West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1900-10-25

lot tnelr own gam. And time went
on and strikes and lockouts took
place. The working men had not
found the means to provide them
feathered nests. But on the con
trary many had no home at all.
Many were elbowed and jostled out
OF their places to work by cheap
workers whom the selfish employers
had shipped in from divers far away
places. Many tramped from one
factory to another, from plant to
plant, and found the press of men
working for low wages very great.
And the working man began TO be
amazed and to wonder wherein he
was benefited by either having no
work at all to do, or to work for
the miserably low wages of other
counties, while the articles he made
by his own skill were advanced in
price and his food and raiment grew
dearer-
And the workingman grew sick at
heart when he beheld all the iron
makers of the county go into one
great company called a trust. All
the makers of steel ware did like
wise. All who were operating coal
mines went into one great firm.
And so it was in every line of manu-
facture all over the county, all the
manufacturers went into a syndicate,
and all were one company in fact.
And the laboring man was at the
mercy of these selfish men. The
selfish men banded together every
where. They cried for greater tax
rates to enable them to compete
with trade from other counties.
They fixed the prices as they pleased
upon their productions, for the law
suffered no man to buy at a lower
price from any other county.
They regulated the rate of wages
jointly and no working man need
go from one factory of the trust to
another, expecting to get better
wages. They united and combined
to control the market prices and to
compel men to work for such wages
as the trust would allow to be
reasonable. They denied the work
ers the right to combine and belong
to trades unions. They refused to
employ union workers. And verify
the way of the working man became
hard. If he asserted his right to
join lodge of workmen and parti-
cipated in strikes the selfish men
secured an injunction from the
county court and he was cared for
by the sheriff. If he grew too
persistent he was blacklisted by
combined capitalists and denied
work anywhere in the county. The
selfish men did not in so MANY
words deny the worker, who was
lighting a grievance, the right to
live; they only conspired to deny
him the means of supporting life.
They began to talk of the need of
an army to keep the peace of the
country, to suppress riots, and
protect property.
BY and by in two diverse parts of
the earth, one anear and one afar,
men rose up and cried to all the
world saying, owe are grievously
wronged." And these lands, nearby
and afar, proceeded to set up
counties of their own. The work
people of the united county, known
as the county of the free, said.
"Let us arise in our might and free
the weak ones that are so greatly
wronged." "Nay not So" said the
selfish men, "to help them now
will hurt our trade" And the
selfish men would not. But the
work people clamored so that armed
men were sent out to help those
who wanted 20 set apart new coun-
ties. And straightway the armed
men took possession of their lands
wherein the people were contending
to have county governments of their
own. Then the selfish men i'm
mediately cried out and made a
great shout, saying, "Behold what
we have done Behold what a
world crushing power we be !
Now let us give a good county gov
eminent to the one, and annex the
other to our county and give it the
blessings Of our own good govern
ment. Let us hold the one for a
while, and the other for all time
for the sake of civilization and
religion, but especially for the up
building Of our trade and the en-
richment of our home county"
And now the workers and the
well-to-do people of the united