Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-03-22
THE LABOR QUESTION.

Upon Wise Solutioa OF It's Problems De-
Pends the Existence of the American Re-
public.
With this number we enter into a
calm and dispassionate and, trust, a
logical and philosophical examination
into the necessity, ethics, justice and
certain results of the shortening of the
day of labor. The general public and,
to their shame be it said, many mem
bers of trades unions, think that the
ultimate scope and intent of the eight
hour movement is contained in the
legend:
Eight hours for REST,
RECREATION,
and limit their expectations of bene-
fetal results to their own individual
selves Such view, however, does not
even begin to embrace the length and
breadth, the height and depth of the
real issues hinging upon the demand
for shorter hours.
have said (paradoxical as it may ap-
pear that labor's numerical strength
was the source of its weakness. Put
tingit in another form, if there were
fewer laborers they would possess more
power. This is the basic fact, from
which arises the necessity for shorter
hours of labor Under the present sys-
TEN of competitive, wage working ex-
ploitation of labor, the few, called
capitalists, owning and controlling all
natural resources of nature. all machin-
cry and tools of production and all the
available security upon which money
may be obtained, employ the many,
called laborers, to produce wealth, pay
ing them a certain set and stipulated
amount per day or week fortheir labor
This brings us to a. consideration of
what is known as the ''irnn law of
wages" Briefly stated the law is
this: Where there is surplusage of
labor, l. e., where there are more labor
ers seeking work than there is work for
them to do, wages if there exists no
counteracting infiuence) will uniformly
sink to the level of such rates as will
provide bare subsistence to that class
of laborers who are the most degraded
and whose standard of living is coarsest
and least refined. Nothing but the
counteracting influence of organized
labor prevents the plane of existence
of all Americas labor its diet, clothing
to level with the plane upon which
the Chinese, italian, Hun and Pole is
satisfied to live. Assuming that it is
not possible to increase the amount of
work to be done (Which is not granted),
and knowing that it is not possible to
reduce the number of laborers, the ten
dency being in the opposite direction,
the only possible action to take in or
der that labor may be saved from uni
versal degradation and slavery is to
shorten the legal days labor un-
til there are as many davs'
labor to perform as there are laborers
to perform them. This would have the
effect of inaugurating an era of free
dom of contract under which both con-
tracing parties, the employer and the
employed. would have voice in de-
tining the terms of the mutual compact
whereby the one enters into an agree
ment to work for the other, which
would be purely a mutual or co-opera-
tive arrangement between the two fac
tors of production, capital and labor.
Such system would reverse the 'iron
law of wages" and eau e the standard
of wages to rise to the level of the
wages of those possessing the most re-
fined taste and the most independence
and manhood A well settled and gen.
orally accepted economic law is that
in free, natural competitive market,
demand being equal to supply. prices
will remain at the level of the highest
cost of production. We're there no sur
plus of laborers, wages in all lines of
industry would tend to the level of
wages demanded by the laborers having
the most refined taste and civilized de-
sires, l. e.. those whose standard of living
was the highest. 1t would have ten
dency to continually raise humanity
rather than degrade it and would cause
civilization to constantly progress on
ward and upward to higher and better
plane, instead of, as at present, tending to
the degradation and brutalizing of the
human race.
The shortening of the days labor is
an imperative necessity to the salvation
of the American republic and the pre-
vention of the establishment of a plu-
tocratic oligarchy upon the ruins of ''the
best government the world ever saw"
Observe the situation and critically
analyze the surrounding conditions
The earth is fenced, and in every direc,
ton is the legend; ''No trespassing al
lowed" All the bountiful resources of
nature, graciously given humanity by
benifcent God are claimed by capital
istic mopopolists, who exact the last
possible farthing of tribute for their
use. The fruits of the combined in
ventive genius and perceptive facul-
ties of the entire human race of all
ages are in their possession, and they,
the few, are the sole benefciaries of the
wonderful progress of humanity in in
vention and the arts and sciences The
marvellous development of labor saving
machinery, which should have relieved
a common humanity from lives Of con-
tinuous and unremitting toll
from sun to sun, does but
increase their power of absorption
and augment their power to oppress
and degrade the toiling millions The
never ceasing and constantly growing
stream of humanity which flows into
our domain, do but furnish additional
| tabernacles in which may dwell their
| assistant evil demons, hunger and cold,
gloom and despair. The degraded and
debased appetites and desires, the al
AhoSS cdNdSC anu pTIAttlVc ndDlCS Oh
life entailed upon thousands of our inn
migrants by reason of their. unfortu-
nate birth and arrested development in
land of despotism and slavery, are
eagerly utilized by these autocrats as
instruments with which to degrade
American labor to the level of these
immigrants unfortunate condition.
1 Trusts and combinations are made their
potent tinstrumentalities for evil and pro-
duction is limited and curtailed, wages
are lowered and the robbed laborer Is
further robbed by prices affixed at pleas
ure in a market in which there is no
competition. These appalling condi-
tions are constantly growing in intensi-
1 ty, organized labor apparently being
the only protestants- treading the wine
press Of brutal civilization alone and