Little Falls weekly transcript., 1894-06-08

a sea of troubles, and, by opposing, end
them?'' Jos R. Buchanan in New
York Press. ..,~..s i =..=
POVERTY AND WEALTH. g
The Man Who Controls Another's Labor Is
IF Master of His Life.
Poverty, instead Of being mainly the
fault Of the weak, has in all ages been
chiefly the consequence Of the unrestrict-
ed exercise OF power by the strong.
This has sometimes resulted from the
legal establishment of privileged classes.
Monarchy and nobility are instances of
this. A king rules because he has Sc
cured control Of the political power of a
realm. A hereditary nobility results
always from the fact that there has been
some combination of individuals who
have been able Ito wrest from the body
Of the people some portion of the power
that rightfully belongs in an equal de-
gree to each. ~.
This division of society into legaiized
classes of varying right and distinctive
privileges is merely the result Of unre-
stricted physical Or political competi-
tion, but the inevitable consequences Of
perpetuating suoh inequalities by grant
or prescription is ultimately to destroy
competition
What is true of hereditary rank is
also true of wealth, which is merely the
control Of accumulated surplus. One
man has the capacity and the luck to
make large accumulations. Another,
of more power in other directions per-
haps, is deficient in that quality. The
one acquires the power which capital
gives. Adam Smith aptly defines wealth
to be- ''the power to control the labor Of
the country" and the man who controls
another's labor controls the life of him
who has no other convertib BILE possession.
This power society in a hundred ways
perpetuates, SO that conditions become
permanent even in 2 republic to almost
the same degree. as rank in a monarchy,
and we have a rich and a poor class.
Men rise, it is true, out of the one into
the other or fall back from wealth into
poverty. The same was true in feudal
times. Lords rose and fell with every
change of ,1nonarchial fortune and as
the result of feudal strife. But as or
ganic law became stronger and more
certain in it's operation the loss of in
herited rank became less frequent and
the rise to legal privilege more difficult
and infrequent. In like manner, as civ
llization increases, the transformation
Of the worker into the employer, or of
the poor man into a rich man, becomes
more and more infrequent. Albion w.
Tourgee. s%%= - @>* j
Squeezing Them Down.
The Brooklyn Elevated Railroad COM
pany has made another reduction in the
wages Of its employees by cutting down
the hours Of work. Nearly all the sta
tions are in charge of women agents in
the daytime, and they have worked
from a. m. to 5 p. m. for $40 a week.
Hereafter they will work from 5 a. m.
to p. m. and get $8.40 a week. The
men have worked from p. m. to a. m.
for $14 a week, or So day. They will
now work from 8 p. m. to a. m. and
get 81. 81 a day. From a. m. to 5 a. m.
the stations will be in charge Of the
porters, and no tickets will be sold. The
conductors will collect fares ss
One Of the employees said that they
must stand the cut in wages Or resign,
as there were hundreds Of men who
were ready to take their places. In Oc-
tober the men had their pay cut down
from So. 40 day to SO, with the under
standing that as soon as business picked
up there would be an increase. Then a
few women were appointed day agents
at SO a week. and now all the day
agents were women. it was probable
that women would soon be put on as
night agents also, since they would not
have to work after / a. m. The station
porters get 81 q day. All the employees
complain that they are underpaid, and
that, even at. the meager rates, it is sell
dom that q full week s work is done so
as to secure full weeks pay.
Human Labor at Great Attitudes.
A Sp 44rY