The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-09-04

putes between labor and capital should be
referred.
Much of the discomfort of labor hereto
fore has no doubt been caused by the man
ufatcurers and operators selling their prod
ucts at prices below the cost of production.
In their zeal for business they have run
over each other In ruinious competition,
This has naturally resulted In the reduc-
ton of wages In all manufactured prod
ucts the main item of cost is labor. Take
coal, for instance. Probably 80 per cent.
OF the cost of coal is labor. II you reduce
the price of COAL you cannot help but re-
duce the wages that produce the coal. II
there is a fixed price for mining coal, the
operators should also have a fixed selling
price. The selling price should be MAIN
tanned by all the operators, and no one is
more interested in seeing 1t maintained
than the miners who dig the coal. The
same rule applies to all other products of
labor. The Generalization of prices is
always followed by reduction of wages
The operators cannot pay fair wages when
they do not receive fair returns for the
products of labor.
Il do not believe in unreasonably high
prices, but l would like to see all products
OF labor receive fair and reasonable prices,
so that labor, which constitutes the largest
item of cost can receive its just reward. A
scale of wages and prices, however, should
never be raised so high as to invite compe-
causes a reaction, which is serious In it's
results.
In maintaining what we think to be our
rights, due regard should be had for the
rights of others. The ideal relations that
should exist between capital and labor are
these: That capital should at all times be
willing to pay a fair compensation for an
honest days work. and that labor should
at all times be willing to do an honest days
work for fair compensation This is the
end to be aimed at by both capital and
labor In their dealings with each other.
In this grand distribution of wealth, the
Almighty has reserved for the people of
this earth four great sources from which
all wealth Is obtained: First the field; Sec
ond, the mine; third, the forest; fourth the
fisheries.
The greatest of all is the field, from
which all subsistence is obtained. But
next to the field comes the mine. which,
from an industrial standpoint, is the most
important of all. After the farmer has
harvested his crop 1t requires comparative
ly little additional employment of labor
to bring 1t direct to the consumer. When
the miner, however, has produced a ton Of
pig iron 1t requires much skilled labor be-
fore 1t finally reaches the consumer. 1t
may reach him in the shape of steel rails
armor plate, pocket knives watch springs
and thousand other useful articles. The
manufacturing of all these things requires
more labor and higher priced labor. Wit
ness: A ton of pig iron costing, say, SIS,
made into watch springs worth, say,
$1,000. How much of this goes to labor? |
dare say nearly all of it. The pig iron we
produce, therefore, furnishes the means of
employment to millions of people in all the
walks of skilled and high-priced labor.
The miner, shoveling the coal deep in the
earth, and the ore miner handling the ore,
scarcely realize that every ton of coal and
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follow-workmen at home and in distant
lands.
The forest also contributes its share to
the employment and happiness of labor.
The same may also be said of the fisher
les, but to a much more limited extent.
But the grand source of wealth, upon
which the great industrial world depends,
is the mine, and of all the minerals pro-
ouced, there are none so important as iron.
The days of the forest are limited and
the uses of wood are fast being replaced
by stone and iron
my fellow-citizens we have the eood
fortune to live in one of the greatest IRON
producing districts in the world. Our nat
ural resources are ineXhaustible and as
time goes on, and the uses of iron increase
In all the arts of manufacturing, the i'm
portance of this district will become more
ana more pronounced.
our Iron is now shipped to all parts of
tne world. This is well as far as 1t goes, but
the most of this iron should be consumed
IN manufactures at home. so that instead of
shipping pig iron, will ship the manufac-
tured, finished product, thereby employing
more skilled labor at higher wages than
ever before. The purpose of the Commercial
Club is to assist in every way the bring
ing of new and diversified industries to
this district
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen. | thank
you for the privilege of being with you to-
day. l am glad to look into the faces of
these honest toilers. I am glad to partici-
pate in these festivities and enjoyments. I
nope that your ladies and children will es-
pecially enjoy this day of rest and recrea-
ton.
I'm conclusion, let me thank you for your
attention. Let us hope that labor and capt.
tai shall continue to live in perfect har-
mony and accord. All should work together
for the common good, and for the upbuild-
ing of our State.
Let us all hope that peace, contentment
and prosperity shall continue to reign in
the thousands of happy homes that are now
in this fertile valley"
Mr. 7ighe'S Talk
Mr.. F. Tighe of Pittsburg, assistant sec-
rotary Of the Amalgamated Association of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, was intro
duced by Mr.. Williams. He said, in part:
II have come from the Pittsburg of the
North with a message of greeting to the
Pittsburg of the South, thus demonstrate
ing the universal brotherhood of man.
There is no North, no South no East, no
West, and I felicitate myself on having
the privilege of speaking to workmen of
the South. I am herr for the president of
our association who was unable to come
on account of business that detained him
at home.
Labor is the axis upon which this great
world revolves. 1t is labor that fells the
mighty monarch of the forest and moulds
1t into beautiful ornaments. 1t is labor
that has made this great country what 1t
is Abraham Lincoln once said labor Is
prior to and Independent Of capital. Capt.
tai is the fruit of labor had ,f-re been
no labor there would be no capital.
at has been said that l am an advocate
of union labor and expect to stand up for
labor Labor has been Instrumental in
bringing about everything that is useful
to man. 1t is the history of labor that
labor is able to protect its interests through
organization. When men are too indoieht
or Indifferent to organize they fan easy
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