The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-30

labor, crushing the hope. the zeal. the
energy. the individuality and .the use
fuiness Of the brain ana sole of Amer
lean manhood viii sooner or later paral-
yze the business interests Of our whole
country.
In the face of all these facts The pro
motors of this system Of combinations and
trusts tell Us their plan OF restricted COM
petition controlling productions and prices
OF commodities is great blessing 10 TIE
consuming public. That, while many
have been thrown out of employment.
salaries reduced and lower prices paid
10 the producers of the raw material. yet
il has all been done in the interest of the
consumer by making prices lower for The
manufactured articles. l am no advocate
Of nor do 1 believe in low prices when
brought about at the expense Of labor or
destruction OF honest competition. Low
prices created in this way snow a decay
ing rather than a healthy condition OF
our commerce and inevitably brings mis-
cry and distress into the homes OF labor,
because labor constitutes from 20 10 80
per cent OF the cost Of every article, 1
care not whether IL be the product OF the
farm, mill. mine or factory, and there
cannot be a low price placed on these
products without resulting in CORE
spending low price and depressed condi-
ton of labor itself
Were so inclined. and would time per-
nit it would be out of place for me on
this occasion TO discuss what I believe 20
be the remedy to cure the many evils now
threatening society and good government
by these combinations and trusts under
the system OF restricted competition So
in conclusion let me urge that we In be-
half of our homes and our country give
these questions and problems our serious
thought and study so that We may be
better prepared to meet the grave stu
alton that is now confronting and Will
more forcibly confront US and our inter-
ests in the near future.
You know full we'll that for the past
twenty years a fierce and hard fought
battle has been waged between organized
labor and concentrated capital. Capital
has won the victory and organized labor.
with a few exceptions. IS now obsolete as
a power for protection 10 the wage
Garner. The next ultimstum OF these COM
bined trusts will be 10 the commercial
interests of this country to the jobbers
and retail merchants. demanding that the
manufactured articles of these combina-
tions be sold on practically a non-profit
bearing basis 10 labor and to the distrib-
uting factors Of our commerce, the trusts
alone realizing and accommodating the prof
its. This will unquestionably reduce the
salaries Of all commercial labor. book
keepers and their assistants in the office.
clerks behind the counter and all COM
mercial travellers on the road. ] say the
time has come for action. We must brave
~ meet the issue or ere long our families
will not be permitted 20 enjoy the CON-
forts of life. but they. too. like the fami-
lies OF the starving miners OF Illinois and
Pennsylvania, will be forced 10 expert
ence all the horrors of want and pow
erty.
We cannot make our influence felt by
strikes and boycots We must work along
the line Of reason. right, justice, and good
citizenship. TO in this way. by educating
ourselves and others with equity, 10 both
capital and labor open up ways and means
for an honest living with a chance 10
earn It at fair salary by exercising our
energy and ability in the field of unre-
stricted competition.