The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1900-08-25
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Y tPttD4A&G1l1 NglItI1 k1ltAliOisAlJ may "SA1
cause earnest and thoughtful men
to reflect. That clause, considered
in broad sense, touches a question
which during all the ages since the
dawn of civilization has confronted
statesmen, legislators and social re-
formers. The question is the rights
of employer and employee in their
relations to each other and the
State. The world today is divided
ON this question into two great
classes, each seeking the right, but
both, by force of self-interest, par
TALLY blinded to the dictates of jus
tice and truth. Under existing So
cial conditions, with the commercial
spirit dominant, the argument Of
the employer that it his right to
employ whomsoever he will, at
such times and upon such terms as
he wishes, is plausible and convinc-
ing, but it utterly ignores the idea
of moral obligation. The result is,
employers too often Use their
fright to work wrong and injus-
tice to their employees. But there
are two sides, and we may take the
suppositiona1 case to illustrate
them. A mine Us discovered in
North Idaho. 1t proves to be i'm
mensely rich. Intelligent Ameri-
can workmen are employed to mine
and mill the generous ore. Realizing
the great profits flowing from their
industry into the pockets of the mine
owners, the employees demand an
increase of wages. The mine own
ers concede. This encourages the
miners to increased demands. The
selfshness of the miners goes be-
You'd reason and the point is reach
ed where their demands must be
refused or the profits to the mine
owners wiped out. This is one
phase of the conflict between etn-
ployer and employee, where the lat
ter is clearly in the wrong, morally
speaking, but legally and CONNER
cially the employe has an unques-
toned right to extract from his EN-
ployer the last possible cent of wag-
es, even if it drive the employer to
bankruptcy. And it too often hap
pens that the employee, unconscious
Of what he is doing, stands tena-
ciously upon that right. The mills
close down and the employees are
forced to break up homes and asso-
Citations and scatter broadcast over
the land. The employers then look
about for "a more ignorant and
tractable class of workmen. They
hunt Cinnamon, Japs, Poles, Huns,
1talians--the dregs of Europe and
Asia. To begin with these en-
ployes are given good wages, but it
is not long before the sel6shness in
the mine owners begins to assert it
self. The company store and the
company boarding house appear.
The prices in them rapidly ad-
vance. Along comes a dull spell.
There are more men than Jobs.
Down goes wages. Every month
the employer gives the screw a turn
which presses the employee little
harder. The bigger the profits to
the mine owner the harder the
pressure on the workmen in the
shaft and on the dump. Presently
the condition becomes intolerab1e.
There is Union meeting-masked
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS mills and
murdered men. Then a mighty
wave of Indignation sweeps over
the land; the cry of 1awlessness is
in every mouth, and the demand is
that the anarchists and murderers
be brought to justice. Let us
pause here and inquire who is re-
sponsible for the anarchists? Who
induced them to come among us,
and who oppressed them until they
exploded? If a man should gather
upon his premises a million rattle
snakes to kill gophers and then
starve and abuse them until they
buried their poisonous fangs into