The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-04-18
Rem ARKSH BY: +. !. .
AN OBSERVER

AN UbStkVtk
A contemporary makes use Of the.
ing on your brothers neck Is it 50,
and il so, why? Let us investigate a.
little and ascertain the truth or falsity
of this coarse remark. A man acquires
wealth-never mind how-whether by
speculation, theft, thrift, or what not.
How. is he affected by his newly-ac-
| auired riches? Does he seek at once to
| ameliorate the condition of his less
fortunate brother? Not on your life.
neither at once, or subsequently, SO far
! as the writer's experience would lead
to a conclusion. Does he divide his
| wealth? Well, hardly. but he seeks to
| increase it in various ways, such as
| investments in stock, margins in wheat
corners in pork Or corn, Or what not?
Sometimes, however, he finds that he
can utilize his fellow man, to assist in
| this laudable object. He may build
construct, devise, develope, possibly be
securing through the medium OF his
! wealth great public utilities, sewers,
| water works, and other works, all Of
| which calls for the employment Of
| labor. But with all this good fortune
| never occurs the thought, now can
| help these poor fellows, who are strug-
Cling for existence. No, this would be
| most unbusinesslike proceeding. His
avowed object, is to control the labor
! required for his undertaking, and Sc
| cure it at the lowest possible price.
Here is where he rides his brothers
| neck, on the steed of success. Truly,
| mans inhumanity to man makes count
| less thousands MOURN"
Over capitalization, combined with
| reckless. dishonest trading, is respon-
sible for the destruction of bicycle
| companies in the British Isles, repre-
senting a capitalization Of ga, 1000, 600.
A contributing cause to this disastrous
| result is the increasing popularity Of
the motor car and automobile, Thus
one loss is offset by the increment Of
the. other, and the balance, is preserved.
The bicycle craze is suhsiding in this
country, but the automobile takes it's
place very largely. Wheels can be
bought for one fourth of their cost
three or four years ago, Even the
! humble laborer can afford to bike,
where he formerly was compelled to
hike, on account of the wheel being
beyond his reach financially.
Between sixty and eighty per cent
Of the population Of New York City
| live in tenement houses. Between the
| Atlantic and the Pacific oceans l0,000,-
600 are hungry and poorly clad. while
1,ooo,o skilled and 100000 unskilled
workmen seek employment in vain.
Sixty thousand tramps infest our high
ways, 100000 women in this country
barter their virtue for money. Yet we
| live in a country which feeds the
world. What an anomaly such condi-
tions present. Who can suggest a
remedy?
| There's q something in the term,
q t''Wonaan's suffra Sc, 4, that to:the un-
thinking sis unpleasantly suggestive of
the fair sex usurping the long cher
ished privileges of the ''lords Of crea-
tion,' as voting drinking high balls
riding astraddle, and other masculine
pursuits which up to recent times have
been outside of their province. The
term, however, has a broader signifi-
canoe, If we may judge from some OF
the recent acts Of Woman's Suffrage
Convention at Minneapolis. The
women are acting intelligently, ration
ally, and their deliberations are char
| acteriZed by common sense. Through
their organization they have, in soma
| states, securedthe passage of some
bills of exceptional merit, notably the
securing to mothers of equal rights
with fathers in the guardianship OF
minors. The convention also adopted
a resolution, calling for a department
of the government with a, cabinet
member at its head, devoted to the in
terests of home and children. They
also have taken a hand against the
introduction Of European methods in
regulating vice in the new possessions
of the United States. They have re-
solved against the certif1cation exam
ination of women of loose repute in
the Philippines, protesting in the name
of American womanhood against thu
system.
From all these things we may con
clude that the women are not extrem-
lists, or all of the Susan B. Anthony
variety. Their efforts are in the direc-
tom OF law, order and morality, and as
such merit the most respectful con-
sideration.
Here is a chance for some poor
struggling mechanic to join the great
! army of capitalists. Examine a type
writing machine carefully and evolve
some device whereby the carriage OF
the machine will return automatically;
also devise some mechanism which will
cause the cylinder to turn at the same
time. This is an open field, nothing
Of the kind has as vet been invented,
although many are at work upon 1t,
A successful continuance Of this nature