Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-08-09
GARNETT, KANSAS, AUGUST 9, 1907.
A New Slave Market.


from "Civilization Civilized':
We are all familiar with the process whereby
the Negro was put upon the auction block and
Knocked down to tine highest bidder, but not so
familiar as to how the the competitive slave is
compelled to bid himself down to be purchased
at the lowest bid. But here is the picture:
Behold slave market of the competitive
system. A throng of idle, looking
toilers; in the center well-dressed citizen.
"Listen,' he says, 81 want an employe. How
low do hear you offer yourselves? Put your
selves down! There are 100 of you. l want
only one. What do hear you bid?"
A man came torward-a man of middle age,
yet sound in life and limb, and we'll skilled tor
the task. He has wife and little ones to sup
port. He mrst, therefore, consider them in
his bid-his bid must be high enough to take
in their support. He offers himself for two
dollars per day.
"Two dollars per day is bid," says the man
dealer. "Why, this is preposterous. Two
dollars per day is outrageous. You must come
down lower than that, This is a good job.
You Can get something to eat and wear out of
this job. Thousands would jump at this job.
1t is grand opening for young man. Gong
at two dollars! Do hear dollar and half?"
"Dollar aud half" bids bids a slave--a
young man who has but lately married, and
who has but himself and wife to support.
"a dollar and hall" cries the man dealer.
Remember, it is your last chance. The roll
ing-mill shut down last week, harvest is over,
building is dull, manufacturers complain that
sales are light and that the people are not buy
ing their goods. This is your last chance. Get
down lower than dollar and halt"
A young man, unmarried and devoid of en-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. is term where
with rent, interest and profit designate the
family of poor man, for individual selfshness,
opposed to life, is opposed to families having
no wife, no children to support-bids one dol
lar per day.
"Now you ar coming down to business but
you can get down lower than this. There will
be few more lockouts next week; a general
strike may be ordered along the line. Get
down if you want to get through the winter.
A dollar day am bid. Do hear half?"
A swarlhy-looking man from far-away
land, friendless and alone in a strange country,
whose needs are extremely pressing, whom op-
pressiou has accustomed to extreme ecouomy,
bids seven y-fve cents per day.
'Now l hear you talk. You are coming
down to cents. But you can get down lower
than that. You would not get tenth of that
in some countries. Going at seventy-hve
cents"
Then little yellow man, with receding fore
head and protiuding jaw, with his hair plated
down his back into long, rattish looking tail,
and the corner OF whose eyes are relationally
perpendicular, speaks in foreign accent, saying:
'Me caichum job at fifty cents per day. Me
no wiley, no chilem, no Sunday-no nothing.
Me slerpum floor, eatum receive alice samee
like rat. Taken me at fifty cents day."
"Gone" cries the man.dealer
Then tn. wretch with the wife and family
the young man with the young wife, and the
unencum.ered young man walked away, out
into the streets, past the stores with3their win
dows temptingly decked and arrayed with the
comforts and necessities of llte-comforts and
necessities which they and theils want and
need so much And the competitive shop
keepers watch them going by and wonder why
| they do not come in and purchase. When'the
| morale of all this is examined into, it will be
readily seen that each slave is put into antago-
| nism with his fellow slave; that the slaves OF
each country are not only thus arrayed against
the slaves OF their respective countries, bu: that
the slaves Of one country are arrayed in hostile
conflict agan:t the slaves of another country,
until the barriers of hate are raised up between
man and man.