The Irish standard., 1897-01-30

lueio is uOt D. AAdu CdpdU1c VI SuCCoooAuA
passing lunatico-inQuirendo but knows
| full we'll that the reward of the worker
| has not kept pace with the wonderful
| enhancement of his productive power,
and it is this universally recognized fact
which constitutes our chief danger today
is the riddle which we are called upon
to ride"
Let us take cursory glance at exist
ing conditions; not from the standpoint
of plutocrat Or pauper, employer OF en-
ploye, but from that of the patriot eager
to promote his country's honOr-to steer
the Nation clear of those rocks upon
| which SO many proud empires that i'm
agined themselves immortal have been
hopelessly wrecked. According to spe-
cial report made by Carroll D. Wright
of the U. S. Census Bureau, there We're
22, 735 ,661 persons employed in gainful
occupations in 1890, Of whom 1921
, were unemployed for three months or
more and 1,139,672 during the entire year.
Those % ,735,661 people create all our
wealtll-clothc, feed and house the ma
ton: hence each must provide for ap-
proximately three people. This means
that during at least three months OF the
wear 1890, more than 10 1-2 million Amer
leans were deprived of the nsufruct OF
industry, more than 8 1-2 million during
the entire IL months. And all author
tiles unite in calling 1890 a normal in
dustrial period!" 1T is estimated by COM
petent authority that during 1893 and six
months of 1896 the number of unem-
ployed was fully double the foregoing
fgures-that seven million wealth pro-
ducers were idle and more than Il mill
lion Americans deprived of the fruits Of
industry, their legitimate support! Yet
we are told that if the Bryans, Altgelds
and Debses could be suppressed all would
be well-that this grand army OF unfortu-
mates would continue to suffer in silence
and with lamb-like docility; that the
Deity would he delighted and Dives in no
danger! Robespierre was the creature,
not the creator, Of the Revolution. And
what is the reward of those so fortunate
as to have employment? This is gold
standard, high-wage country, the Para
disc of working people. the Utopia where
the condition of labor so "greatly i'm
proved the past 100 years." hence we
may expect to find every employed work
man fairly wallowing in wealth, lolling
during his leisure hours in sybaritic lux
ury. In 1909 good year, and before
that tremendous slump in wages from
which the country has not yet recov-
ered-the American manufacturing In
dustries employed on an average 4,O50,785
operatives Exclusive of officers and
clerl1s) and paid them $1,799,6 .492. If
we figure 300 working days to the year
we have for the finest and most produc.
tive labor in the world, an average re-
ward of $1.48; but as 313 days consti-
tute the working year of such shops as
shut down on Sunday, while many run
the entire 365, we may safely assume that
the average earnings of million Amer
lean operatives during normal year"
does not exceed dollar a day. Debs de-
clared some months ago that thousands
Of men, recognized as good operatives,
were then working in American mills
for 5 cents day; and as the statement
has never been disputed even by those
who proclaim him gibier de potence, or
at least dangerous demagogue I take
it that the assertion was literally true.
When we deduct for time lost through
sickness and lockouts, we may readily
see what chance even the skilled laborer
has for his life in this land of Liberty,
Fraternity and Equality" Yet we read
in ponderous essays-penned by this or
the other possessor of fair round belly
with good capon lined that if he would
practice economy and leave the wretched
agitators alone, he might get rich as
grease!-that in this blessed land every
deserving man has an opportunity to be-
come plutocrat, perchance president!
The hundred or so boys actually born
stark naked in log cabins half a century
or more ago,-when the world was much
nearer industrial equality-and who have
been cast to the surface of the everest
less political sea, struck oil, married a
competence, wrecked a railroad, swind-
led an orphan or stolen valuable idea
from confiding inventor, are offered in
evidence. Think of preaching economy
to man who is striving to pay house.
rent, feed and clothe the family on IS a.
week-and half the time out of work!-l
Of telling the wretch who tolls for SO
cents per diem that he should 'live we'll
within his means and lay up some thing
for rainy day." l sometimes wonder
that the workingman doesn't grow weary
of being hectored by these wooden heads
and shut off their wind. We have entire
ly too many silk-stocking theorists dab
bling with this labor problem-men who
never trained with the tin-bucket brigade
who know not what it is to tramp from
boss to boss asking the privilege of earn