The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-10-05
his thought and actions al was the
average man OF The woriki1fx f4i1asasas five

his thought and actions al was the
average manAof The working i11assz five
or six score years ago Il II conditions
then were primitive the general worker
was more "all-arouild." Today Indus
try has, become SO specialized that the
individual worker. becomes, as It WERE:
but coz in great machine. Then he
could With no great difficulty employ
himself if he liked not tho employment
OF another, or could turn to any one Of
d number of kindred lines of industry.
Now he works in a narrow grove, He
has little knowldge Of matters bey0nt
that groove, or If e+has, owing to the
combination In productions he must
show no Independence, or should he OBJ
tain the displeasure OF his. masters lie
runs the risk Of discharge and az
.blackhsting' go j. ~ s..
Just as great an authority as MI.
Wright has disputed the contention
that our United. States Commissioner
of Labor makes with so. much JUNCTION
and satisfaction. Professor Thorald
Rogers, of Oxford University, Eng
land, spent many years. in a search into
Six Centuries of Work and Wages"
going to bedrock for his information
into the public records and diaries and
daily household ACCOUNTS ! of the aft 81:
cient monasteries and other church es-
adjustments besides the. books kept by
the household stewards in the great
families Of the aristocracy: From. this
tndisputable data he was forced to the
conclusions that with all our, material
progress the average English ,laborer
OF today finds it harder to get a living
than did his ancient prototype: .:.r. .,::
Commissioner Wright admits the
concentration of wealth. He says:
There are 1850 railroad corporations
IN this country. It is difficult to ST tie
Just how many Systems. there. are, but
something like 800 roads, or corpora
ttons run the. 1850 = roads; either d.
rectly or indirectly. :iMr: Wright con-
templates a further concentrating pro-
cess the ten. men reducing. to-. five.
the five men to three, the and three to
one; and he quotes a statement OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission to the
effect that If the plans already FORE
Swallowed are broughtIiito enectiye re-
seilts: taaere Will be=a vast contamination
Of railroad properties, with ali the pow
er involved in such far-reaching COM
binatiofs, yet uncontrolled byt any pub-
lie authority" +:
1t Is due, in Justice to Weishf:
to say that he seems to point to th4
governments assumption of the own:
ership: and operation of the railroads
as the remedy for this state of things:
but he neutralizeeas j. the yerv kvii
for such REMEDIAL action hyy$Etthe decjar.
alton that ..'ths tich are l1IfsibiWR,fns richer.
iffany mdfe i as INA II =igla4lsrly grows
ing rich, ard the ijt5bi rzafe Effowing bet=
ter off, That is# precisyelsSilH. " hat ana
great monopollsts=.afe sayinrlss4444that eV.
erybody Ii .hetter On 4sw than, in saan--
erationsz past, so th4t the accumulation
ofEgreatE industrial fortunes can hurf
Nobody and that ifathese fortunes caH
hurt nobody there san be No harm
in the existence of monopolies. IL i
.4This kind Of arguing in a cifcle-of
pointing out an evir aid: then SI10Winr
that 1t is. not so great an evil after all
because everyone has obtained an &C:
te1al increase in wealth-is very much
lie. getting on the good side of God
g.l
LABoR coMM1s;ss1oN1ERia: > w ! + r.; i
;;...>i4 J. .ChtTrC1sED. H:
This argument of Mr.. Carroll III
Wright is On a par with lot of shuf:
fling he has done since he has held
this office Of United States Commits,
sioner of Labor. He was Originalltt
appointed with a very dinferAht lhten=
ton. The Office. was Created during
Mr.. Glevelahd's first; term, INV With lsetha
idea Of officially presenting to the coun-
try the real living and working condi-
tions Of the masses Of American work.
inEmen and Of showing, wherever pos
sible, the relative conditions Of foreisH
sworkihiEgffiheini. F'TgSident4 U4evgIEhd had
begun his war on the tarin rings and