Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-10-19

such instructions as may be necessary for
state boards of health to prepare the Sc
rum themselves.
THE WoRKINCMAN'S MISTAKE.
Geo. W. Russell of Haverhill, Mass,
writes to the Boston journal, letter,
under the title of "a Fatal Mistake"
which applies to the latitude of Massa-
chusetts, but is of wider application.
The letter says: One great cause of the
present want of employment is that la
Dor sellers do not understand the present
| industrial situation.
During the last 20 years we have been
| taught by labor leaders that labor and
capital are in war relations with each
other. Mr. McNeill, in a late article
says: THE tyranny of capital compels
defensive resistance and aggressive war
fare" Mr. Litchman says: "That if
the labor question is not soon settled it
will be settled as the slavery question
was" The main cause of this aggres-
sive war by labor sellers is misunder-
standing and ignorance of the situation.
We should not be in the fight we are now
| in if the labor sellers who voted for pres
| ent industrial conditions had put conf.
dence in their friends, the employers
| Cabor buyers), instead of in self-appoint-
ed leaders.
1t seems as though any one might see
that economic conditions which would
| induce increased imports of the products
of labor would also decrease wages and
add to the number of the unemployed.
Probably there is not an employer, la
| bor-buyer, in this State who is so much
| interested in the continuous running of
his factory or shop as are the labor sell
| lers whom he employs.
While there may be a temporary revi-
val of business, and an apparent increase
in production, the level will soon be
reached, and the evil effects of the legis
| lation will become apparent.
Our farmers and manufacturers will be
compelled to engage in sharper competi-
ton than ever before, with Canada and
the countries of Europe and Asia. As
consequence, wages will be reduced in
the endeavor to compete with cheap for
eign labor, and the purchasing power of
| labor sellers will be decreased. Reduced
duties on foreign goods will inevitably
result in increased imports, and a de-
crease in the product of American mills,
farms, mines and workshops.
| The labor-sellers and labor-buyers are
alike interested to keep out the products
of foreign labor. The effort to do this
should be united and firm.
There should not be any fight or strike
against American capital or American la
bor-buyers; but the fight should be
against foreign capital and labor.
We shall get more wages in year if we
keep at work at a lower rate of wages
than we shall if we strike and insist on
higher rate than existing conditions
will warrant. We labor-sellers were
fools as we'll as fooled to vote to open our
markets to foreign products. We shall
be still more foolish if we do not keep
our industries running at such wages as
will hold our market for our products.
With labor-buyers it is a question of
which will cause the greater loss, to run
or not to run. With us labor-sellers it is
a question of bread or no bread. We
cannot set an arbitrary price on our la
Dor and get it, as long as our markets are
open to the imports of foreign products
Now let us get rid of war and consult
with our employers and look out for our
own individual interests and the inter-
ests Of those who are dependent on what
we earn.
The result of strikes in this and other
States the past year shows almost uni
formly that they are futile to keep the
price of labor up. Let us remember that
a strike helps the foreign manufacturer
and hurts the American manufacturer
and the American labor-seller. 1t IS
clearly for the interest of American la
Dor to help American industries. Then
as labOr-seller, and one interested in
the well-being of labor-sellers, l say
again, let there be an understanding be-
tween the labOr-seller and the labor
buyer-between the employed and the
employer-everywhere in this country.
The strike in Fall River and in New
Bedford stops nearly one third of the ca
pacity of all the cotton mills in this
country. Already trade is leaving these
cities and going to other cotton manu-
featuring centres. This strike will also
tend to induce the buying of foreign cot
ton goods, and to take the money paid
out for such foreign goods directly from
our labor-sellers. In the new tariff, cot
ton goods are apparently favored more
than most other factory products, but
this is not all that is involved in the
question.
To make duty really protective, it is
necessary to have all labor alike pro-
tected, so that all labor-sellers will have
the ability to buy and consume cotton
goods as well as other products, whether
the labor-seller be farmer, miner, a
lumberman or mill operative.
Protective duties on cotton goods
alone, or on any other one or a small
number of products, will not keep the
keep the price of labor up in producing
those particular products, because all of
the labor in country will always be
nearly on level, and will always be sold
at relatively the same price.
We have what free traders call unpro-
tected industries, like the building
trades, blacksmithiug, etc., but the la
Dor in these industries is on level with
the labor in factories and mills whose
products are protected. No one viii
work on house or on q farm for anv
less than he will in a mill, everything
else being equal.
When all of the labor in country is de-
Tended, as Senator Sherman stated it,
"labor on the farm. in the forest in the
mine, in the factory and in the shop"