The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-09

UNIONS ,: AccEFT :REpUcT,oNs
=. WITHOUT RESISTANCE.
Max. .44ay.*~dieu'ses. the. rise and fall
!; off,: wages: Sides with MI. Com.
- 'pers arid holds that. the Iaberer is
:; not a "eemmodity, just like his pro,
ducts. Makes some strong COM
parsons with the cost Of living.


the: tob,osxata p, He then proceeds to
pay htss respec to the question in the
following very able article: -:
Thre great. industries have witnessed
reductions 1ita feW*short months.
First the textile workers, the poorest
paid of any:class Of labor, were com
:peiled to part~with ten per cent of their
1neager earnings in order TO ensure
Dividends master class:
:; Then, after an exciting season Of me-
gotiation: and Cancellation, the miners Of
The; 1bftattasakaatsas fields make profits safe
for the: operatnas byyaccepting a reduc-
tton of .5z per cent. in wages.
Now comes the report from Pittsburg
sociation Of Iro11, Steel and Tin: Work.
ers have conceded the reduction de-
manded by esUnited StatesaSteel Cor
:poration, and the sea will be cut 20
Probably: :the-trust barons {were fear
full that burglars might break into the
homes of the! men and women of the
mills and mines and steal their "undi-
gested' surplus and SO they make
haste to ward off the danger and hold
their earnings zip trust" for their work!
'ers, as Mr.. Carnegie: naiYely, puts it.
The campaign&to force the payment of
dividends On Hundreds of miNions> of
watered stock is. progressing quite IA
vorably, and no one can now blame the
workingmen for not helping: out and
maintaining QUE present "unexampled
prosperity" -.
There are times when even: the most
picturesque profanity cannot: express
pne's disgust at: he audacity of the
American plutofracy and docility; and
submissivenes of the workers in yield
ing to their dietation.:
in view Of the fact, that three large
organfzations hare allowed wages to be
reduced without a. struggle, except the
doubtful pastinle; Of; hurlfng:a: pretty
speeches at the ~dppesition people are
beginning to wonder what union; If any;
Will ma kettle attempt to check ,the5at-
faek (which h 'thgMeatens, Is to BECOME gene
In In his address, j Is 81 t he: Boston: conven-
tton :of the f pf f. T.. !. !. President. Comp
ers warned dAlegates tha (. tempts
would dsbeaaiRad this yearSt heats down
wares and lleEsurga that
IN IN sa M
nothing is being dOnesfto prevent, this
raids of hei5hungry- coupon clippers.
In this respect we are. h1lly. in: accord
with President" Gompers,. and point to
the fact that the usual ca:pitalistic ex-
Ea1sez that prices are falling and conse-
dkt6Mtly wages ought to be; reduced-as:
though the workers should be mere
comm odities: :themselves-is~ lacking at
present. Not only are prices Of neces-
stiles not dropping, but they, are actually
going up.
For example, before is a letter: from
a. New York printer. Prices OF food
products" he says, "are sky-high,, Dit
to rents. We are now paying $50, per
month for the rooms that,cost US $26
last fall. Think of having paid So cents
a dozen for eggs, small head Of cabbage
20 cents and potatoes at a cent a piece!
could 'enulnerate many other, things
that are living necessity; such as
bread, butter, meat, -four coffee, etc,
all gone up from 10 to- 100. per cent.
Wages are not increasing. They are
stationary or going down. We are be-
ing squeezed to increase the wealth Of
us work. they say. I wonder it. there
is any limit to their greed; and T. also
wonder whether the working people
will ever vote together.-to put the
plutes out of business. .
When we consider the bounteous l1ar-
vest Of the past year. the manner in
which production Of wealth is being
cheapened by the Introduction: Of labor-
saving machinery, and the: improved
facilities to easily and economically
transport the exchange commodities, we
repeat that not only is there mo excuse
for reducing wages, but it is positively
a crime! ...,,. -
These conspiring textile manufacture
ers and coal and iron and steel barons,
who are taking the lead in cutting down
the purchasing power of labor in their
insane attempt to stimulate the market
that they have glutted, will f1nd that
they are only fastening the, day Of
reckoning-they are forcing on the criG
sis that they are vainly aiming to ward
off. When the earning capacity Of la
hor is reduced-when pocket books are
depleted-consumptio decreases and
the surplus Of marketable wealth be-
comes even greater, until every avenue
Of production is choked, and then panic
ensues and the miseries of hell are Wis
tied upon the people: :
Just look at the latest. crazy act of
the meat trust-better known as 1.-The
hog combine. Here's dispatch from
New York stating that the price Of
meat has been advanced despite the
fact that the trusts store houses are
packed full of beef and pork,that is not