The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-08-18

Il
failure at some time. Application o
the steam power failure. electro-teleg
raphy a failure, railroading failure
but now the chief successes of tn
| world
"But," SAYS some one. "why talk o
surplus being put by laborers into co
operative associations. when the vas
multitude of toilers in this country ar,
struggling for their daily bread anC
have no surplus" I reply: Put into
my hand the money spent by the la
boring classes of America for rum and
tobacco, and | will establish cooperative
associations in all parts of the land
some of them mightier than any finan.
siai institutions of the country. W,
4 spend in this country over 500, 900. 0Or
lrvery year for tobecco. We spend over
s.. SOC, 100000 directly or indirectly for
rum. The laboring classes spend their
share of this money. Now. suppose the
laboring man who has been eNpending
his money in those directions should
just add up how much he has expended
! during these past years and then sup
pose that that money was put into a CO.
operative association and then suppose
he should have all his friends i'm toll.
who had made the same kind of cNpcnd-
iture, do the same thing, and that
should be added up aud put into CO.
operative association. And then take
all that money expended for o'erdreSs
and ovcrstylc and everything on the part
of toiliug people in order that they may
appear rs well as persons who have
more inrome-gather that all up. and
you could have cooperative associations
all over this land.
am not saying anything now about;
trades unions. You want o. know what
4 think of trades unions think they
are most beneficial in some directions.
and they have a specific object and iB
this day. when there are vast monopo-
hes-a thousand moncpolies coucen-
irating the wealth OF the people into
the possession of few men. unless
the iaboring men Of this country and all
countries band together they will 60
under There is a lawful use of a trade
union, but then there is an unlawful
use nj trade union. II il means sym.
pathy in time of sickness, IL il means
finding work for people when they are
out of work, IL il means the improve
mens of the financial, the moral OF the
peligious condition of the tailoring
-laSSes. that is an right. Do not artists
band together in IA art union? DO not
Singers band together in Handel and
Haydn societies? DO not newspaper
men band together In press clubs? Do
not ministers OF religion band together
in conferences and associations? There
is not in all the land city where clergy
men do not come together. many of
them once a week, TO talk over affairs.
For these reasons YOU should not blame
labor guilds. When they are doing
their legitimate work. they are limos;
admira bic. but when they come around
with drum and fife and flag and drive
people off from their toll, from thek
scafToldings. from their factories. then
they are nihilistic. then they are COM
munistic, then they are barharic. then
they are a curse. If man wants TO
stop work, let him stop work. but he
cannot stop me from work.
But now suppose that all the laboring
classes banded together for beneficient
purposes in cooperative association I'M
der whatever name they put their
means together. Suppose they take the
money thai they waste in rum and to-
6acco and use IL for the elevation of
their families, for the education Of their
children, for their moral. intellectual
and religious improvement. what a diff
ferent state Of things we would have
in this country and they would have
in Great Britain,
Do you not realize the fact that men
work better without stimulant? You
say, "Wiil you deny the laborinr men
this help which they get from strong
drink. borne down as they are with
many anNieties and exhaustinc work -
would deny them nothing thar is good
for them ] would deny them strong
drink. IL | had the power. because il is
damaging 10 them. Nv father said: Il
became a temperance man in early life
because ! found that in - harvest
field, while was naturally weaker than
the other men, I could hold out longer
than any of them. They took siimu-
iant and took none"
l know 4 gentleman very well who
has over 1000 hands in his employ. I
said 10 him some years ago when there
Mas great trouble in the labor market:
How are you getting on with your
nrn = oh" he said..~I have no
trouble" Why" said. have not you
had any strikes >" "Oh, no." he said.
Il never had any trouble" What plan
10 you pursue? 80 He said: Il will tell |
Ton. All my men know every year Just 1
'e~ matters stand. Every little while |
call them together and say: Now,
,oys, fast year J made so much; this |
Tear made less; so you see / cannot |
,ay as much as ] did last year. Now,
want 10 know what You think ought l
q have as q percentage out Of this es-
adjustment and what wages J ought 10 /
i've you. You know put all nv cd /
,r-y On this business. put all nv for /
uDe 10 il and risked everything. What 1
10 you really think ought 10 have and /
ToU ought 10 hsve% BY The time we
oDe out OF that consultation we are /
There never has been an 4
'Srepsion. When we prosper We all |
,Ncsper together; when we suffer. We
u suffer together and INV mon x.o,,l1 \