The old Abe eagle. (White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M.) 189?-189?, 1895-02-07

but the laboring men of this coun-
try are doing themselves more
injury than capitalists are doing
them. What we mean is that cap
ital has for the past few years not
been earning per cent. on invest
ments that has justified the extern
sion of any branch of enterprise,
while losses, or threatened losses,
have on the other hand caused re-
duction of working time, or of
working forces, everywhere; or, as
in the printing trade, has led to
the substitution of machine for
hand work. The printers stood
for their "rights" to old time wages
under modern conditions, where
employers profits have been cut
in two and the cost of living re-
duced in the same proportion, and
the result is that within very few
years the trade of the hand printer
has been practically destroyed, for
the machine steadily encroaches on
the field, and thousands Of men
have been sent out of every large
city to compete with laborers in
other lines. The same thing is
going on throughout the whole in
dustrial system. Labor-saving ma
chinery, labor-saving processes,
are constantly reducing the num-
Der ofmen required in great in
dustry. The evil began on the
farm, where thousands of young
men formerly found employment.
These young men were driven to
the cities and to manufacturing,
commercial or transportation work !;
many entered the professions; and
for time there was room for all.
But this condition changed. There
came a gradually increasing COM
petition in the field of labor, and
to prevent this from having its
natural effect, labor organizations
were formed. These have done a
good work IN keeping up schedules
of wages, but bad thing too often
for those who should receive the
wages, but are thrown out of work
through the action intended for
their benefit. While combined la
Dor was able to maintain a good
standard of wages generally, no
combination of capital has been
able TO prevent a steady decline in
the prices of products or the prof
its in other lines than manufact-
ures. Later, under the inspira-
ton of cheap demagogues, labor
has been making war on capital
and laws are demanded that are to
so hedge about employers as to
sffectually discourage men from
putting money into or-empl1y-
ing enterprises. There are few
enough inducements now for in.
vesment; and labor and govern
ment ought both to understand
that while it is not difficult to
drive capital out of enterprise, it is
impossible to drive it into it. The
observing man can see in the pres
ent anxiety Of capital to invest in
long time, low interest, govern
ment bonds a direct outgrowth of
the antagonism mentioned. 1t is
unnecessary perhaps to point out
to intelligent men that he who
throttles enterprise by closing the
gates of capital upon it is the
deadly foe Of labor the same as he
who drives his employer to substi-
tute machinery for men. Time
and conditions are unpropitious
for antsgonizing capital, which all
must know is the source of pros
perity TO wages labor in America.
Writing as a worker. and naturally
in sympathy with workingmen,
we would advise organization Of Ia
Dor, but not to make war. Let In
Dor act with discreet and intelli.
gent hrmness on the defensive
seeking rather to broaden than to
contract the field of labor and re-
membering that schedules Of wages
without work are Of little value
and that compulsory arbitration
will be Of no avail to the man who
has no job. Labor should have
what "the traffic will bear" but
should not miscalculaie the capa.
bilities Of the traffic to bear.