The advocate., 1894-03-14

roads will. So, of course, the company
has no use for q man that fights the
railroad party. Now, the other night 4
made socialist speech over here at a
big republican rally, and all Of us in
the shops expect Ill get my time for
that; and as General Manager Graham
is in town to-day, may get my walk
ing papers tomorrow.
Lena was about to utter an eXclama-
ton at this, but instead sat as if sud
denly petrifed in the act of speaking.
Many eyes forgot their breeding and
looked her way, although, of course,
John did not know why.
"Now, suppose dc" continued
John, "then what? have no money
but what little wages are coming to me.
and it won't take long to live that up.
My boarding-hou keeper viii know
I've lost my job and she viii get anx-
ious. One morning, pretty soon, L
wake up without a cent. What am I to
do then? If l try to sleep out of doors
the police will run me in for Vagrant.
If l ask anybody for something TO eat
the police will run me in for beggar.
If l steal they will send me over the
road. / can't set up a shop Of my
own, for / have no money and no
credit; and If l could, I'd starve to
death before / could get work enough
to pay board. A man that's hungry
to-day can't wait for his hrst meal till
he can compete with others and work
up a trade for a new shop. So here /
am in this rich city, without property,
without money, without credit. What
am to do? Why, I've only one thing
left me to do. / must hunt job.
And what does that meanS i
can't set up an auction block,
and auctioneer myself off before lot
Of bidders white slaves can't get
bidders to come, but must peddle my
self around begging somebody to buy
me. OF course / don't sell myself for
life to one man, but all my life must
keep myself sold to some men or I'll
starve. They say we sell our labor, but
l take notice workingmen don't under
stand it that way, nor employers either.
IL l hadn't sold myself, not merely my
labor, do you suppose anybody would
think Of my being discharged for max
luS u SpCOCu Oub VI WplA1LB lOuA0
And, look at It'll l sell my labor for as
many hours each day as my body can
stand it to labor, for only enough to
give me strength to work again next
day as long and as hard, and so on all
my life through, and I'm so worn out
when night comes that I'm not fit to
have mind. Besides, I've got to turn
in right after dark, for I've got to be
up before daylight, and if | don't
sleep I'm not in shape to work as the
boss thinks / ought to. And, mind,
this is for life. And if it amt myself j
sell-not my labor Only--I don't see
just where my labor comes in. There's
lady over there with a bright little
boy in her lap. Now, just suppose
that was a Workingman's boy--What
would be his condition? Sentenced to
hard labor tor life, just like he had
been born q convict
''How dreadful came from several
ladies, and the mother referred to in
stinctively clasped her little boy to her
bosom as If shielding him from some
demons clutch. Lena exclaimed, al
most in a whisper, she was so agitated,
"Awfulp
"Tm getting to be nearly 2S, but I've
never dared think of marrying. 1
mustn't let myself know I've got
heart like other folks; for think of
a man out of work and his wife whom
he loves starving at home-if he's got
a home for her to starve in, if she hasn't
been thrown into the street, as I've
seen them in a storm in winter even,
because being out Of work he can't pay
the rent in advance. Political econo-
mists say poor folks have no business
to marry. It's taught in your colleges
that way. Tell me we don't sell any
thing but our labor, when we even sell