Iron County register., 1899-08-17
Coddling the 'Laboring Man"

The REGISTER doesn't like the par
entail attitude so often assumed by GER
tain newspapers toward 1.-The laboring
man." So long as the laboring man is
worth the salt he earns he needs no
guardian; If the time shall ever come
when his welfare is to be placed be-
yond the guardianship of his own
hands and brain then he will not be
worth the care or thought of anybody
not even of the benefcient. all-wise
and unselfish oversight of the news
paper editor. The Post Dispatch of
last Monday saw fit to be unusually
patronizing to .'the laboriug man." 1t
lauds the British British sys-
TENS of all sorts seem to be the things
these days-recently adopted '.with
excellent results" between employer
and employed:
1.-The noteworthy features of the
new trade alliances are scientific ex-
animation into cost of production and
distribution, the fixing of a minimum
scale of prices, a minimum rate of
wages and bonus to the workers with
each increase in prices of products"
This is all very fine on paper, and
generous, and all that sort o. thing;
but it's not business, and business con-
ditions should control every relation
between employer and employe: when
their relations get outside of business,
they result in either charity or op-
pression-both destructive to manhood
and sturdy independence. The price
of labor should be its value, just as
the value of any other commodity
should govern the price paid for it. If
labor be scarce and difficult to obtain,
its price, under natural conditions,
will be higher than If it be plentiful
and the demand for it weak and un-
certain. If an employer pays more
than is necessary, in just the amount
he pays beyond the market price he is
a cheerful giver." but the employe is
to the same extent a pauper-depend-
ent upon the bounty and charity of his
master. The thing that gives to labor
its dignity and honor is its independ-
ence of generosity" or charity; take
that away from it and there is nothing
honorable or dignified in it.
The way to help laboring men is to
stop legislating against them. They
will then need no coddling, no bonus.
But, since Labor bears all burden, and,
in the end, must discharge every OBJ
legation, he is ground down and kept
under by all the devices known to
avarice and greed. His honest obll-
cations are doubled and trebled by
thieving legislation which favors eyer
and ever the creditor. 1t is estimated
that $3.50, 900, 900 annually is paid in
the way of interest by the American
people to European creditors, every
dollar of which has been doubled in
value, as measured by the products of
Labor-not doubled through natural
conditions but by trick and artifice in
legislation. Cne-half of the money
Labor is called upon to buy with which
to satisfy his creditors has been wiped
out of existence in order to compel
two strokes of the pick or axe-two
rounds of the furrow-where but one
was needed before. And now,. over
burdened and paralyzed by this wick
edness, when Labor falters in agony,
we stimulate him with .'bonus" boluses
and administer the cheering cup of
generosity" for which he must re-
turn grateful thanks on bended knee
and dutifully work out his groaning
destiny.