Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-05-17
Cheap Labor Proves Expensive.

Cheap Labor Proves Expensive.
1t frequently happens that there is little
public sympathy manifested for the cor
poration, whose property is endangered by
strikes. However made quate there never
theless is a reason for this seeming injus-
tice to the corporation. Indeed there are
several reasons. Among them is the knowl-
edge that the corporation is able to retain
in its employ the best legal talent and too
often shapes legislation as it will. But
more especially in this connection is the
knowledge which found apt expression in
this remark of police official to whom a
contractor recently applied for protection !:
"The men who are making all this
trouble are the very ones employers were
glad to bring into this country few years
ago to displace Americans. Iwish you had
to fight them yourself now"
In other words the employer under the
spur of competition has become Indifferent
to every consideration save the present one
of getting the most work done for the low
est possible wage. The employe was to his
mind machin'. II coolie labor under the
direction of an overseer would do more
work for the same or less wage, why Of
course that was the kind of labor to employ,
under the selfish and narrow policy of
squeezing out the most dollars for any
given day without heed to the morrow.
Partly from the nature of their business
and partly from superior foresight some
employers have not adopted this course in
securing labor. In fact there are many
such but unfortunately not enough to mini
mize the results which the country is now
experiencing from cheap labor. The vio-
lence of recent strikes is prominent among
these results and also the notorious fact that
those who Immediately resort to the knife
and the torch at such times of industrial
distress are those who have little hope of
ever alta; ming to American civil ation, who
have little or no knowledge of our language
and who have inherited the oppression and
social diseases of effete monarchies and
know no distinction between license and
liberty.
The recent strikes and riots, together
with the agitation over the Chinese treaty,
have aroused especial interest at this time.
We have our mnigration laws and con-
tract labor laws, but it is easy for anyone
at all familiar with their workings to be-
lieve that they do not afford the protection
which they might be made to afford.
There has also been feeling that it is
necessary to have the coolie, the cheap
Italian, Hungarian, whatnot labor to do the
work which self respecting workingmen can
not be found to do. And perhaps in this
condition may be found the greatest men,
ace from this kind of labor. The employ
ment of it because it was cheaper degrad.
ed in the minds of the intelligent working
men that especial kind Of work upon which
it was employed and this coalition has pro-
gressed to the point that the American
hesitates to employ bis sinew for hire, a
certain indication of deterioration. This
cheap labor has built enterprises that have
produced abnormal dev lopment and which
do not pay running expenses now that they
are constructed and which require the pro-
lection of small armies of county and state
officials to protect them from the rage of
the wage worker during these altogether
too frequent strikes. The business depres.
sion of the pa.t year has somewhat re tarded
immigration but how? The intelligent and
thrifty foreig Ter has seen it was for his ad.
vantsg ge to remain at home and some of those
on this side have even deemed it prudent for
them to return home. But on the contrary
the hordes of cheap labor are left here to SAP
the charity and the morals of the commu
mites in which they are located The Chi
nese DO not starve - long as they can live
on what woull starve an American work
iugmsn and so long as their opium joints
pay the expenses Of their own indul
gence in the deadly drug. The Hupgs'
rian, the Italian, so long as he doe.
not spend all his earnings in liquor will
live ard thrive, according to his low stan.
dard. beside the Americatiz d workingman
| In distress. To say that these inc gu Allies
~ill adjust themselves i, to say kismet, il
| Ike adopting the Mohammedans fatalistic
| Indifference to the cholera instead of estab.
fishing wise quarantine regulations against
/ tho torrihla scourCp