Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-11
LABOR AND TUE TRUSTS.
while Few May Got Higher Wages, La
bOr0Fs AZ Mass DOT Lsan Than
Before.

gated In the slightest degree by the
statement, by the commissioner Of Ia
Dor, that they pay higher wnges to
labor than private concerns. This
does not help the consumer, who In
plundered through the estoppal OF
competition. The general consumer
largely Outnumbcr the producers in
any line of industry II Is not fair
or right that they should be taxed
for the benefit even of labor,
"lf the trusts pay higher wages
TO labor thun private concerns Il IL be-
cause they reduce the wording force
in all lines which they control, They
greatly lesson the number of wage
earncrs, which is not, by any con
struction, beneficial TO labor, But the
chief objection TO trusts is the monop-
olstic idea behind them, which Is
abhorrent 10 the American people,
Through the vast combinations which
have been made against trade, thou
sands of people have been deprived
Of their business, They have either
been absorbed by their more powerful
rivals or added TO the ranks of the
unemployed. The trusts are destruc-
tive OF the manliness and independ-
ence which prevailed in this country
when the trade and industry, which
IL now centralized In the hands OF n
few, were divided among n multitude
OF smaller operators. Workshops and
stores, conducted In small way, are
rapidly disappearing, They have been
largely wiped but by the trusts, TO
the destruction of spirit of per-
sonal pride and ambition which Is OF
inestimable value to any nation, There
Is nothing TO be said for the trusts
which can begin to Offset the objec-
tons against them"
As the Star points out, while a
few laborers may receive higher
wages, the force Of laborcrs is so
largely reduced in numbers that the
total wage fund, or the gross amount
received by labor as wages, is much
smaller than before. If an American
producer is not all appetite, with
whom the "full dinner pail argu-
ment is all potent he will remember
that ian injury to one Is the concern
Of ALL" and will vote against the sys-
TEN that throws men out of employ
ment even though his own wages
may have been raised. He cannot tell
how soon his turn will come.
From the Campaign Forum" of the
Star we clip a question and the an
swer thereto from Mr. Willis j. Alb
bolt:
To whom are trusts oppressive and
howP-James A. Wilson.
The trust is oppressive, first, to the
producer Of the trusts goods, Strik-
ing illustrations pre- found in the case
of the Carnegie Steel company, whose
profits are prodigious, Mr.. Frick
statedthat the profits Of Mr., Carnegie
for last year were $l2,2s5,O0O, His in
come in comparison with that of 9th
er potentates is shown by the fol-
lowing table;
Queen Victoria ........,...$ l,095,OOO
German emperor ...,,..,,., 3,S"0770
Emperor Of Austria ........ 9,s75,000
King of Italy .,............ 2,SjS,O0O
Andrew Carnegie .......... 2i,S67, 800
This equals SOS, 1903 per day for
the iron king. His per diem, in other
words, is much more than sufficient
to pay the salary of the president of
the United States for one year Yet,
in 1902, when the company was vast
ly prosperous, its employees were
forced into the historic Homestead
strike, one of the most terrible in the
history of labor battles,
The attitude OF the trust as a labor
crusher is also well shown by the
great coal strike in Pennsylvania, in
volving 100000 and perhaps many
more men. OF this strike an officer
in the biggest coal company in Chi
cago said on September 10;
"This strike will not be over in a
week or in fortnight, 1t may last
| all winter. II has been our experience
that when we thought the miners
poor and easy to conquer they have
shown themselves possessed Of indom-
table will and strange resources, That
is one reason why ! think the strike
will I've protracted 1t is miserable
condition of affairs and the miner
is bound to get the worst of IT, The
consumer is next in line and the trust
winks and is happy at the time"
The time has been when women in
England were forced TO labor in coal
mines, harnessed to ears by n strap
I around the neck and n chain passing
from that between the legs to the
coal car. Thus hnrncssed they worked
IL hours a day on their knees, crawl.
ing in the mud and water through
dark passages too low to admit Of an
upright posture on the part Of these
pitiful slaves of capital. The more
completely industry is controlled by
trusts in private hands the more easy
is 1t thus to reduce human beings to
position beneath that of beasts,
The trust is oppressive to the con-
sumer Of its goods. Its sole rule of
price is, "Charge what the market will