The Advocate and news., 1898-10-12

trial wheel at every point, ana binding
the whole capltalistic system firmly to-
gether Is it any wonder that political
economy has been called the dismal
science?"
Competition has enriched employers
and created an aristOcraCy of wealth on
the one hand. and on the other has rob-
bed and relatively degraded the laborer,
pauperized whole classes, and Is the
mother of the greater part Of the ills
which affliCt society to-day
Suppose, that Of ten manufacturers,
nine have keen appreciation Of the
evils that flow from prOtracted labor on
the part of women and children, and,
were 1t in their power, would gladly pro-
duCe cottons without destroying family
life, and without setting in motion those
forces that must ultimately result in race
deterioration. But the tenth man has
no such apprehensions. He will grind
women and children and society to pow
der for the sake of money. The nine
men must adopt his methods, for their
goods come into competition with his.
Buyers ask simply the price. II the one
manufacturer is grasping, inhuman and
dishonest, and these methods lead to
low prices, the other nine must adopt
them or quit business.
Thus 1t is that In competition the
lowest-tOned man sets the moral stand
ard to which all must conform. IL de-
test the methods of my business" said
an employer, "but / am pOwerless"
"The time will come" said Mr.. Pitt,
when manufacturers will have been so
long established, and the operatives not
having any other business to fee to,
that 1t will be in the power Of any one
man in town to reduce the wages, and
all the other manufacturers must fol-
low" And he intimates when that time
comes Parliament will redress the
wrong, or be wiped out by revolution.
It was competition in the mills Of Not
tingham, within the memory of many
now living that compelled children from
9 to Is years Of age to work frequently
for twenty hours on a stretch, from 4
a. m. to IL at night A witness says
that, going from his Office at IL and l
o'clock at night In the depth OF winter,
he often met mothers taking their chill
dren to neighboring prlnt-works, the
children crying.
The mills in New England formerly
ran from thirteen to fifteen hours The
rules in Paterson, N. j., required women
and children to be at work at half-past
4 in the morning.
Modern legislation prohibiting this Op-
preston of labor Is due to the adoption
of the SOCialistic principle of State in
reference.
The waste of competition is tremeh-
dOus fact. Two parallel roads are built
and operated at vast expense, when one
would do all the work as we'll. A small
town supports a half dozen grocery and
dry goods stores, where one would ac-
the people. Socialism would
do away with this enormous economic
waste.
Competition tolerates business prac-
tices offensive to morality.
Prof. ]. B. Clark, in his valuable work
on "The Philosophy of Wealth." says:
"There is one code for the family, the
social circle, and the church, and diff
ferent one for mercantile life. 1t Is
common remark that a sensi-
tive conscience must be lett at nome
when its possessor goes to the Office or
shop We helplessly deprecate the fact,
we lament the forms OF business de-
pravity that come to our notice, but at
tack them with little confidence"
Among laborers competition is fierce.
Workingmen receiving just enough to
keep their families clad, housed and fed
are frequently displaced by men willing
to work for wages sufficient only to
semi-civilized standard of liv-
ing. In the winter Of 1867 the street
car drivers Of Baltimore were working
over seventeen hours per day. Why?
Because other workmen stood ready to
take their places. The drivers held a
meeting and protested. Several minis
ters thought the gospel Of Christ had
something to say against the outrage,
and attended the meetings. There were
two results: the first was the passage of