The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-03

existing conditions that do infringe per-
sonai liberty and equal opportunities not
only of the laboring man, but of every
body else
Combinations of Capital.
As l said, do not believe any intelIi-
gent, patriotic American citizen be-
grudges any man what he earns hon.
estly by his own faculties and honorably
spends. But when a great multitude of
men unite and combine and conspire to
obtain control of the great necessaries of
lie, In which all have nearly equal rights
and equal opportunities-whe they
unite to depress or elevate unduly prices
or wages; when they assume the right
to say that under this great combine alton
they will stop every man from working
i say that this is condition that does
infringe personal liberty and does de-
prIve the citizens of equal rights and
equal opportunity.
Gentlemen, the right to work in this
country Is the right to live. None of US
came here to this world voluntarily, did
we? No man came here because he
wanted to- There is no man nor no
woman who did not come here because
he or she was sent here by some power
superior to human, and upon an errand
that has not yet been disclosed, and whose
end and object and purpose can be but
lnadequateIy ascertained. We find our
selves when we come here, engaged in a
relentless struggle and battle of life,
there are no volunteers. Every man en-
gagged in that controversy is con-
script; he is there because he cannot
help it, It is a struggle with the great
majority of US for life or death. 1t is a
battle to keep body and soul together,
and therefore l say thatthe right to work
Is the right to live, and when the right to
work is denied, then the fundamental
franchise of citizenship and of manhood
Is destroyed; and | say that society and
government are fatally defective SO long
as any man who is able and willing to
work is denied the opportunity of earn
ing his daily bread. What is it that de-
MES that right? Take the great neces-
saries of life, whisky and tobacco.
Laughter l fear I made mistake.
Take the great necessaries of life, sugar,
coal, oil: collins. everything that is needed
for man in the functions of his existence
and they have today passed under the
control of organizations that are too pow
ertul for individuals to cope with.
The Standard Oil Co.
Take the Standard Oil company, which
is perhaps the most widely known as
it is the most universally execrated of
these combinations. What is the rea-
son that it is uniformly hated and de-
tested by the American people? n
from any selfish reason, because under
the operations of that syndicate iIlum-
mating oil has gone down until today
kerosene oil is cheaper than daylight.
You can close your blians and light youe
house with coal oil cheaper than you can
keep your windows clean. 1t is cheaper
to light the hut of the poor or the palace
of the millionaire than it has been since
God issued his fiat Let there be Lightp
What is the reason, then, that men of all
degree unite in cOndemning and exc
Grating the Standard Oil company as one
of these combinations? 1t is because
when any American citizen strikes a we'll
in his own territory and upon his own
possessions, the Standard Oil company
comes and says, Sell US that we'll" He
says, sit is mine, 1 have right to oper-
ate it, and as an American citizen l pro-
pose 10 do it."
Mr.. Standard Oil company says, "If
you operate that we'll we will send our
product into your territory and under
sell you until you are strangled to
DEATH" Suppose man wants to refine
coal oil, and he buys the plant and COM
Oil company goes 30 him
and says, ''Sell US your plant
and close your refinery" The man says,
81 am an American citizen and l want
to refine coal oil" VERY we'll; proceed.
You refine it and we will sell our pro-
duct in your territory under the cost of
production until your capital is exhaust
ed and you are financially dead" That
is what the American people object to
about the Standard Oil company. That
is what the laborer has the right to COM
plain of about capital, and that is the
existence of com binations and sYndicates
and trusts that raise and depress and
destroy prices and prevent American
citizens from exercising the prerogatives
and franchises of freedom.
Remedy at Hand.
And l say to you, Iaboring men, you
have the remedy in your own hands. 1t
is not by nostrums; it is not by harsh
methods. 1t is by choosing men to re-
present you in the state legislature and
the national congress who will see that
your rights are protected and that these
injuries and detrimental com binations
are overthrow and destroyed.
I believe that labor has the right to
combine. l believe that any number of
men have the right to say that they will
not work for any wages that an employ :
er will pay 1 believe that they have a
right to persuade as many others as they
can to join them in refusing to accept
wages that are unsatisfactory and Sc
cure those that are lucrative and salts
factory. But have my apprehensions,
l have my suspicious, that if l wanted to
go to work if | have a wife and child
that are in need of bread, and l am will
ing to accept wages that another is not
| have a suspicion that if in accepting
those wages 1 am to be subject to mutt
lation aud insult, and it may be the torch
and death; l have suspicion that my
fundamental rights have been interfered
with and overthrow.
say this for the good of the laboring
man. l have been many years in your
service. 1t has not been my habit in my
public life to go out on my back porch
and quietly look to see how the smoke is
blowing from my neighbours chimney
or how the tin rooster is pointing on
my neighbours barn, before I make up
my mind what I ought to say
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