The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-01-20


to the changed conditions which we
find going on in the social, CONNER
cial aud industrial world; and have
determined in our humb way to bet
ter the condition of our fellow beings.
We find the social condition so chang
ing that we see our people graduating
into two classes; the few very rich, the
many very poor.
This is a dangerous condition which
confronts the American people today;
and requires the utmost self-sacrific-
ing patriotism to ward off the terrible
consequences which will inevitably
follow an acute crisis In this unnatur-
al condition, which will be brought on
by the grinding and avaricious greed
to accumulate the last estige OF sub.
stance from the already imp oyerished
people, who will be driven to despair
by want, will turn on their enemies
and annihilate them. Then will come
the reign Of terror in fact; then in its
wake will follow bloodshed, disorder,
chaos. anarchy! And from the ruin of
this terrible catastrophe, where. will
our beloved country be? We draw
this picture with great. sorrow; not
that we hope to see it, but fear that
we will see it, and see it very soon.
Our country friends can not realize
the terrible condition to which their
city brethren are reduced. And they
spring that they will be engaged in
bread riots, right here in St. Paul.
The sad sight of seeing the poor be-
ing evicted from their, homes is Of
daily occurrence; while the prices of
the necessaries of life keep up to the
highest point, so much so that the
poor crea lures, in this cold and rigor-
Gus climate, the people are obliged to
go cold because they can not purchase
the fuel to warm them. The condi-
tions are such that even the coal yards
are doing nothing, and the spectacle
of seeing 20 or 80 teams hanging
around the coal yards is a common
thing. Even this avenue of employ
ment is cut of and has aggravated the
condition of the people.
The labor unions Of the city which
have been able to pay "out-of- work"
benefits to their unemployed members
have about reached the limit of their
ability to continue their great work.
With the collapse of this great fea
ture of organized labor, one of the
bonds which helped to materially hold
the unions together will have disap-
peared; their treasury empty; their
members out of work; their families
reduced to the verge of want the last
hope OF falling back on the union
gone, what moral influence or res traint
is there, to keep them from seeking to
cut the wages Of this craft, in order
to obtain a temporary lease of employ
mcnt. Soon even this avenue of re.
serve would be gone and the trades
unions of the nation would be reduced
to the same extrem nifty which their I'M
skilled and unorganzed brothers of
toll, to be obliged to work for Wha t.
| ever pittance they could obtain.
Be careful, brothers, that this condi-
tiOn does not overtake you. In this
crisis you will be called upon to stand
solidly together or all the work and
zeal Of years will be lost. You can not
remain Indifferent now. A brief wait
at this time may lose for you the
hopeful prospects for the future.
In the past the people were taken
up so much with their daily avoca-
tions, and in their own security from
want, they had little time to give to
conditions which effected both them
selves and their neighbors
The time has now arrived when the
idle workman has nothing else to do
but contemplate his condition and
that of his neighbor. And those who
are so fortunate as to still be en-
ployed, are losing sleep o. nights,
thinking over the prospect of what
menace this condition of his unem-
played neighbor is to his job and fam
cied security from want. The time
has arrived when action becomes ne
cessity, and this action must be along
the lines of fraternal and patriotic
christianity.
The Industrial Union offers means
to carry out these great works. How?
BY applying in practice its teach
ings. 1t is a fraternal organization
4 with scope as vast as the United
States. 1t is an organization of the
produce of the wealth Of this great
nation, composed Of the tillers Of the
soil and the wage-earhers. They rep
resent the great bulk of the produc-
ers and consumers. The success of the
one is the success Of the other. Why
not apply Intelligent direction to their
efforts of being mutually beneficial to
each other. The farmer raises nearly
all the food product which his city
brother consumes, while all the goods
the farmer uses his city brother man
ufactures. Why can not both frater-
mites utilize their necessities by pat
roniZing each other, and purchase
their supplies from each other.
! Why can't the farmers for instance,
build flour mills or utilize mills al
| ready built which are not controlled
by the combine, and have a brand of
flour known as the Farmers Alliance
and Industrial Union Brand" and.
have the grade the same as illshurHs
Best. or the Ceresota brand Then let
the city wage.earner demand this
brand of flour from his local grocer in
stead of asking for the English brand
and paying tribute to ROthschild Of
over dollar on every barrel Of flour
consumed in this country. as outlined
by ex-President Vermilya, wherein he
paid one-half of his load of wheat, in
pounds. for the same number of
pounds of flour. This,rcharge he was
compelled to pay. In other words,
they confiscated one-half of his load
for grinding the rest. Can the people
of this state realize whata tremend-
Gus drain this is on the resources OF
the northwest.
Why can't we secure the co-opera-
tion of the Farmers Alliance and In
dustrial Union Of the whole country
to use this same brand Of -four We
would find Immediately that we could
create market for the manufactured
product of the whole wheat crop of
the entire Northwest; and thus the
profits on the whole would remain
with the people who produced and
manufactured the product. While
the consumer would save from 81 to
81 on each barrel of flour so consumed