Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-12-10

vi H s tiCn 6oTn S9oSn tSe SaHonson tns ogS az.
to sectional idiOcrstic composUre. Il is not s.
much alter all whether q man is born East, West
North or South, as it may be that the only true
ChariOteer drives toward the best ideals OF human
perfection. Such is my apology for wishing to
inict the following article on the patience OF your
readers.
In the early struggle between employer and
employee, the Issue was on the introduction OF
machinery which was claimed at the time to throw
men out OF employment. And the question came
mp on the feasibility of the labOrer owning the
machine, as it was then claimed that the employer
by owning the machine owned both the machine and
the man that operated it, hence the issue came up
between 'capitsl aud labor" but the machine won
out, and is here to stay. Since that time we find
that the issue between employee and employer has
shifted and il is no longer battle between "capital
and labor, for it is evidently q mscOnCeptiOn OF
the real issue up for settlement to say that the
battle is between ''capital and labor" A proper
understanding Of the word "Capital in its economic
sense will convince any one that ''capital and
labor" is a mlsnomer.
'ECapital" is that form OF wealth used In the pro-
duction Of more wealth, hence all the machinery
necessary In operating mine was so much capital
employed, and 60 the machines in the factory and
mines, displacing the labOrers caused the labOrer
to seek ownership Of the machine. Hence, under
the old regime the battle fought outs the labOrer
lost; the machine won, and the wh0e issue shifted.
So there s fight to the amount Of capital ured
in operating factory or mine. The real issue is
now between labor and monopoly. It is monopoly
that cOmpels the lab0rer to buy the neeessares Of
life ID mon0polized Market and 10 eel his labor
il competitive market. It Is monopoly that arbi.
trariIy fxes TIE price on the necessaries Of lie and
on the price Of labor that produces them, The
issue up Tor settlement ts between private mOnopo.
" on one hand and the wealth producers on the
other hand and as labor isthe prime factor in the
oHN 4 ga C.~Z
is not confined alone to the mine and work shop
but includes the farmer and all men that use their
Drawn and muscle for 3 living. For each in their
turn add to the sum total OF the nations wealth.
Every informed man knows that the underlying
motive OF monopoly is private profit and that the
foundation OF its success lies in special privileges
obtained through special legislation. Otherwise
how can you account for the coal bar0ns, sugar
dukes, railroad princes, steel kings and oil emper
orsf Do they not get rebate on shipment and
bounty in the case of sugar have no disposition
to run down the efforts Of any reform element that
is trying TO make the world better; on the other
hand my sympathies are with them, but in the light
of the facts as see them I am compelled to say
that the battle between organized wealth and organ
lied labor has come down to from the Capitoline
Hills OF Rome, and the issue is still open Let us
ask ourselves, why is this s0i We all understand
monopoly to be large aggregation Of concentrated
wealth for the purpose OF controlling the source of
production and consumption, and to facilitate and
complete their object sought to cheaper labor, and
that labor unions were formed on the ground floor
Of self defense. That the right for one to organize
implies the right Of labor to organize is too plain to
be argued. What we wish to say is that for one to
organize to rob labor and the other to stay the hand
Of the rober does not remove the seat Of the trouble
for as We have said this battle has been waged
through the centuries past without 3 settlement,
and al is due to the fact that society as Q whole
has and does permit few wealthy aristocrats by
Law to dictate terms to the many.
The power is not inherent in labor unions as =
union, nor in monopoly as monopoly to peacefully
adjust the differences for each one is striving to get
the upper hand Of the other, and fOr monopoly to
Weld to the demapds Of the labor unions simply
means to surrender the core Of their organization
Hence, We see q continual war. At this point We
wish to say there never was nor never can be
peaceful settlement between wealth owners and
wealth producers so long as the wealth producers
vote to maintain the present system which allows
the money class to buy, own and control millions OF
acres OF land on the one hand and The tight TO buv
and hold from use the stored up wealth under the
land on the other hand. It strikes me that they
Who own the natural opportunities must ever COM
mand the labor OF those who have no lawful claim
TO them, and 30 plain is this to my mind that I
have not the patience to elaborate. The truth
about this whole labor question is wrapped up in |
the question Of private monopoly. We are the
richest nation on the earth. We have the SOIL eli
mate and rain seasons moreover we have in our soil