Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-07-18
LABOR AND TRUSTS.
LARGE COMBINES DON'T TRY
TO LOWER WAGES.
Wage Farmers and Capitalists Getting
Closer Together Every Day-Steady,
Employment, More Pay and Shorter
Honrs the RuIe-Lab Dor Movement.


HOnrs the Rule-Labor Movement.
Down with the trusts is one of the
slogans of the Democratic party this
year, and its agents will endeayor to
capture the laboring mans vote be-
cause they say that trusts lower the
wages of the workers.
But what is the truth? Not one single
Instance can be cited where 'arge in
dustrial institution. employing hun
dreds OF thousands of people, has at
tempted to reduce their wages. Neither
can it be shown that single one Of
the hundred national and international
trade and labor unions of this country
is lighting the large combinations, In
stead Of lighting them, they are getting
closer together every day. The growing
tendency between labor and capital has
been toward annual conferences to de-
termine wage scales, hours of work
ana conditions of employment. The
tendency is to employ arbitration and
Cancellation in the settlement of differ
enccs. This method has long been IN
vogue between the railways and their
employees, with the steel-rail makers,
with the Wire nail makers. with tin
plate manufacturers, with the steel
beam producers, with the Amalga
mated Association of. Iron, Steel and
Tin Workers, with the newspaper pub
fishers. with the employing book and
job printers and with the International
Typographical Union. The more that
labor and capital concentrate their in
terests Individually. so much the more
are they endeavoring to concentrate
their interests collectively. Large and
small labor unions, instead of fighting
industrial combination, find it to their
interest to join hand in hand with
them. There is no better combination
in the United States to-day than the
American Federation of Labor.
Speaking for the vast army of wage
earners employed in the iron, steel and
tin industry, Theodore Schaffer, Presi-
dent of the Amalgamated Association
of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, before
the Federal Industrial Commission, has
declared that the effect of trusts has
heen beneficial to them. las a general
rule" he said, he believed that the
members of his organization would
prefer to deal with combinations and
large corporations rather than with
smaller independent mills" His expert
ence was that they always received
fair treatment in negotiating with
these combinations, and he was GER
tain they did not prevent competi-
ton"
Democratic politicians point with
pride" to the fact that there have been
more labor disturbances and strikes in
the past year or SO than in the four
years of Democratic administration.
Why all these strikes. then?
The average wage-wOrker never
thinks of going on strike on falling
market, and certainly not on a falling
market under Democratic rule. When
business is stagnant and factories are
silent and the land is full of unem-
ployed labor, the voice of the agitator
is lost in the general murmur of dis
tress and there are no strikes. because
there is little employment
Every labor organization in the
country, be it large or small, for the
past two years reports steady employ
ment for its full membership. increased
pay, shorter working hours and a gen
eral Improvement in all It's 'onditions
At the eve of President VI + nley's re-
election the whole world is engaged in
paving tribute to the wonderful produc-
tivity q our farms and factories. tell
ing a marvellous tale of American pros
perity. proving conciusively the gen
eYal distribution of the flood of wealth
being poured into this favored land.
1t is scarcely four years since labor
in the United States was crying out for
work at any price. Its pockets were
empty and its children went hungry
TO bed
These events are significant because.
by their unprecedented intensity, they
have called public attention as never
before 10 what is known as "the labor
movement" The problem of the rela-
tons between employer and employed
is not of easy or quick solution The
promises for this country inaugurated
by the protective policy Of the Republi-
can party when it came into power in
1896, were fora restoration Of pYosppr-
ity. This we have had. and now it is
to be Hoped that good sense and nru-
dence will. through the votes of the
people, direct its continuance