Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-08-15

wages as would leave reasons able
margin for business. And IL it not
possible or even probable, that il the
employer of laborer were allowed to
set the wages paid, that wages would
be reduced to the lowest possible sum
with which the wage Garner could
procure the bare necessities of life?
We will answer this question both yes
and no.
AS we said before, the majority of
men are honest, and under the system
OF trade and manufacture, whereby
each manufacturer operated independ-
emily, wages were paid, commensurate
with the volume Of business done; for
when the wage was reduced below a
reasonable limit as compared with the
profits of the business, then the wage
Garner of today became the employer
tomorrow. But under the present
system OF combination this is no
longer possible
we lind In every avenue of trade,
manufacture and commerce, giant
combinations controlling not only tn.
price of the products of their own in.
situations but the production and dis
tributions of the very material which
they use in their establishments.
TO illustrate: When the great
United States steel trust was formed
proposals were made to an independ
ent manufacturer of Cleveland, Ohio
to enter the trust. lie declined to do
so, or to sell his plant to the trust, and
when his next order was sent to the
mines, he found contract whereby
the entire output of the mines was to
be delivered to the U. S. Steel Co., and
having shut off competition they at
once raised the price of their produc-
tions about fifteen per cent; and while
the avowed object of the consolidation
Is to lessen the cost of productions
yet we find that the estimated net pro.
tit capacity of the plants before con
solidatlon was ten millions year
that the estimated net profit capacity
of the plants as consolidated is twenty.
five millions. So it becomes eviden,
that the idea is not so much to cheap.
en- production as to increase dividends
Now is it not possible or even pro.
bable that the men who will use the
power of their powerful combination
to shut out rival, will use THAT same
power to cut down the wages of its
employes when it can thereby further
increase its dividends.
In proof Of this, short time age
one of our large manufacturing con.
c.rns, fearing that demand would be
m ade for either an increase of wages
or decrease in time, on pay day called
the mon to the Offices to get their pay
when each one was presented with an
individual contract binding him te
work for the company for specified
tine regardless of any action by An,
labor union or organization of any
kind; and while it was case of "the
sacredness of the right of private con
tract" it was also case of "stand and
deliver" for it is fact that notwlth
standing the great boast about Ameri.
can manhood and American independ.
ence, the great majority of wage
earners approach their employers moi
las an equal but as a master; often
with fear and trembling, and IN this
case, while the managementhad taken
all the time necessary to perfect theil
plans, not a moment was given the
men In which to decide, no time tt
think the matter over, no time to con.
suit friend or family; only, "here is q
contract for you to sign" Did they sign
1t? Yes, hundreds of them. Would
these contracts hold good in the
courts? Yes. The same judge who
will forbid one man to meet anothe,
on the street and enter into peaceable
conversation with him, or to go to his
home and talk with him there, would
hold these contracts binding, ever
though they were signed at the point
Of revolver.
And the corporation that will teal
down and remove valuable plant 70,
revenge simply because the citizens Of
the place, knowing the conditions
sympathlze with their striking EN-
ployes, would not hesitate to cut thu
wages of their men to the very loves,
limit.
So far we have really considered
only two extremes-the good in one
and the bad in the other.
In our next we shall try to treat Of
the middle ground of both. as we'll az
of the danger resultant from the in
PRODUCTION into organizations of som.
element of labor.
| A WORKINGMAN.
ITO be continued)
st. John Items.
BY MAC,
j. X. McGavren was looking sftel
/ his orchard in this locality IN Monday