The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-21
A NEW GOSPEL OF LABOR.

A NEW GOSPEL OF LABOR.
The author of this book signs himself A.
Roadmaker, and calls his work the only
peaceable and practical solution of the
labor question.
The Importance of the book, in fact, lies
almost wholly in the train of argument by
which the author leads up to his proposed
remedy. He gives very clear and inter-
esting summary of the causes that result
in these recurrent periods of financial de-
preston that we call hard times" Politi-
cal economists have taught US that we are
to expect these periods at intervals of
about ten or eleven years, and various
reasons have from time to time been adj
vanced for their recurrent nature. War,
fluctuations of values, the characterization
of silver, our relations with foreign coun-
tries. all these have at different periods
been assigned as causes of the hard times.
One ingenious theorist.has even gone so far
as the endeavor to prove these crises simul-
taneous with and dependent upon the ap-
pearanCe of spots upon the sun.
The explanation offered in this New
Gospel of Labor" is an industrial one,
based upon what is known as the wage
system. The figures which the author
uses in his work are those of the census of
According to these figures the total cost of
National production in mechanical and
manufacturing products, the cost of coal
and non-precious metals, quarrles. petro-
leum, oils and products of petroleum,
fishing products, farming, etc., was
81, $50, 10, $40. The value of products,
middlemen's profits, etc., brought the re-
tail price of these products up to S12. 1872
1877, 449. AT this price the production of
or oa In 10 ~ M o. w o
lation of fifty and a quarter millions.
Now, according to the income table of that
same year, of all wageworkers and small and
middle-class farmers, ETC., who numbered
sixteen and sixteenth millions of people.
the total earnings of all these was $4,434,-
$40, AL. These sixteen and sixteenth mil
lions of people had to support &c, 439, 277
women and children, SO that this total of
wages and salaries was the years income
of over 100000 men, women and chill
dren. There remained upward of 5000, 900
human beings representing the families of
the moneyed classes, whose income
amounted to at least 81, 900, 900, 600, but
who numerically were but 2 per cent OF
the entire population. These figures,
entire people of this country could only
consume one-third of the country's in
dustrial product for one year, because that
was all their years income could buy. AT
the same time, the remaining per cent
of wealthy people could not consume the
other two-thirds of the production, because
their number was too small to do so.
Thus the consequence of too small an in
come of the great masses OF the people and
the concentration of too much wealth in
the hands of a small class had reduced the
Nations consumption to less than half its
productive power.
As a result, the unconsumed residue of
goods that cannot in the nature of things
find its way to any foreign market is car
ried over from year to year until the supply
so far exceeds, not only the demand, but
the power of the people to pay for the
goods produced that the cry of overpro-
duction is set up. Mills close, mines are
idle, the storehouses are full to overflow
ing, with no buyers to help empty them.
Storekeepers fail, factories shut down, men
are out of work, and the consumptive
power of the Nation is still further re-
duced. In a word, we have fallen upon
hard times. That is to say the people are
hungry because there is too much food in
the storehouses; they are shoeless, i'll
clad, poorly housed because too many
shoes and houses and garments have been
made and built and constructed Over
production has produced period Of finan-
cial depression.
There is something grotesque about
this. 1t is subject fit for the pen
of a humorist but IA. Roadmaker" is no
humorist. He states his facts and makes
very little comment thereon. A number
of chapters of his book are devoted to an
account of how England has made it her
policy to open new markets for her sur
plus product, all over the world. How
she has done this, in India, in China,
how she is doing this in Africa,
is matter of history. Much space, too, is
-, 1f ctv~ra InT1o
in this country, and the balance of the
book is made up of an exposition OF the
authors particular remedy for the evil he
writes of. He would have wholesale, pub
lie cooperation in every line OF industry
under the direction of new National ad-
ministrative department to be known as
the Department of Labor, the chief OF
which should be called the Secretary Of
Labor. Every branch of productive in
dustry should be carried on by National
and social labor unions, who shall regulate
all matters pertaining to that branch OF
industry and shall be able to borrow OF the
Government money, to consist OF Govern
ment bills to be issued for that purpose by
the United States treasury, the loans to be
secured by mortgage on the means Of labor
by the various unions. In word he con-
templates reign of trades unionism, with
the elimination of the entire employing
class and system of paternaI fostering by
the Government of the various industries
and productive agencies of the Nation.
He works out an elaborate scheme of the
new legislation required to bring about
this changed order of things, but, for obvi-
GUS reasons, is somewhat vague in explain
ing the operation of the same. The scheme
which he outlines would seem rather in
adequate to meet the difficulties he has
arrayed, but his book is of value as a clear
and logical presentation of very tragic
phase of the whole labor question. [Seat-
tie, Wash: S. Wegener, publisher.]