The labor world., 1900-09-08

tAh solNc the PrObIem ii The
| Choose.
reflective mind Of the Workingman t
make him pause in the present era 0
excitement. 1t is not only wars an,
rumors of wars that give him caus
for deep study and urge him to dis
cusson of the conditions which op
press him at almost every turn. H
is not unsettled at any particular point
but finds the spirit of unrest and dis
satisfaction apparent, broadcast, an
from a cause general, if not almost uni
Versa1. - .
With all the boasted claims of ''un
exampled prosperity so loudly pro
claimed by the party in power, and il
the pretended rejoicing in the bette
condition of the American working
man, the latter is far from being con
tented and happy, and strikes fOllov
one another, hard upon for bette
wages, better conditions, increasing il
numbers and fierceness and from
CFCly PAL VI l1lC COuHIly
The workingman, while he is prom
pied to believe in the boast of pros
perity'-more work and better wage!
finds it difficult to keep out of deb
or to float sWimmingly with his heaC
above water. He does understand eX.
actly the situation-hoW is it that
there is more work, that more mer
are employed than in the crisis OF
1S96-but that the fact is he is work
ing for less wages than were preVa-
lent at that time. Wages, it is true
have apparently remained at practl-
cally the same ratio, but the cost OF
living has increased If his necessary
domestic expenses have increased, as
they have from Is to 80 per cent, and
his wages remain nominally the same
he must be very dull Of comprehen-
sion if he cannot figure out that his
revenue from labor has decreased IN
exact ratio with his increased cost OF
living Let any man of family con-
suit with the female portion OF his
household and ascertain the cost OF
domestic necessities as compared with
those Of less than a year ago, and ne
will find the increase to be at least u
per cent over what it was at this time
last year. 5 s-EI. il
And yet the reason for this is not
difficult to explain. The monopoly sy-
stem Of trust combinations in the var
ious Industries has raised the price OF
the necessities Of life SO high that al
other prices have keep pace with the
rise-except wages. So it results that
whether you increase the cost of liv-
ing or reduce the price of wage labor
the result is the same. H.. ....-,
Let no man strive to conceal, IN the
glamour of partisan zeal and blindness
the reality of cause for this t1agran'
oppression upon his struggle for
maintenance Of the common rights OF
existence. Let each man face the
the remedy in the only way that viii
bring relief and security from further
continuance of the ills which afflic1
him. -... 49,. f....-..-..-
/ 1t is the pooling of millions o1
money capital in a single industry thai
Eenables combination to monopoize
pertaining to that indus
try; to regulate the supply, regardless
of demand, and to raise and lower the
price as prompted only by the extor.
5tionate greed Of those who control the
monopoly. 81: ~rH III. ~1-r, s2s.'
/ And we are confronted with moi
Eonly one or a dozen of these villain
;ous cobinations but with hundred
or T. more, INVOLVING almost every
branch of industry and production
from the making of a common match
Ito the construction and manipulation
Eof the worlds highways, both on lane
land sea, till almost everything, mov.
liable and immovable, is captured ano
Ecornered and handled only in sucl
:manner as will conserve the best in
sterests of the monopolies which con
ltrol them.
No one of sane mind can censure a:
a fault the combination of money cap
ital for legitimate purposes. 1t is
matter of prime necessity that money
should be combined in corporation:
and companies for carrying on OF Ger
tain lines of business where individual
means cannot be found sufficient fo1
1.-THE purposes intended; and it it un
doubtedly advantageous to large
classes of working mechanics tina
such measures are adopted in the en-
ployment given to labor; but Whe1
capital is aggregated in such force a:
Ito create monopoly not only in thf
manufacture and production of certain
ARTICLES of necessity, to the crushing
out of all manner of competitions; no
only the wiping out and obliteratlon O
all smaller and weaker concerns, bu
the unhorsing and disablement anc
casting into idleness of hundreds o.
thousands of honest and industrlou:
mechanics and laboring men, it be
comes an affliction bearing the brant
of crime so f1agrant as to be neither
doubted or disputed. - r-..
/ 1t is not alone the possession OF {
moneyed capital that make these ques
tionable transactions possible. None,
of itself is a power sufficient for al
the legitimate exercises Of it's invest
ment. But, when it is backed and en-
couraged by venal legislation, and tn
pursuit of corrupt and debasing prac
tices, to the exercise of function
detrimental and destructive to the IN