The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-06-05
rhs wars Qae.lIan an rlhIeal one.

The Wage Question an Ethical one.
Cincinnati Commercial tribune:
What shall be paid Tor labor' Not all
hat the employc may ask, for he may
demand the whole product Of labor.
and then capital. shorn OF reward .wouli
githdraw. leaving labor 20 aarye.
Neither must wages be what the cm-
ployer would willingly pay. Tor Dc
would choose 10 pay nothing. go starry
ling the labOrcr The wages OF labor
must De- 90 fair share OF the products.
/ ia business conducted witl equal
economy as 10 wages and other ,X-
penscs at both ends ot The nuc-the
eouuuug-room ana the shop. lhis is
not a matter 10 be- settled arbitrarily
by either party. rather % is 90 l' deter
mined by careful and just calculation.
Il Is a question 90 rlght and wrong
not % within ur greed When capital
md labor cooperate. the service oi Ia
Dor is worth CO. much aud no more, and
90 much and 40 more must bc paid.
Those who nX wages without regard 20
these principles. by working the mar
.ket. forcing competition and iu like
ways. are no better than hlgawIymea
.5r pirates.
What is tho tee, 90 a i1ir division
with labor o. very simple when
..he worHusmau. willing Co labor. ialr-
.iy competent. reasonably prudent is
falling behind. month by month. While
.lbe employer o. increasing Ais surplus
there ls no nir division. lu such a
case the employer is becoming rCu
.aihout economic merit ana thc work
uemlu ls growing poorer wi'uou, cc''
.aumic tgmDf.t Somewhere iu thg pgac
.l,c oi division there is fraud.
Under % just distribution o. thc prod
'le, of labor there would bo uo ouiurc
La iI,ouDa among wlgkiuEmcu. a man
2 willing Co work could uul employment
{ The aggregate wealth OF tbc gouutv
b. and %! The world ls increased year o!
, ,alr. Fair DIVISION would. therefore
. increase tle wealth Ot oaga luiiNidIl
Z wear rs y,.r-thc Industrious. %
. course. uo, ihe wlmly idic. For aI
Il Increase OF wealth. Boz legitimate w1yi
Z Is primarily due 90 labor
70 Tho question u' wages is q qucs'io
20 LOO ethics There ig 900 more imp1rht
D lac, cham ja.a Tor tbc wagE.u5mau
b insist upun. 10 is not tbg separate ~
/. .tcr..t OF q class that 81 concerned, Do
e .ts. welfare 20 thc whole people. a.
z rrrliag 10 the approach of a ia'r q
T, vision among people. they age thIi
, a. growing Ia intelligence and uh go,
d. 8u,Iitlss or the reverse. Where thcl
10 ia mo- prctcnse % fair division. the pc
/. MI, are sunk 10 slavery, aud the 90
j. M the civilization or the race Is
i hand Rcm,uucr. then, this - not
4 workintmcuF question. but the aiiair
q. all the people. high ana low ana II
10 question Of othioB.
4. How far from truth and right a
"a hcy who say. Il have a right TO b
h. labor as cheap as ] can ge' IL IN
10 liz A disayowal OF all responsibility
the common welfare; the assertion OF
right to prey upon your nelshoor'
: his necessities give you the ehan
a though YOU drive him to ruin. turn
n children into the street and destroy
n. family. Il Is claiming the right to
"a nreciatc labor by crafty manageme
he by cunning working OF markets.
10. reckless speculation. and by indnsir
No -alamiues carefully planned ana
IN morselcssly brought on. with ma
ma iabor are bound mp the fortunes
IA mia family. mental, moral and mater
=, To take his labor without Just rev.
ni ls rolh.ug the helpless and ihe m
"a cont infinitely more shameful. ihan
+, lusIuo. of The io1i-pad' llut wii
nv .tb. Inst thirty years this land
IN ...su braaf-,astol with private po'a
ha 't1sl,d rom Che dues OF infancy
md womaubUoj.
ur 10 Is time for now reiorm't
nm. rbrro is crying demand tor liiiic
.el fashioned honesty as Co wages i
.,s nj, moro respectable to steal labor I
AGO to st,sl money. sooner or later
truth win De recognized, ana tneh
come the end OF combines ana piaeNI
M and settlements by hayoncL Inc q
bv lion Of wages 90 question ct ethics
who oacnds here will nnd that ne
ted no, bug himself on in the final aeco
Ing. though he build a hali-millisn-