Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-10-23

Il
| Longer Scnre.
Especial Washington letter.
/ 1t is not in the coalfields of Pcnnsyl-
| vania alone that q trust is showing the
| country how it proposes to treat those
| dependent upon it for employment.
Grant. n suburb of Chicago. has prac-
| tically been wiped out OF existence by
the dismantiing and removing of 4
plant owned and controlled by the
/ electrical trust. The 900 employees
| upon whom 5000 people depended for
support have been told that there will
| never be any more employment for
them in the town of Grant. The week
| ~ pay roll was S14.JOO.
With the dismantling and removal of
the factory the employees are obliged
to look elsewhere for work. This
means that the merchants are left
without customers. Grant will short
~ become a deserted village.
This ability to curtail and deny en-
plOyment at will is one of the most
alarming features Of trust domination
of the country. y trust can give the
men at one of its branch factories only
three months' work in the year if it
chooses. IL can keep competing pants
idle SO long that the value of the
entire surroundings is deprecated.
Then they can be bought up by the
trust at 4 merely nominal figure.
Workmen can be starved into accept
ing any terms of employment that the
combine offers.
If an employee offends full fedged
trust, he will have to get himself Il
new trade or leave the country. The
trusts will blacklist him so that none
of its factories will give him work.
Mr.. Bryan in his speech at Indian
apoIis before the National Association
of Democratic Clubs pointed out that
the trusts are anxious TO have a big
standing army-not to control the In
dams, the fewer Indians the larger
the army desircd-but to rcpreSs any
discomfort of wOrkingmen. Said Mr..
Does the workingman ask for more
wages? He gets big standing army.
Does he ask for shorter hours of
labor? He gets big standing army.
docs he ask relief from the black
list? He gets big standing army"
y dozen reasonable requests of labor
We're mentioned, and TO each of them
Mr.. Bryan showed the Republican an
swer Is a big standing army. And this
because the trusts desire it to control
workingmen.
The trusts are doing their best to re- |
elect Mckinley and are making a great !
display of contracts having at the foot !
a clause providing that they are void |
N nf ~ n
were actual contracts, it is doubtful /
II such stipulation would hold in law. |
The fact is that the orders and con-
tracts are secured by trust agents, |
with the understanding that they are
10 be used merely for Republican cam
Daign purposes.
1t is perhaps n good thing that the |
Republican party identifies itself so
July and sGuarely with the trusts.
Every man who votes for Mckinley in
his campaign knows that he is voting
'or an extension of the great power
already welded by the trusts. He
fotes for q repetition of the essential
features of the miners strike in every
rust controlled industry lie votes fer
coercion instead of Il free ballot. He
'otes for the dismantlinG of prosperous
owns. He votes for eXorbitant prices
III every necessary of. life. He votes
or the impoyerishment of the farmer
md wagewOrkcr.
The trusts are not to exercise coer-
ion as successfully as in 1896. In
stead of submissively promising TO
-ote for Mckinley when shown the
Void if Bryan is elected"
he wagon workers are collecting lists
# trusts which do this. The names Of
he trusts are being widely circulated.
citizens without regard to party are
making the only protest which can
ouch a trust They are refusing TO
NY goods manufactured by trusts
which coerce employees. There are
many articles of trust manufacture
which are not absolute necessities. The