Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-09-14


the working-classes." They have all
their sympathies with Shylock, and not
with Antonio and Portia. They are
plutocrats, and their feelings are in
fernal. They are filled with irritation
and Feasibility on this subject. To
stop this awful imbroglio between
capital and labor they will lift not so
much as the tip end of the little finger.
Neither will there be any paclfication
of this angry controversy through yio-
lence. God never blessed murder.
Well, if this controversy between
capital and labor cannot be settled by
human wisdom, if today capital and
labor stand with their thumbs on each
others throat-as they dot is time
for us to look somewhere else for re-
lief and it points from my text rose
ate and jubilant and puts one hand
on the broadcloth shoulder of capital,
and puts the other on the home-spun-
covered shoulder of toll, and says, with
a voice that will grandly and glorious
ly settle this, and settle everything,
Whatsoever we would that men
should do to you, do you even so to
them" That is, the lady of the house
hold will say: 81 must treat the maid
in the kitchen just as | would like to
be treated if l were downstairs, and
it were my work TO wash, and cook,
and sweep, and it were the duty of
the maid in the kitchen to preside in
or-1n 10 ai in L
must say: IF my employer seems TO
be more prosperous than |, that is no
fault of hers; shall not treat her as
an enemy | will have the same in
dustry and fidelity downstairs as
would expect from my subordinates,
if happened to be the wife of silk
importer"
The owner of an iron MILL having
taken a dose of my text before leav-
ing home in the morning. will go into
his foundry, and. passing into what
is called the puddling-room, he will
see a man there stripped to the waist,
and besweated and exhausted with the
labor and the toll and he will say TO
him: why it seems to be very hot
in here. You look very much eX-
hausted l hear your child is sick with
scarlet fever. If you want your wages
little earlier this week so as to pay
the nurse and get the medicines, just
come into my Office any time"
After awhile, crash goes the money
market, and there is no more demand
for the articles manufactured in that
iron mill, and the owner does not
know what to do. He says, Shall |
stop the mill, or SHALL run it on half
time, or shall / cut down the mems
wages?" He walks the floor of his
counting-room all day, hardly knowing
what to do. Towards evening he calls
all the laborers together. They stand
all around, some with arms akimbo,
some with folded arms, wondering
what the boss is going to do now. The
manufacturer says: Men, times are
very hard; l don't make twenty dol
lars where | used to make one hun
bred. Somehow, there is no demand
now for what we manufacture, or but
very little demand You see / am at
vast expense, and have called you to-
gether this afternoon to see what you
would advise. l don't want to shut up
the mill, because that would force you
out of work, and you have always been
very faithful, and / like you, and you
seem to like me, and the BARNS must
be looked after, and your wife will
after awhile want new dress. l don't
know what to do"
There is a dead halt for minute or
two, and then one of the workmen
steps out from the ranks of his fell
lows, and says: Boss, you have been
very good to us, and when you pros
pered we prospered, and now you are
in tight place and | am sorry, and
We have got to sympathize with you.
/ don't know how the others feel, but
propose that we take off twenty per
cent from our wages, and that when
the times get good you will remember
us and raise them again" The work
man looks around to his comrades, and
says: Boys, what do you say to this?
All in favor OF my proposition will
say ay" "Ay, ay, ay!" shout two
hundred voices
But the mill-owner, getting in some
new machinery, exposes himself very
much. and takes cold, and it settles
into pneumonia. and he dies. In the
procession to the tomb are all the
workmen. tears rolling down their
cheeks, and off upon the ground: but
an hour before the procession gets TO
the cemetery the wives and the chill
dren OF those workmen are at the
grave waiting for the arrival of the
funeral pageant. The minister or re-
ligion may have delivered an eloquent
eulogium before they started from the
house. but the most impressive things
are said that day by the working
classes standing around the tomb.
That night in all the cabins of the
working people where they have fam
lily prayers the widowhood and the
orphanage in the mansion are remem-
bered. No glaring populations look
over the iron fence of the cemetery;
but, lowering over the scene, the bene-
diction OF Gcd and man is coming for
the fulfillment of the Christ-like in
junction, Whatsoever We would that
men should do TO you, do you even so
TO them"