Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-09-08

due. II do not believe In strikes FOR
the laboring man. said Terence v
Powderly few months ago. ut is
true we had some when I was ut the
hend Of the Knights Of Labor, but we
settled LOO labor disputes without
strikes. Indeed, I might say we pre-
vented over 1000 strikes" Yet strange
to say. where there has been one able
and sagacious leader whose chief OBJ
ject seemed to, have been to make
every man DO his honest quota Of work
and get his Just pay there have been
many whose chief object has been to
find out how little they can permit n
laborer to do and how much they can
make an employer pay without literal.
~ breaking his back. Such men are
an incubus on labor. Like the Old Man
Of the Sea. who sat on the neck Of Sind
bad. they sit heavily upon the work
ingman's shoulders, impeding his prog
ress and involving him In endless dis
putes and trouble The sooner he r1ds
himself Of such incumbrance the better
Like Marie Antotnctte.
Now. my laboring friends, mark you
this. | am not claiming that capital Ia
all right and labor is all wrong.
think some Of the most mcrclcss men
in the world are TO be found in the
ranks Of capitalists. Some Of them will
squeeze out OF worker his last drop
OF blood Some Of them have no more
sympathy with the hunger and power
~ of the worker than Marie An
tolnettn had with the sufferings Of poor
Paris when she heard the cry Of the
mobs: Give us bread! We must have
bread" Why" said the shallow
Drained French queen to one of her
attendants. do they ask for bread :
If they have no bread, why don't they
eat cake" But. while capital in some
instances may be mercilcss. it Is quite
stop their petty chickering's and their
uniuStihable tyrannies and unitedly de
mand what is right capital will be com
PEELED TO yield to all of labor's just dc
mands. So long as labor persists in
making absurd claims just so long
" ~ NbOl bDl ollt ut itluN't SUM wv
mandS. but labor will lose much OF
what she justly and rightfully ought
10 have. When a labor union comes
and says. capitalist you must hire
the men | send to you aud no others,
then the capitalist, stnng by such tyr.
amy. replies: Rather than have you
dictate To me what | shall do ] will
fight your organization to the last dol
lar. Ny forefathcrs died on Bunker
Hill and at Valley Forge for liberty.
Free was born, free | shall live. and
free | Shall die" 1t is flint against
such a course of action. This Is the
spirit with which capital is today fight
ing labor when labor makes absurd and
unjust demands
But | would speak also in reference
to another great affection from which
labor today is suffering. | allude not
to the competition of American labor
with the foreign hordes. but to that
immature and ever increasing com
petition hetween our American boys
and Their American sisters in the Ia
bor market, Brothers struggle for
bread in oompetition with sisters; ia
theirs compete with their own daueh-
tiers. Now. know the few words that
I am going 20 speak will not he popu-
lar with some, but what l have to say
I hope may he heard patiently and
with profit
Inc world, by every law of justice,
owes every man. woman and child a
living. if they are ready to work for
il. But God never intended some peo
pie to work for n living in certain
ways any more than he intended colt
six months old TO do the work of II
intended young boys and girls to leave
school before their time, or wives and
daughters to labor ms farm hands in
the fields, when there are sturdy fa
theirs and brothers physically able to
bear the hrunt of the work under the
strong men, ahlehodicd men who want
to work and Yet who are unable to
find employment because the work that
they should do Is being done by women
who ought to be at home caring for
the household This condition is men
ace not only to the American labor
market. but 10 the American home and
family Both must suffer by the sub
stitution of women and girls for men
and boys in the factories and stores Of
our land. The natural place for wo-
man is the home II is there that the
qualities with which God has endowed
her find their proper exercise. To
be the wife and mother. to make the
house a home by her sweet and retin
ing influence. to train the children to
he good and wise men and virtuouS
women by mothers love and care
these are the services she alone can
,ender, and If she deserts that duty II
will go rIs!Une. and this country will
lose its moral tone. There is no com
pcnsation known to man for the lack
of a mothers benefiCent influence on
her children.
Tho Working woman.
| yield to no man in my admiration
for the girl who, being left fatherless
and having no brothers capable of
earning a livelihood for the bercaved
family. goes forth to toll for the sup
port Of her widowed mother and her
fatherless brothers and sisters. Many
noble girl is doing that and deserves
TO b" honored for her conduct Many
girl uhsOught In marriage, seeing her
father gradually losing by age his
NlnulllN for INnrl knS Ihn lllr