The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-09-02
II WAS A LABOR DAY
OF PRIDE AND GLORY
Concluded from page 81

4 81
vention and use of labor-saving ma
chinery an average of six hours of
toll per day is now sufficient to fur
nish each person with not only the
necessities but many of the luxuries
iof life. In other words, the labor
ing man can now produce as much
! in six hours as his grandfather could
| in II, and the labor question is &C.
| casioned by the efforts of the labor
| ing man to secure some small share
in this great gain. The labor prob
lem will never be entirely settled be-
cause these changes are constantly
going on through the use of new in
ventions and the Harvesting of new
forces. The hours of labor per day
necessary to maintain mankind are
constantly growing less. The time
may come when it will only be neces-
sary for man to labor one hour in
each "a. It is only natural that the
employer should endeavor to hold all
of this gain for himself and he does
Through organization, learns to sub
stitute reason for the rule of force.
Vast accumulations of wealth and
combinations of capital have also Gre
ated new conditions which necessi-
tate changes in the laws affecting the
relations existing between capital
and labor. The old system of compe-
tition still obtains in the ranks of la
Dor, but between capitalists it no
longer exists.
The greatest living exponent of the
doctrine of socialism to day is Jas.
j. Hill of the Great Northern railway.
Mr.. Hill asserts that competition be-
tween railways is wastefuI and I'M
necessary and in defiance of all law
he has merged three great roads into
one system. But he evidently thinks
competition Between laboring men
is all right, for when he wants
cheap labor he brings in the Japan
csc at dollar day to compete
with white labor.
We hear good deal said in criti-
cism of competition, but the fault lies
not so much in the system as in the
abuses of it. The man who must sell
his labor in competition with his fell
low workmen and buy his goods from
the trust that is above competition
is sure to be robbed both going and
coming, and to prevent this manifest
injustice labor unions are organized.
But the proper regulation of competi-
ton is one of the most difficult
phases of the whole problem. Com
petition is the corner stone upon
which we have reared the structure
OF our modern civilization, and those
who take it away without putting
something in it's place do so at their
peril Competition, which is a good
thing when it applies to all of the
people, becomes the vehicle of
injustice when it applies to part of
the people. Competition has given
the world so much that is good that
We hesitate to condemn it, 1t has
given us the finest railroad trains
and the fastest engines. To compeu-
ton we are indebted lor the finest
musical instruments and the greatest
ships. In fact it has given us the
best of everything that we have.
With competition eliminated be-
tween the great railway systems of
the country will the profits of the
roads be reduced in order to build
new and improved palace cars as in
the past or will the pubnc be COM
PEELED to ride in the old ones? Will
dividends be passed in order to safe
guard the lives of employees and pas
sengers, or will the roads be opera
ted for the benefit of those who own
them? 1t is true that seIf-preserva-
ton will compel certain standard
of service, but with the elimination
'of competition the old order of con-
slant rivalry and improvement VIII
have passed away.
From the earliest organization of
society competition has been the one
factor that has made men constantly
strive to excel in every avenue of
life.
Competition is a bad thing for the
man who desires to get his hand into
his neighbours pocket under cover of
the law, just as the policeman is
bad thing for the burglar I mention
this matter because the sitting of
competition by the trusts is one of
the Things that must be remedied by
law But do not mean by this that
laws hostile to capital should be
passed, for the man of wealth is en-
titled to the same protection for his
property as every other person, but
the man with the silk hat should have
no better protection than the man who
Yields the hammer Or follows the
plow Every man has the right to
acquire wealth in accordance with
his honest ability and industry. but