The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-10-19
workingman Tells the Nathalie
li0naire How He Can Help Labor
Better Then ~. EpaawinE4 Public
tLibraries-How Labor's Enslave-
nent Absts Commercial Swindl-
A91etwr = E..u ! sa...f-.l- N. =: !

Nothing can really benefit the wage
worker. as you must know, till he has
shorter hours Of labor and better pay.
The free library il not the boon that it
may have been fifty years ago. With
the coming Of the penny paper, which
keeps US In touch with life everywhere,
and the best Of books to be had for 10
and even cents, we are not 80 much
In need Of matter to read as for time
to read 1t. There are Z few books that
we own and carry about with US. read
Ing them with grimy hands, as we Of
ten must, If we read at all. They are
ours without a weary walk and lot
Of trouble when we want them and with
no burdensome fine to pay should they
be injured or lost. Your costly libraries
will be patronized by school children,
INDECENT professional men and the leis-
ure class. who are able to buy their own
books. but not largely by the workers.
Does 1t ever occur to you, Mr.. Car
negie, that we are entitled to- homes of
our own, with such requirements Of
civilization as baths and books and the
leisure to benefit by them7 + If order is
heavens first law, justice must be the
lacking In present Industrial methods.
Were it not so one man would not be
greaning under the weight of $780,
600, 900. while those who have earned
1t live In abtect want during their
working years and are pauperized
when they aren o longer able to work.
If to die rich Is to die disgraced, what
Is it to live rich with these CHASTITY
wrongs crying to. heaven for venge-
apce all unrighted?
Among the many deadly abuses only
limited at here of which we complain
is the fact that we are not allowed to
be honest men. You pay literally those
wolves In Sleeps clothing who talk
rot about "faithfulness to employ
ers," which means only that we are to
aid them in getting rich as fast as pos
sible by whatever methods they choose
to employ. If employers were always
honorable men, this talk would be less
offensive. But MANY are scoundrels
who deserve hanging tor. their brutal
disregard Of the rights and lives of
others, and to be faithful to them Is to
be faithless in almost every other re-
lation. To illustrate: =.
When a contract is given to the low
est bidder, 1t must mean cheap labor,
and It may mean poor workmanship
and inferior material. But the man,
faithful to his employer, IL expected to
ignore defective girder In the bridge,
insufficient supports to the building
and insanitary plumbing that will re-
quire frequent repairs. Without pro-
test he uses paint that he knows will
fade and peel in season, and paste
that will as soon as dry leave the
paper loose from the WALL All, what
stories We could, tell of discomfort and
disaster resulting from the dishonest
work we have been forced to do in be-
ing faithful to our employers! Yet
should. We report these, things you
know what would happen to US, for
what win not money do? We work.
ers are everywhere and know the
moral fiber of every rich man in the
country. We Know the tricks they re-
sort to in order to reduce output and
keep up prices and how they defraud
the public. '[ - 80 ?: 30
Those Of us In mills and factories
know why costly fabrics fade and do
little service; why shoes and rubbers
SO soon become worthless. We see
candles, ice cream, beer. tobacco, cof-
fee and every article of food adulter-
ated II at can be and with material
morel6r less Injurious to health.
stevedores and longshoremen tell
greWsome stories Of why the ship was
lost with all on board, and trainmen
that but for the greed of employers the
catastrophe would have been averted.
It Is folly to blame the conductor. and
motorman for the beastly crowding Of
the trolley car and for the frightful
speed at which it dashes through
crowded streets, doing its deadly work
every day in the year. These men are
only being faithful to their employers,
gathering. in az many nickels as possi-
BILE: And, these are these things we
have to do or become tramps. The rich
man, cowardly as he is 10 crafty, knows
how to shield himself behind q helpless
employee : 'z'. f"FJ' q. {: -. -. ~-A...
In all 81 the horrible sltrocities in
which the.wage- worker 10 compelled to
participate the most revolving are in
cattle cars, pens and slaughter houses.
OF course there are inspectors paid by
ZIG 0tOSS ~ SA0SV ga Sy y VA LA1CSS QldCC6
and paid W our employers not to
when the inspector can't be hood.
winked a. he generally can be and is
But It 70 IN the meat packing and
canning houses that fraud gets in ita
finest work.. Chemicals are: freely used
and 70 furnish mat erial for the highly
seasoned, preparation that, with horid
label and. delectably4 ,delusive- name
brings q high price In the market the
very buzzards have been robbed Of
their natural food. %, =: r.f
Being aware. an we are, that the
church, II composed largely 81, persons
directly responsible for this reign 81 81
cruelty and dishonesty, II It surprising
that, We keep aloof NY daughter, en-.
ployed Ii match factory, says that 4
certain number 81 worthless matche,
n,uats.be placed In each box. Ny boy
sixteen, after two years OF fatthfulneys
to his employer. Is q nervous Il wreck
nl1efeknf&c oVefy % doubtful. He hal