The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-07-15
he increase of wealth caused by labor


saving machinery. To all the increase
of wealth that the light of science has
enabled man to draw from the latent
resources of nature. The skill of in
ventors, the light or science has added
thousand fold to the productive power
of man, and capital with the brazen
front of tyranny lays claim to all this
increase of wealth, because it purchases
the lieless inanimate machinery, and
by the intelligence of a few men endows
this machinery with the euergiziug
power of a thousand men. The
claim is boldly set up that this hand
full of men shall be paid the same wages
or but fraction more than was earned
by a pair of hands in the old days OF
manual labor. A hundred, thousand
men are or may be turned away idle,
while the few dozens who give vitaiiz-
ing power to machinery shall be salts
fled with descending scale of wages
which is to be governed by competition
in the wage market, which is being
every day replenished by the idle men
created by the multiplying power of
science and the inventive brains of
genius. Corporate wealth declares it
holds a charter right to all of the in
creased wealth springing from these
changed conditions in the producing
energies of the human family. And
they insist on applying the laws adjust.
ed by the conditions Of the old days of
manual labor, pure and simple. to the
altered conditions which science and
invention have projected into the midst
Of the labor world. 1t will be seen
that labor saving machinery occupies
the place OF the slave in the old regime
of the centuries that have gone, endow.
ing its owner, however. with power Of
creation multiplied hundred fold.
Capital entrenched behind its cor
porate charter, stamped with the sacred
emblem Of law, claims all OF the in
creased wealth made possible by the
modern machine, harnessed to electricity
and steam, while this special class look
upon the men who drive and direct the
titan powers as the old slave owner
looked upon his everseer and driver.
There is nothing really new in these
appearingly wonderfully changed con-
ditions. If traced up the old enemy is
found clothed in new garments, aud as
ever in the past claiming to be the
owner of all. The same violent meth
DDS too, he is ready and eager to employ.
This man Frick is pure specimen Of
the tyrant seen all along the path
of history covered with blood. Now
trampling men, women and children
down under his horses feet; or moving
them down with grape and canister
with rifle and musket; hanging the
Wallaces, the Emmets and William
Tells who dared to champion the rights
the people and oppose the encroach-
men,s of tyranny, aud always under the
sanction and justification of law
The question that presses for solu
ton, and takes precedence of all others
is whether the intelligence of the age
is able to meet this old enemy in his
new DISCUSSES and place a bit in his
mouth. or will the spirit of liberty as in
the past have to resort to the barbarous
and primative mode and repulse him on
the battle field? He can never be
slain or wholly subdued on the battle
field, but defeated and repulsed for the
present, to recruit and appear again
to plague succeeding generations under
some new disguise.
The claims advanced by Mr.. Prick
for the Carnage monopoly is the old
claim of the master and the tyrant
which ignores entirely the rights Of the
citizen, and places the foot of property
on his neck. The dollar. the dollar
god is set up to be worshiped aud the
man is to be sacrificed to crafty this
god of greed. How long would it re-
quire this Carnage corporation to make
wage slaves, whose life would have no
more liberty left in it than the serfs Of
Russia? As the multiplying power oil
machinery increases production and
wealth. the sum Of wages goes relatively
lower by standing still. Although
their efforts increase wealth hundred
fold they shall never enjoy an addition,
al cent. Fewer men are needed to
create the same or an addition amount
of goods: and the unemployed begio
soon to compete in the labor market.
The man who protests against the pro-
osed reduction in his wages is set