-
andS aud hundreds of thousands OF
Young women are today actively en-
ployed in the business world, and are
filling places thai few wears ago
were occupied almost exclusively by
men. They are self->upp0rting, indie
pendent, prudent, and seldom 60 upon
strikes. They are not as well paid as
the men, for somehow employers have
not all reached that point where they
estimate the compensation by the
amount of work performed. rather
than BY the sex TO which one belongs.
This is another point which many
working men have not taken IN ac-
count The knitting works. with It's
800 women employees, is good illus
tration OF this point.
A third point is the large and in
creasing number of arrivals daily
coming to our shores from other coum-
tries. Not always the best there is,
nor the most desirable, huE nearly al
ways compelled by their needs. To ell
ter the field, The workshop and the
section gang, in order to secure their
daily bread. Fresh from the old coun-
tries. unused To liberal compensation,
they hire out for what is offered them,
and for few wears they labor at low
wages. About the time they become
expert, and think of having increased
wages, aloug colnes another batch of
their newly arrived and needy c0uu-
irvmen, anxious for work. The old
men go out, the new lnen 90 in. the
bosses win the strike, and - IL goes,
uUlll, W NluNON az NhN pNNSN',
calculations reveal the fact that only
half of the labOring class OF the c0nn-
try-ihaL class dependent upon its
daily lah0rs for the comforts of life
are regularly employed. 1t is This
fact that gives 10 employers the all
vantage. In the language OF Mr.. Lin
coin, there is no scarcely of pegs; the
scarcity is of places TO put them. This
Is not pleasant condition of affairs,
but it is the fact, and worklncn must
look II in the face. The One-half OF
the wOrkmen now employed, with tho
improved machinery. produce much
greater results than all the wOrkmen
employed in the old way. The em-
ployer, selling in u competitive mar
ket.-unless he can form trusts
kept 10 close margins: his profits arc
4 Iar,ralu tn,n tl.n ntinnfifv