The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-09-16
THE LABOR QUESTION.

and most effective manner of solving
this mighty problem. The labo
question is one which is as old almos
as civilization and has existed il
some shape for ages, although i
changes as the times change. Tn,
nations of Europe have had to dea
with it IN centuries gone by; and fol
the last ten or fifteen years it has
been growing in Importance and
magnitude in the United States
until to-day it stares us in the face
as one of the future evils with which
our legislators will have to grapple.
Chief among the bad phases of the
labor question is the turning loose
upon society from time to time large
masses of the working classes, with
no employment and no means Of SUBJ
sistance for themselves or their fam
lies. This often results from un-
seen circumstances and from Geo.
nomlc changes and developments,
which are the results of improve
ment, and, very often of the power
of monopolies. The rapid advances
in manufactures and the displace-
ment Of human labor by modern ma
chinery have in a great measure re-
duced the demand for labor, and the
idle classes have thus been increased.
Every year inventions come to light
which simplify machinery and reduce
the number of workmen in some par
ticular industryto minimum almost.
This is continually going on, throwing
men out of work and lessening the
numbers originally required. This
being the case, there is always a
large floating element thrown upon
tie public with nothing to do. Dis
tress, poverty and sometimes starva-
ton follow, which in turn breed
riots, strikes, conspiracies and other
evils which endanger the peace of
the commonwealth, and often result
in the taking of human life. Add to
these the Anarchists and other dyna-
mite-producing elements Of the day,
and we have a strange mixture of
men, united by no ties save the graft
fcatlon Of personal wants, and pre-
senting menacing front to the peace
of the country.
The situation has been very much
aggravated by the present financial
stringency. The closing of so many
factories, the shutting down of mines
and the numerous failures and bust
ness suspensions within the past three
months have swslled this mass of
idle labor, and to-day there is an al
most lnnumerable army Of laboring
men loafing idly around the streets
of our large eastern and western
cities with nothing to do. Take the
city of Denver, Colorado, where only
a few weeks back there were about.
twenty thousand workmen thrown
out Of employment, and threatening
to sack the city. OF course, this Is
an abnormal state Of things, but it is
liable to happen at any time, and is
one of the unavoidable evils IN the
development of the country.
1t is useless to mention here the
contest between labor and capital
and the organization of the various
labor associations, which exist in
almost every city Of any Importance.
These have come to stay, and we
may look for sharp conflicts with
them in the future. We are mainly |
led to make these remarks from re-
cent observations, the most serious
of which are the conditions produced |
by the present stringency of money
matters. Capital and labor will
always contend with each other, and
We will have to make future legislation
to the spirit Of the times.
AS to the idle masses of workmen,
5hese are often temporarily swelled
by business conditions which arise
Unexpectedly. Let us hope as our
develops and marches on
ward in the van Of progress, she may
De able to meet every emergency,
md that Congress and the respective
state governments will SO construct
legislation that the present conditions
will vanish away and that we viii
rave as few strikes and as few unem-