The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-10-07
SOCIALIST
WRITES
AGAIN
Writes in a Tone of Much
More Moderation.
Admits That There May Be
Elements of Expense Be-
sides Labor Cost.

EDITOR JouRNAL:--I was much sur
prised that my communication on the
j. r. editorial merited the space and
( lengthy comment it received in your
paper. 1t really was not intended for
publication, but since it has been deemed
worthy Of public consideration, am sure
YOU will grant me little space in which
to reply.
In the words OF mutual friend "it is
impossible for the finite mind to grasp
absolute truth" but, as | told him, let
us not quit trying, but set as near as we
can, to the truth. Yes, am aware you
have the advantage Of me in this discus
sion, as you can reject anything may
write, but as the controversy is of your
own choosing, am sure you will not do so,
providing what l may write is not objec'
tionable to your many readers.
Am sorry you have seen fit to class me
with "a type of men who have fluency
of speech and ability to write, but have
not the disposition to think to the bot
tom of a thing" l had hoped that
thirty years of hard work, physical and
mental, might have developed something
more than a superficial "wind jammer"
and "phrase Singer" Because q per-
son may advance thought that is new
TO us, or even seem ridiculous
to US is no reason why we
should try to suppress him.
Galileo was compelled to kneel before
the council and say that the earth did not
move, and the world is full OF such mis-
takes. In my former article ! did not
try so much to define my own position
as J. X, But as you have seen fit to
bring up the matter will say that have
no quarrel with the small capitalist.
First, because he really belongs TO the
same category as the common laborer.
Second, because he s but a product of
the system under which we live, along
with the big capitalist, the tramp, and
the anarchist. In fact he has my entire
sympathy, for,-like the ostrich that
hides his head in the sand and imagine
he ia safe-he thinks with a few hundred
in the bank he is safe from all adversity,
but few such experiences as the recent
bank failure in Salem ought 10 he les
son. II is not the product, but the sys
tenn, to which | am opposed. The en-.
tire labor cost OF making the brogan
shoes mentioned in previous article is
includ d in the II cents, (Any report
with part OF the cost left out would be OF
value and coming from the source it does
! cannot question its correctnels.) IL
includes the pay o. 10 foremen or man
ayers, 4 iiremen, engineer, watchman
and so other workmen aud II required 81
separate transactions. Now let us try 70
find how much labor cost in the material
Of which the shoes were made. Let us
90 back, as you say, aud take 1.-THE little
bit of raw hide Of which the brogans
were made" / End that 10 cost TO tan
100 sides OF HemIock tanned coTdoyan
kips, averaging IA square feet per side
(and the leather was split, making 2S
square feet per side) $l6.l9 per eide OF
2S square feet. Aa for the raw hide, IL
is principally the work Of the Creator,
and can find no data covering IL. The
actual labor expended on the leather is
very slight and all told, including leath-
or and other material, cannot exceed Is
or 20 cents. IL would be hard to deter
mine how much ought 70 be added to
cost OF the shoe on account OF the cost OF
the plant. II would be necessary 10
know the actual labor cos { in its con-
slructon and TO keep IL in repair, and
the amount il would produce during a
given time. But il the question ol in
terest was e!imated, the cost OF the
plant should not be considered, only the
natural "wear and tear" and cost OF re-
pairing. have no data covering the
natter but in any case it cannot be
near as much as one would imagine who
was not familiar with the business. To
illustrate, the labor cost OF a common
two-horse pillow is 10 cents. How much
would It add 30 the cost OF plowing 100
acres2 You cay "the difference between
IA cents and 81 is absorbed by perhaps
80 different additional charges" Let Us
see how much OF this is absolutely nee
essary. Under a proper system there
would be no "risks OF the market"
TO run. The travelling salesman
and the "jobber" would be left out; also
the retailers profits which are sometimes
enormous. salesman in Salem told
me recently that one OF the "close-Out'
stocks OF shoes had been marked, some
Of it, more than 100 per cent above
wholesale cost. Under proper system