The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-02-18


the Trusts Are Supreme.
Do you hear the children weeping, o,
my brothers,
Ere the sorrow comes with years?
They are leaning their young heads
against their mothers
And that cannot stop their tears.
The lambs are bleating in the mead
ows;
The birds are chipping in the nest,
The fawns are playing in the shadows,
Inc flowers are blooming toward the
But the young, young children, O, ny
brothers,
1hey are weeping bitterly.
lhey are weeping in the playtime of
the others,
IN the country of the free.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning.-
overseer Schmidt, of Davenport, Ia,
had Christmas celebration for poor
children to whom Santa Claus is indeed
myth. He figured on entertaining
zoo children, or so; about 900 came, and
me result was that hundreds had to
go away with practically nothing.
Owing to the increase of child labor
In New York state, the percentage Of
children attending the public schools
mas fallen from 1855 Of the school pop
ulatlon in 1851 to SIS in 1891.
Ihe'annual death roll in the United
states is 100000 persons, of whom
ooo'ooo are children under years of
age, the high death rate among the
children being due, physicians say, to
lack OF proper nourishment, clothing
shelter, etc.
Last year, in New York city alone
nearly 1000 babies were found in ash
barrels, areaways, vaults, ETC..
The wholesale reductions in wages
mat SO startled the mill hands through
out New England last month continue
without any abatement. In Maine it
IS estimated that no less than 10000
operatives will be affected by the re-
auctions, which in most cases amount
70 III per cent, and in one case affecting
]'ooo men near Lewiston, reach Is per
cent. Mr.. D1ngley, of tariff bill fame.
Is largely interested in mills in Maine
and he is uttering the usual platitude
about currency agitation. Throughout
massachusetts, the wage reductions are
going steadily on and, although the
men are very much inclined to protest.
they recognize that they have little
to do but submit.
Inc steel trust has advanced the
price OF steel structural material one
dollar ton. It also reduced wages
month ago 10 per cent. But reductions
IN wages are usually accompanied by
rises IN price. Thus the department
stores OF our large cities are warning
lnelr customers that prices are steadily
rising and that purchasers ought TO
hasten to buy now in order to save
money. That great and good man.
Jonn Wanamaker, continually warns
the public, in his 1aring ADVERTISE
ments, that the prices of textile goods
are on the rise and that they will he
on the rise for good while to come
But, at the same time, we hear Of moth
ing but 10 and Is per cent reductions
III wages in the textile mills of New
England. There is profound incon-
sistency in this situation. Why shonld
wages so down If the prices of the
products Of labor are mounting sky-
ward?
The answer to the riddle is that
prices are increasing only in those
lines of goods the manufacture OF
which is controlled by trusts, and
which the new tariff has given mon
opoly of the home market These same
trusts, while raising the price of
their goods, can reduce wages because
OF the great surplus of labor seeking
employment. This army of idle men
would not exist if farm products were
selling at prices to enable the farmers
to consume a normal amount of manu-
featured goods. The single gold stand
ard causes a worldwide reduction in
prices of farm products; American far
mers are, therefore. compelled to re-
strict their consumption on manufac-