New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-08-26


the loaf Of bread is the last Of commod-
titles TO fall in price, and SO it IS that the
wage-earner profits but little from fall
ing prices on what he buys, while losing
much from falling prices which lead :di-
rectly TO curtailed emp oyment and cuts
in wages. So tile gold contraction is
wrong, first, in assuming that the wage
Garner suffers no loss in income from en-
forced dleness and, second, inassuming
chat the dollar he earns gees further than
| it does. ss.
Organized labor has done much toward
securing an equitable division of the
products Of labor between employer and
wage Garner. But further than this or
gained labor cannot GO. It has done
much to+brotect the wage-.arner against
the aggggressions o. centralized capital ,and
it has and can1domuch to secure to the
age-earner the enjoyment Of that share
of the joint-prodnct Of labor and capital
to which he is justly entitled; but when
this joint-product is curtailed, when the
product to be divided is small, the re-
compense of the wage-earner must he
small, and organized labor can do Moth
ing to make it larger. So, in the face
of a continuous fall in prices such as must
destroy the profits Of industry and lead
to curtailed production, the efforts of or
ganized labor to keep up wages must
prove futile. Nominal wages may be
maintained, cuts in wages may he sue
cessfu!ly resisted, but organized labor
cannot protect the wage-earner against
enforced idleness, for it is powerless to
make employment tor the idle. When
the profit in production is diminished,
production will oe curtailed; and when
production is curtailed, nothing that or
ganized labor can do will bring prosper
ity to the wage-earner.
But while organized labor is powerless'
to bring prosperity to the wage Garner:
while production is curtailed and hun
dreds of thousands are suffering from en-
forced idleness, 1t is not powerless to
bring about such a change in the policy
of our country as will lift the burdens
from our producing classes, instll new
life into our industries, make employ
lnent for wage-earners,a land thereby bring
renewed prosperity to all. It is With
votes, not strikes, that organized labor
must protect itself against the aggres-
sions of the money cliques. Strikes, in
the face of falling prices, must fail to
appreciably ameliorate the condition of
our wage-earning classes. They may he
successful, they will more likely fail ;but,
successful or not, they can be of no last
ing avail to wage-earncrs striving for
better pay; for when prices fall, wages
must fall, actually, if not nominally; for
employers, failing to effect cuts in wag-
es commensurate with the fall in prices,
will curtail production.
But in their votes wage learners have
weapon which, used wisely, will not
fail, Organized labor cannot make work;
but wage-earners, by casting their votes
for s[r. Bryan and for Representatives to
Congress who will represent their inter-
ests, can assure the Inauguration of
policy that will check the fall in prices,
remove the weight that paralyzes our in
dustries, and lead to an increased de-
mand for our products, and more re-
munerative prices, thereby stimulating
enterprise, leading to increased prod NC
ton and making employment and at bet
ter wages for wage-earners.
The most effective work that can be
done by organized labor towards allevi-
atiug the condition OF our wage earners
is by taking such political action as will
insure the election of Mr.. Bryan.-Phil-
adelphia American.