The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1892-08-20
What Does it Mean?

graph wires are burdened with reports
of strikes and riots in every part of the
land and the fact suggests, to the think.
ing mind, the certainty that there must
be great wrong somewhere, and it de-
| wolves upon every lover of his country
and law and order, to earnestly search
for the root of the evil and then use
legitimate means to eradicate it. In
New York the entire national guard has
been called out to protect railroad prop
erty from strikers, while in Tennessee,
the governor has called for 5000 volun-
teers to quell a riot in which 10000
miners are said 10 be engaged in an
effort to stop the employing of convict
labor. The employing of eonvicts to
work on individual contracts is little
else than another name for slavery.
Men who have Violated the law and
been sentenced to the penitentiary, are
compelled to work for mere pittance
have been guilty of no greater offense
than that of being poor, of means Of
earning livelihood for themselves and
families. The system is wrong and
remedy is called for, but the plan adopt
ed by the Tennessee miner will not have
the desired effect. There are many
things in labor organizations that are
commendable and right. The care of
the sick is right; the burial of the dead
is right; the giving of substantial assist
ance to brother laborers and their fami-
lies when in distress is right and it is
right for labor to use all legitimate
means to preserve its dignity and pro-
tect itself against the usurption of avar-
ice and greed; but when organized
labor steps outside the pale of the law
and says to this man you can't work
there" and to that one 'you can't work
for that compensation" and resorts to
bloodshed and the destruction of prop
erty to enforce its edicts, then it loses
that moral support which is necessary
to success and bad matter is made
worse.
Labor is precisely the same thing as
any other commodity and the price
paid for it depends upon the supply and
demand. Wages are sure to be regu-
lated by the amount of work to be done
and the number there are to do it, and
this fact suggests remedy which would
go far towards settling present troubles
and prevent more serious ones in the
future. We believe that the proper
way to solve the yexed problem is for
all American laborers, whether they
belong to an organization or not, to de-
mand that such restriction laws be
enacted as will effectually and entirely |
prevent the landing on our shores of
that very large and most undesirable |
class of pauper labor now being heaped |
upon US, such as Chinese, Japs, Huns,
Slavs, Italians, etc, and then work un-
tiringly at the polls to see that the de-
mand is acceeded to. Let it be known
that no aspirant for political prefer
ment who is not willing to place him
self squarely on such platform, can
expect any support from the toiling
masses, and long stride will be made,
and made peacefully.in the right direc-
tion.
There is no effect without cause,
and the cause of the present labor trou-
bles is found in the fact that employers
can get certain class, of almost slaves,
to work for less than another class can
live on. A short time since when the
Japanese section hands were driven
from the Oregon Short Line road, the
officials of the road gave a reason for
employing them that they could not
get white laborers to do the work, but
they forgot to add ''as cheaply as the
Japs would do it.n 1t was published
that they would pay white men 81 per
day, but it is well known if they will
ensure white laborers So per day for
any length of time, they can very soon
have man for every tie on their road,
as there are tens of thousands of good
workmen to-day in this country en-
gagged in more laborious work for less
compensation.
Close the ports entirely against for
sign pauper labor and the day of strikes
and anarchism will soon be gone for
aver.