The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1892-09-17
The National Disease.

nuu ~ TtiuOVt IL. 90, lou, tn6 uuoclunn
Statesman, " no cares more for country
and justice than he does for party and
success-if there arenny snch-when he
sees a sore on the body polite, looks for
the cause and tries to remove it, know
ing that if he can do that the sore will
disappear, We have used the words
''if there are any such''-because after
reading the mass of stuff in the press
and in the writings of statesmen, on the
labor troubles at Homestead, and failing
to End any attempt there to arrive at
the cause, we are naturally inclined to
think that the kind of statesmen mem
toned are dead, scarce, or at least slow
in expressing themselves.
That Homestead trouble, and all the
numerous late labor troubles are cores
on the political body. They are grow
ing 80 common, too, that they cannot be
called exceptional or spasmodic cases.
They spread from one ocean to the 9TH
sr, and break out on every class of wage
workers. Then, too, they embrace
large class of workers who are not wage
earners this is the farming class. 1t is
true hat they do not 60 upon strikes,
but they are as discontinued as any 9TH
er class of workers. This discontent, so
widespread and universal, is an effect.
To produce it there must be some gene
raj cause, or causes, which influence all
alike. To say otherwise is simply to de-
clare that the millions OF intelligent,
patriotic, industrious men who are af-
fected ara alike crazy without reason.
There are other significant things
which one can see which can we'll set
men to sober thinking. They are the
enormous Capitalization of wealth in
the bands of H few men, and the tre-
mendous power welded by them and by
corporations, such as railway, telegraph
and steamboat companies. We ind
few thousand men owning over one
fourth of the assessiDle wealth OF the
country. We find land owners in old
settled states decreasing; fewer land
ow ners and more tenants among farm
ers. With the growth of great individ-
ual fortunes there is a corresponding
growth Of poverty, aud the misery and
crime which poverty produces. These
are all effects Of some cause or causes.
W hat is the cause
All " ho are started downward on the
shady side of life can easily remember
" hen The things mentioned had no ex-
istence. They can remember when
there were less than hundred million
aires in the United States; when cor
DOTdLlOu cOuJfOl WAC udA AhO"b WAS"
every farmer owned and titled his own
farm when there was little poverty,
and the misery which it brings. They
have seen the growth of the evils men
toned, not recognizing them as evils,
and never stopping TO think whether
they could or should be prevented. 1t
is only now when they see other effects
that all recognize az evils, that they be-
gin to question the justice OF things.
They see powerful corporations buy Leg
islators, send their own creatures and
servants to congress to make laws, and
corrupt the ballot by buying voters by
herds. They see that the rich men who
own millions upon millions worth OF
property escape paying taxes on nearly
all of it, while the poor man, whose
small possessions are discernable, pays
taxes on every dollars worth. They see
rich rascality at a premium and honest
poverty disgrace. What is the cause?
Why has there been such change in
our economical and political surround
ings and standard of personal merit DUR
ing the past thirty years
1t is simply because there has come
wonderful change in the environments
of the people, which makes these things
possible. Steam, electricity and the
raDlu QeNRlOpncbI Vi hitShoh'NS A&~'
changed ali business methods. They
have opened new avenues for accumu-
latinp wealth that other ages never
knew, and men have naturally em-
braced the opportunities. Our laws and
customs were adapted to other forums OF
civilization, and not to those OF late
growth. They were sufficient Tor the
times for which they were made, but
not for these times.
Under present conditions there has
grown up a new civilization and new
ethical standards. Our new standard
make es it right for a man to get all he
can from any enterprise in which he IS
engaged, without any regard Tor the
rights of others, In the older days, of
a century ago, master and man worked
side by side at bench and in shop and
store, and had common interests and
there was an equitable division of prof
its between employer and workmen.
The relations then between the two
were private, and concerned themselves
only. Under the new economical con-
dtions there are no longer the same re-
lations between master and man. lie
employer has learned TO consider bis
en pioyes as so many machines. lie
gets as much work out of them as posi-
BILE for as little pay as possible. ihere
is no longer any ought of an equitable
division of profits. Keenness is liking a
scale of wages 10y whlcn the employer
will get all that is possible, is good
business management"
Great interests are consolidated un-
der one control, in one corporation, ana
CORPORATIONS have no souls. They De-
come machines which deal With men as
machines. Kindly consideration for the
welfare of men who work for their IN
terest is not considered necessary. The
golden rule is out of place in business