Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-08-24
Calamity an4 the Democracy.

verted to their. normal condition In "a
political campaign and have, begun to
glOat over calamities real and antici
p,teG. But they have short memories
in their history, when they look upon
the existing strikes IL evidences Of
lack Of prosperity, II they would
look back at the history of the last
Democratic administration especially
that made after Democratic Congress
passed Democratic tariff fer revenue
bill. they would search long for an ac
count Of /; strike, but rot for the an
tithesis of that labor disturb ance, the
lock out
The strike is the weapon. Of wage
earners, to compel employers, to give
Il larger share of the profits from the
joint production Of labor and capital.
The great majority of strikes conducted
by organized labor have been success
full because in times of prosperity@cap-
ital cannot afford TO be idle and will
yield to the demands of labor rather
than close factories.
The lockout is the weapon of cap
ital to save itself from ruinous com
petition and losses Capital is safer in
the bank vaults in times of depression
than it is in investment, and in 1894
when Democratic Congress was
lcgislating IN the interest of "cheap-
ness rather than prosperity, there
were hundreds of lock outs and shous-
ands and thousands of wage earners
thrown out OF work. Samuel GOmpers,
President Of the American Federati,5ft
Of Labor, reported in that year that
here were 5000 600 men thlown ont
of work. not because they demanded
| more wage, and struck but because
/ there WAS no work at.ali by reason of
/ capital c.ueiny he f;tctorics
Workin-meu in this country have
| ,l"mard"d more wages year after year
for GENERATIONS past, and they sue
ceeded in securing larger renumera-
ton for their toll to meet the demands
of civilization in this land of intelli-
gent work. The luxuries of other
countries have come to be recognized
| DC Of hn
! people. Here wages have advanced
until they are more than double what
they were when the Republican party
! first came into power, while the COM
! pensation for the same kind of work
/ has remained almost stationary in
European countries. The Department
OF Labor has yea. after year sent its
agents abroad to gather statistics as to
the price Of labor ia England. Ger
many, France, Belgium. Holland, and
| Austria, and the latest report published
| in the July bulletin of the department
of labor, shows that the wages in
Europe are for the same classes on an
average only about one half what they
are for the. same labor in this country.
The constant effort Of Republican
legislation has been and is to protect
American labor from the equal com
petition of this poorer paid labor
abroad The constant effort of the
Democratic party has been and is to
break down this protection and bring
in an era Of cheapness here such as
they have in Europe. The Democratic
platform this year voices this demand
by declaring protection robbery and
demanding a tariff for revenue only.
The standard Of living is first meas
ured! by the price Of labor. An era of
cheapness begins with cheap labor. A
Democratic Congress can bring in this
era of cheapness again. as it did ia
1894. DO the wage-earners want an
other such an era Of cheap labor and
no labor, or do they desire to continue
their struggle with capital for IL rger
share of profits by exercising their
right to striker