The record-union., 1894-08-27
Old Crank and His Antagonist Come
Together Again.
They Close a Sociological Debate
With Two Final Letters on
Wages.


be zone who loves his fellow men," and
accept for myself and for my brother
who permits me to say to, and Of him,
jus. about what please-the position he
assigns US of being cold, and cruel, ana
selfish; and also his assertion that the
bottom error OF Ol6 Crank's position is
his desire, etc.,; but he claiming to be
something of philosopher, and l ask
him whether this desire is natural or un-
natural?
1t appears to me that humanity is full
of desires for something better, or more
comfortable, or more agreeable; ana
refuse to have the responsibility Tor the
existing condition OF things saddled on 10
me.
| wasn't consulted when the earth and
its inhabitants were created, and L accept
the conditions as l find them, perforce,
often unsatisfactory TO me, probably De-
cause of my lack of wisdom, and tore
sight Of what the result will be.
Taking the conditions of things as they
evidently existed when my picture was
drawn. l ask Live and Let L1ye'
whether ( benefited society, or injured
it, by giving to those needy men work at
prices which their necessities compelled
them to accept? And l ask whether the
Builders Union benefited, or injured So
ciety, by preventing the needy men from
working at prices which their necessities
compelled them to accept? DO you think
! have any doubt what the answer must
be if he, or any man, answers from the
heart?
No theorizing about what the state of
society ought TO be, or that ought TO
have done better. or the Builders Union
ought to have acted Inherently, can make
any difference about the humane results
OF those humane acts. "By their fruits
shall We know them" l find it utterly
impossible TO accept Live and Let
Live's'' definition of what ''the true and
humane man would have sald," that
Every mans civilization is represented
by his wage, even though some men
squander the wage" l am unable to see
any very definite or valuable idea IN tnat
expression, though he goes on to explain
what ''ChineSe cOolie civilization is repre-
sented among us by" and then asserts
that ''the men upon whose necessity Old
Crank and his brother would proht re-
present the demands of American civil
ization upon American mechanics" with
list of things which are certainly de-
sirable, with some things which 1 think
the country would be just as we'll oil with
out-jury duty as we practice 1t, Tor IN
stance-and then he goes on:
1t is not a question OF Old Crank's dollars
and desires, but OF civilization. If he wants
in his American fellows the civilization OF the
bare-existence-wage, his plan Will secure it.
II he prefers iew rooms less in his mansion.
and neighbor who viii honor his own civil
ization, he Will get il only by paying wage
requisite. Now which is best tor all the COM
munity? Cranks plan OF some grand man.
slons with mechanics in novels ana peasant
conditions, or less grandeur in mansions and
mechanics IN cottages, raising men and
women to the State to adorn and defend it?
I wonder where Live and Let Live''
got Old Crank's plan? l didn't know
i 411 ,,lo fI,,
public. If he means the plan of the man
sion ] submitted to the workmen, / have
already torn down three-quarters of 1t,
and it don't contain now as many rooms
as some cottages; and l have lately been
paying the highest rate of wages asked
by the unions, and have made rule for
myself never to ask man to work for
me Tor less price than he asks; but [
don't see the general improvement in
conditions which Live and Let Live"
saws will result from that kind of con-
duct
think there must be something wrong
in his calculations and l suspect that
laboring men will have to practice more
economy and work constantly for many
years for whatever wages they can obtain
before they arrive at the desirable con-
dition, and l say, let all other men enjoy
the same privilege-including Cinnamon
for it is their natural right. / have very
little respect tor the Christianity which
reaches only to American citizens. | !
would like TO see the whole power of the
United States Government brought to
protect one man-be he citizen or alien
resident-in his right to work for any
wages which his necessities compel him
TO accept-lf SO much power is necessary
for that purpose.
/ have not the least objection to men
lettering their conditions by unions, if
they can. or striking for themselves, in
dividually or collectively, but the minute
they interfere with another mans right
TO earn his living by work at any price
he is willing, or which his necessities
compel him TO accept, even if he is only
q Chinaman, | would like to see such in
terfereTs. whether they are individuals or
associations, put down by the strong
hand OF the Government. OLD CRANK.
The Final Reply.
EDS. RECoRD-UNIoN: l was handed a
copy OF "Old Crank's" letter by you on
Saturday with the question, do you wish
TO reply, and with the statement that the
wages debate should end with the reply
II l made it.
thank you for the kindness. I do not
really, sirs. find new reason for reply
What l said in the first place / repeat,
t.0ld Crank" had home to build; be had
more house than he allowed money for;
10 G6t LtkO iiOulO duQ save putting Oul more
money, he pays men starvation rates,
because they are in corner and have TO
accept.
Legally suppose it is all right; morally
1t is wrong ana he cannot defend it.
W hat l mean to say as laborer for
wages, and hard worked one TOO, is this,
sathat Old Crank did not act Justly; that no
man acts justly who does not take any ac-
count of his employees except as to what
is the most they can do for sthe least pay
| claim that there is moral wrong, big
moral wrong when builders of houses or
any thing else get TO bidding so against
one another that the workers have to be
squeezed so the life's out of 'em almost,
in order for the contractor to get a Job.
Now "Old Crank" was in the same place
as contractor. He was selling a privi-
lege to build his house. and he put so big
q price on II, that the worker to get it had
TO do so with an empty belly.
Crank says, well that was better than
that my money should not go out at all 10
labor. Perhaps so, 10 that one gang of
workers; but the action pushed wages
down, or helped do it, so that other
workers may have to live with empty
bellies, and that is where the wrong
comes in
l claim that it is not the right thing to
get everything as cheaply as you can, if
IN doing it you push down the scale of
civilization in which you live. See?
.'Old Crank asks ME if his .'desire'' to
get his house built cheap is natural or
unnatural?n l reply unnatural; that is.
perverted nature; desire that mas
grown up out of hard hearts, and they
are unnatural ones. The natural man is.
or ought TO De. kind-hearted
He asks next if he is 10 blame for con-
6litions es. If he makes them or helps
to continue bad ones. He asks if he
didn't benefit society by hiring starving
men rather than let 'em starve? reply.
that denends 1t may be theV,d hetter