Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-03-18
VALUE OF TRADE-UNIONIsM.
Organized Labor the Great Distributor.

William X. .4learst. in an interview in chicago Tribune
The distribution of wealth is just as import
ant as its creation. Prosperity does not mean
excessive wealth for few, combined with pow
erty of the masses. This is the sort of pros
perity that exists in China and India, where
rich mandarins and rajas laid il oyer, starving
populations.
The labor union, in enforcing ashigher scale
of wages, brings about the distribution OF
wealth throughout the entire. community.
The prosperity of the merchant depends up
on the purchasing p6~er Of the mass Of the
people. Upon e:.plrchasing power depends
also the manufacturer, the farmer, the Book
publisher, the theater owner and actor-all OF
those that have products or effects to sell.
Wide and equitable distributions Of wealth is
essential to nations prosperous growth and
intellectual development, and that distribution
is brought about by the labor union more than
anv other agency of our civilization.
The labor union with its good prices for
good work, enables the father to keep his chill
dren in school instead of sending them to the
factory Thus it adds to the intelligence and
health of the future generation, besides ncreas-
inp prosperity in tie present.
And the dignity that comes of the union
mems independence is in hormony with our
American ideas of lite and government The
industrial unrest of recent times has not been
due to the extortionate demands of labor
although the labor union has been made the
scapegoat OF many an incompete ent and many
get.rich-quick schemer. The worknans in
creased pay has come about neeessarilyto meet
The added cost of living. Government Statistics
show that the cost of ite's necessities has in.
creased I6 to 80 per cent. The price otflabor
has not increased in proportion to that
The trusts are chiefly responsible for this In.
crease in the cost of livipgs Anfmpp ppftaut and
able business man of NeWsEngl glandE Eaid to fife
the other day that it is becoming 4nost impos-
sible for Legitimate business to suSceed, owing
10 the demand of the trists~on THE one hand
and labor on the other.
replied, what believe to be obviously true,
that he was paying tribute to the trusts in
both cases. One tribute he pays directly to the
trusts through the increased cost Of trust pro-
ducts. The other he pays to those same trusts
indirectly through the intermediary of the
workingman, who simply hands over his in
creased pay to the trusts in paymeht of fhepin-
creased cost of food and other necessities;
1t is, of course, true that thes demandsof
trades unions are not always just and wise.
The unions are made up Of human beings with
ordinary human weaknesses. But unions at
least always ask pay for labor which they act
ually perforn-for services, actually rendered.
They do not demand extortionate prices for the
products OF others. Aad yet the unions are
subject to more harsh criticism than the trusts.
For instance, in my business, the producing of
newspapers, there came simultaneously two
demands. The trust demanded increased
price for paper, and one of the unions demand
ed an increased price for labor.
A number OF my brother newspaper owners
gathered in my Office and suggested union Of
newspapers to prevent an increase in the wages
of the workers. | asked them why it would
not be batter to combine to prevent the trust
from getting its arbitrary increase in the price
of paper. But I could not interest them in