The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-08-11
THE FARMERS AND THE LABOR
QUESTION.


Agricultural, the following paragra-
phs which commend themselves to the
consideration of all thoughtful aud
f.irminded people Of every party and
occupation:
''The farmer is interested in the just
settlement OF the contest between capi-
tai and labor. No other class of pro
ducers % generally own property. Iu-
doed, q farmer must own property to
carry on his business, and every ''hired
man" expects to become y farmer aud
land owner. If it is right for the
strikers at Homestead to keep out
other men who are willing to labor, by
violence, or TO prevent the working Of
- mills BY blowing them aH or des--
ttOy9 thesl3 ehon It 40 of no use to
acquiTo property, and the less man
owns Of 1t, the better. It takes two to
make = bargain. Ifa farmer and his
hired man agree upon terms, well and
GOOD. II they do not agree, how many
farmers would ba willing TO concede to
to the hired man the right to fix his
wages. and If not agreed to, to stand
In the front yard with loaded shot
gun 20 prevent any other man from
coming on to the farm to work on any
othev terms, while the crops wasted in
tho field? The case is parallel. ia
farmer in such case called on the
constituted authorities to protect him
in his rights. would he not have just
cause of action against the county, II
the authorities stood by and allowed
his property to 60 to waste ?"
''There is no call for public sympathy
on either side of this Homestead case.
The mill owners are millionaires and
experienced business men, and well
able to take case of themselves. The
men IN whose interest the strike was
made. were earning from s. to $40 per
day of eight hours. and all talk about
''poOr wOrkmen fighting for their
homes and daily bread" is g bosh."
Wages in the Homestead mills ranged
from $3O5 to $l9.76 per day of eight
hours. An average OF $7.2S There is no
''poverty" clap trap in such earnings
as this, and the case may be considered
impartialiy, without mixing up any
sickiy sentiment with it. In fact. AO
Class of industrious workers need or
ask any sympathy. They are us we'll
of ae the employer, and often better.
II anybody should have public synpa-
thy just now, it is the farmers of the
Northwest, whose crops are coming on
and who do not know whether or not
the men necessary to harvest them Can
be had. Last year wheat went over
winter uDthreshed because help was
scarce, aud it is safe to say that there
is not now an iudustriously inclined
man or woman in the United States,
who cannot get work at paying wages.
There are clerks, Duokkeepets, type
writer's, SeaDStreSSeS, saleSladies, and
host OF others who would rather
starve in city than do honest work
in the country, who sometimes find it
difficult to get situations TO their lik-
ing, but taOse who want work, aud are
not particular what it is so that it is
honorable and fairly paid, are wanted
1T every turn, and they never have to
''strlke" to get fair wages"
"Some of the men III whose interests
the Homestead strike was made came
very near being ''plutoCrats." and
the organization to which they belong
ia rich. One Of the strikers has $22,
600 loaned on Kansas mortgages, and
others have snug sums at interest
This only illustrates how careful a mar,
has to be in talking to All audience OF
workingmen, not to define the terms
''plutocrat' and 'money king'' too
closely. 1t "plutocrat' means any
man who has industriously saved more
money than HI can use in his business
and has loaned it where. it will gain
something against a rainy day when
he or his family may need it, there are
great many workingmen in every
community who are ':splutocrats" and
money kings" If it is wrong to
make . good deal of money honestly
and loan it, is it also wrong to make a
little money and loan it? If not, where
Is the line drawn 20