The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-05-27
TRUST ROBBERY OF LABOR

James Creelinan in New York Journal
The man is deaf and blind who does not
hear and see the sounds and signs OF an
other great Industrial struggle IN the
United states What is the real meaning
of the strikes which are beginning 10
dislocate business in almost eye-y part
OF the country? Does the sap rising In man
in the springtime impel him to strlie'
Are these separate strikes in every state
tie result of separate and inaepenuen'
condition. or are they the consequence
of one general cause?
President Mckinley and his responsipie
spokesmen point to the present uheA
ampled prosperity" Nearly every repuo-
loan etats convention has formally re-
ioiced In the bettered condicion OF tno
american warkingman. Senator hdnha
has boosted that where wages hase ~
been increased they have ct least WV OeSD
| lowered ,-,.o, ,o-
And vet tne American workingman re-
fuses to be happy and contented' anu s. W.,
bornly insists on striking for more wa wee I,
| News of strikes comes from every part VI
! America, These struggles are increasing
| in numbers aud in flerceness every weeh'
| what Is the truth about the matter
The plain undisguisable fact is tnat WAGES
| have been steadily falling even WINE tney
/ have seemed to be rising. me average
American workingman's wages nave pe.n
greatly reduced within the past Two years.
| The man himself may not appreciate that
fact hui he, knows that he Is increasingly
hard up" that he can not save money |,
! that it is more difficult than ever to Keep
out of deb. IA.
The explanation is simple and easily
proved. While wages have renamed AZ
| practically the same level, the cost Oh NV
| ing has increased from 20 to 90 per cent.
| The trust system has lifted the price oil
the necessaries of life so high that all
| other prices have kept pace with the riss-
except wages
1t does not make much difference wheth-
err you increase the cost Of living or cut
down wages-the result to- the man is the
same
] Let any fair minded man In the United
States ask his wife or his mother or his
housekeepe' how much she has to pay for
! household supplies compared with the
same purchases year and half ago, ana
he will be surprised, perhaps, to discover
! that he is paying from 20 TO 90 per cent
more now than he did then.
II is an indisputahle fact that the cost
of necessarles Of life in the United States
has enormously increased within the space
OIL a low UDUtHS. IL 10 Wllhill VIC puNSi
of any man who reads this statement 10
verify it before tomorrow by simply in
vestigatng to facts in his own home
1t is also an indisputable fact that the
great cause of This rise IN prices is the
monopoly feature OF the trust system. II
is also an indisputable fact that wages
have been advanced only in few cases
and the AVERAGE advance has been less
than 12 per cent.
There is ~ truth he trust 70 m
has really reduced the earnings OF Amerl-
can labor 1t Is harder for the employed
man TO live now than il was when he voted
to put the party Of the trusts in contro
OF the National government
Hence the clamor of discomfort which
is ringing throughout the country. More
men are at work now than were employed
In 1895. but they are in reality work np
for lower wages. The same men could
have been at work four years ago had they
been willing 20 ACCEPT such an enormous
reduction in their wages.