The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1903-09-11
Il KIMBALLG
cLATE T1NAN
Official Paper Of the City and County
THE PUBLIC Foors THE R,lL

THE PUBLIC FOOTS THE BILL
A few weeks since the Canton News
published an editorial upon the labor
unions, taking the ground that they
were going too far. The Pukwana
Press took the matter up and held to
the same old theory that "the laborer
was worthy Of his hire,"or words to
that effect. This led the GRAPHIC to
remark that while the general public
had from time immemorable sympa-
thized with labor in all it's contentious
and upheld and countenanced labor
unions, yet it vas beginning to think
that liz all the controversies between
capital and labor the public got the
worst of it in the end, and it was a
question how long it would stand for
it. In connection with this, we cited
the case of the coal strike-wherein
the price of coal was raised four times
the increase in wages to miners, and
of various manufactured products
which had in price gone scooting sky
ward by the same process. The Puk-
wana Press made reply to this, but
which, is not necessary to further re-
fer to. The matter has been brought
to mind again by an article in the
last number Of the McClures, under
the caption "Capital and Labor
Hunt Together" The article goes on
to show how capitalists and labor
unions in Chicago have fused their
interests for the purpose of bleeding
the public. To such an extent has
this gone that v n hundred i'm
portant building contracts have been
abandoned. The GRAPHIC referred
to the stoppage of work on the Armour
s 3,0O0,0 900 packing house plant in
Sioux City in it's original editorial.
The Sioux Falls Press makes matters
SO clear that we use it's editorial here
with:
In yesterdays issue of the Press re-
ference was made to an article in Nc
Cures magazine in which the de-
tails were given of a combination for
mutual profit between the teamsters
and the team owners of Chicago. The
same article takes up other depart
ments Of Chicago INDUSTRY and demon
strates that the spirit of combine be-
tween capital and labor does not cease
with the compact of the team drivers
and their employers.
Not the least interesting among the
developments contained within the
article is the iron clad understanding
existing between the workingmen and
the contractors in the building trades
OF that city. 1t permits an absolute
monopoly Of the building business and
from it enormous profits are drawn.
The contractors are associated and
when bids are called for they go into
session. decide among themselves how
much profit shall be charged and who
shall have the contract and in the end
they divide the plumber. On a build
ing worth, for example, $40, 600. the
lowest bid is I $1,000.
These is no escaping the extortion
under the arrangement as it is perfect
ed. Should an independent contractor
enter the field and secure a contract
for the construction of a building, he
can employ no men to do the work.
They are all in the building trades
unions and between these unions and
the contractors there is an under
standing that they will work for no
man who operates outside the aSSocia-
tion Of contractors.
The WOrkingmen receive their COM
pensation for this alliance in the great
~ increased wages they receive and
the arrangement is n exceedingly
profitable to them.
Between these two forces, capital
and labor, the middle class is being
ground exceeding fine. The inorganic
eel public is made to contribute what
wealth it can accumulate to the organ
lied public.
That this gigantic conspiracy is Pc
culiar to Chicago is not known. 1t
may exist in othes cities. But the ex-
posure Of practical methods to which
reference is made is thus far confined
to Chicago. So good graft is likely
to extend to other industrial centers.
The public will finland along with
it, the Pukwana Press-tbat a laborer
is not a whit different from a capita
list at heart. 1t is only a question of
getting where the screws can be tight.
SiiSo. l. SOllCC1ll I'll UllC WcSUt1I
people-Who are given almost wholly
to agricultural pursuits-should be tc
get their necessities-whether it be
coal or shoes-as cheaply as possible
and let the other fellows look after
their own affairs. Rest assured they
are capable of it-as shown by the
condition Of things in Chicago. The
price Of the products of the western
farms is fixed wholly by the natura.
law of supply and demand. The
combinations between labor unions
and capital in the east artificially
raises the price Of what our people
have to buy. That is why newspapers
like the Canton News and the Ora
PHO see in labor organizations very
little-as things are drifting-to thu
advantage OF people out in this par
Of the country.