The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-01-10
THE ROAD TO RELIEF.

THE ROAD TO RELIEF.
EVERY WRONG MAY BE RIcHTED BY
WISE USE OF THE BALLOT.
Legislation Il the Cause Of Labor's Suffer-
ings, and Legislation Can Provide the
Remedy-Proposals For Practical Appli-
cation Of tho Peoples Power.
Especial Correspondence
The remedy for the ills of labor is as
simple as straight line and as plain as
monday.
We have been grumbling and groan-
ing, striking and boycotting, whereasing
and resolving, struggling and pleading,
getting together and disbanding, de-
nouncing and defending, for 25 years,
and what has it all amounted to? And
yet the object sought may be quickly &C
complished, and in way that no man
would dare to denounce, no sage or
statesman dare question. How? By the
still, small voice that comes neither in
the whirlwind nor in the storm, but
through the ballot.
But I hear some one say at once:
"You cannot change economic laws by
legislation. You cannot compel employ
ers by law to pay good wages. You can
not increase by law the amount of work
to be done. People tried to regulate the
price of bread by law years ago, and
they made miserable mess of it,
True. These are almost as much of a
diseased idea as to imagine that the nee
essary results can be accomplished by
strikes or boycotts. Nevertheless any
man who denies that legislation can rem
edy the wrongs of labor is either fool
or knave, and any man who denies the
right and the duty of the laboring class
to make the necessary legislation is as
much an enemy of a government of the
people and for the people as if he were
the Russian czar or the Persian shah.
It is both the right and the duty of the
state, using that word in it's govermen-
the general welfare. It was legislation,
and legislation alone, that created every
wrong which labor suffers today, and
legislation alone can provide the remedy.
But what legislation is needed? may be
asked. In general terms it would be
enough to say, "Find out what the pres
ent lawmaking power wants, find out
what Wall street wants and legislate di-
rectly to the contrary. Pass every law
they oppose" To be more specific, this
class oppose an income tax, or at best &C
quiesce in one that would be practically
useless, as a sop to Cerberus, hoping it
may be made odious. Put a complete
but highly graduated income tax on the
statute books. The wiseacres will cry
"You cannot enforce it. You will drive
all the rich men out of the country. y
But we can enforce it, and rich men who
object to it-rich men who object to any
legislation looking to a wider diffusion
of moderate welfare and to legislation
that produces this result-are not in
sympathy with a republican form OF
government, and the country is better
without Than With them.
Pass general law reducing the hours Of
legal toll in factories and stores to eigh,
or to six if it be necessary. The enormous
productive capacity of man with the use
of machines demands it.
Pass "a general law forbidding the EN-.
ployment in stores, shops and factories
Of young men under 16 and young WON
en- under 10. 1t is time that the practice
of employing a portion Of the workers OF
, the country-as we'll as girls and boys
long hours and using the surplus as a
means of beating down their wages be
stopped.
Pass a law placing a heavy head tax
on immigrants. Let the same be suff.
Gent to keep them out until we find work
for them, and until they can support and
educate their families by means of that
work.
These laws will all have the effect OF
putting employees on parity of relations
with their employers. They will do away
with the practice of fixed rate of wages
for all the workmen, whether good, bad
or Indifferent, and allow each individual
to offer his services to the highest bidder.
Take care Of the hours of work and OF
the number of persons to do the work,
and the question of wages will take care
of itself.
AS to the government ownership of rail
roads, telegraphs and general transporta.
ton, it may be well enough, but it should
not be forgotten that this will not in
crease in the slightest extent the amount
of work to be done, nor will it reduce the
number Of those who are to do it. Let
the legislation referred to be acted upon,
and these measures will not be needed.
We boast a good deal about our prog
ress and our nineteenth century enlight-
eminent. We should rather hide our
heads in shame. There can be no prog
ress in republic where the ghost of
,, future want stands at every working
mans back by day and haunts his dreams
by night. There can be no enlighten-
ment where capital and labor are eter-
nally at war.
Leisure is blessing. Enforced idle
ness is the most menacing curse and the
most blackening disgrace that can exist
in civilized country