The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-16


cial boards, the disrespectful attitude of
the daily press toward the claims and
propositions Of labor, point to moral
as plain as a pikestaff: Labor has not the
power through organization numerically
strong and intelligently directed to COM
pei the respect which is rendered in our
day only to the powerful. A railroad
tied up for 48 hours, a rolling mill shut
down for three months or the painting
of COW shed indefinitely delayed makes
nothing toward progress for the wage
slave, no matter on whose banner victory
perches for the time. It is rather feed
ing spoonfuls of blood to the lion.
Right here I must quote something
from w. D. Howells' story, "a Traveller
from Altruria, now running in The Co.'S
mopolitan Magazine. In conversation
between several gentlemen the subject
of possible conflict between labor and
capital is being discussed, when banker
declares that in case of such struggle
1--WE will VIM He is asked why he be-
ieves capital will conquer labor. Here
is his reply:
Well, all the good lingo reasons. We have
got the materials for beating. Those fellows
throw away their strength whenever they be-
gin to fight, and they've been SO badly gener-
a1ed up to the present time that they have
wanted to fight at the outset of every quarrel.
They have been beaten in every quarrel, but
still they always want to begin by fighting
That is all right. When they have learned
enough to begin by voting, then we shall have
to look out. But if they keep on fighting and
always putting themselves in the wrong and
getting the worst of it perhaps we can fix tho
voting so that we needn't be any more afraid of
that than we are Of the fighting. It's aston
ishing how shortsighted and illogical they are
They have no conception Of any cure for their
grievances except more wages and fewer hours.
One of the party asks the banker if he
really thinks the workingmen have any
just grievances. His answer is full of
meat:
OF course not, as business man. If were
q workingiHan, should probably think differ
emily. But we will suppose. for the sake of ar
gument, that their day is too long and their
pay is too short How do they go about it to
better themselves? They strike. Well, a strike
is a fight, and in q fight nowadays it is always
skill and money that win. The workingmen
can't stop till they have put themselves outside
OF Cn0 puOuC sympathy, WHICH the newspapers
say is so potent in their behalf. never saw
that it did them the least good. They begin by
boycotting and breaking the heads of the men
who want to work. They destroy property,
and they interfere with business-the two alb
solutely sacred things in the American reli-
gion. Then we call out the militia ana shoot
few of them. and the leaders declare the strike
off. 1t is perfectly simple.
While these are the utterances of a
character in fiction, they are full of facts
and truths, and Mr.. Howells, who
through the banker in his story un-
doubtedly expresses his own convictions,
has frequently shown during recent
years that he is close student of social
and economic subjects.
Mr.. Powderly, in recent interview
brought about by the publication of his
newer views in The Journal Of the
Knights of Labor, said in answer to q
question by the reporter:
mean that no organization of labor in this
day and generation can be nonpolitical and be
effective. The nonpolitical organizations arc
no good. They are behind the times. Our
strikes and boycotts are failures today. and
why? Because capital has elected the judges
and rules the courts. Capital places judge in
the chair to do its bidding. and year after year
the workingmen foolishly vote for the candi-
dates of the capitalists.
do you mean by that that all the strikes and
boycotts have been failures?''
No. won't say that they were failures in tho
past but it is questionable If they did not often
cost more than they were worth. In the fu-
ture, il capital is determined to fight, don't
see how strikes and boycOtts can succeed. The
only thing for Us to do now Is to take the po-
ntical power into our own hands, and we can
do it II we stand together. In this country the
majority rules, and certainly the capitalists
are not the majority.
With an amalgamation of all the labor
organizations, each being left to manage
it's own trade affairs, with the Farmers
Alliance and the American Railway
union united in this amalgamation, there
would be possible such political reforms
and changes in our economic system as
would be of lasting benefit to the work
ingman. BY broadening the platform
labor organizations q drawinto the field
the greater part Of tint army of the un-
organized and disorganized which is fully
four-fifths of the wageworking force Of
the country. With an organization
founded upon the principles that all those
who labor are kindred in interests; that
union Of men means united effort to
achieve the full rights Of labor; that those
who labor must control the conditions of
their labor through the intelligent use Of
the ballot; that to vote right is IS essen
tial as to strike right with such an or
ganization, working under an ironclad