Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1904-09-01
THE TARIFF IS A TAX
THAT is PAID BY THE MAN WHO RAISES
THE RAW MATERIAL THAT FEEDS
MAN AND BEAST AND BY
NO OTHER.

the welfare of the country at heart
In my last letter l stated that labor
leaders HAD FAILED TO GIVE THE
CAUSE Of hard times, OR TO GIVE A
REMEDY for existing troubles. will
now try to give fair illustration OF
of affairs az understand the situation
asking to be set right by any union or
non union member il they think l fail
ed to represent either side fairly. l
will try to give conversation between
shoe maker and myself recently. On
being asked the real objects OF the mp
rising OF the working classes he said
they had organized to protect their in
terests He said, 1--WE have been bid
bing against one another, each Offering
to work cheaper, until we have
pushed wages down to starvation point
We have no homes OF our own and can
scarcely afford a sufiCiency of the com
monest food and clothes. While we
know that our comb bined labor produces
all the comforts and luxuries in the
world, we enjoy scarcely any OF them"
We told him that capitalists have al
so organized for the same purpose that
the workers have; Viz:, to drive cOmpe.
tition from among themselves, Poor
competition, it appears, wall soon have
no resting place on earth II all classes
get to chasing it as you and corporations
seem to do, IL is bound to perish. But
we find that the farmers think other
wise. Instead of trying to destroy COM
petition they have forced our Legislators
to pass laws, restraining corporations.
railroads, etc., from consolidating, and
we have suits now pending in our
courts to deprive and annul the trusts
and railroad combines.
II combination is a good thing for la
bor it certainly ought to be good
, thing for the meat trust, the R. R.
trust, and the other great trusts
that have recently sprung up in our
land. According to the shoemakers l.
, dea competitor should be done away
in regard to labor, and maintained when
it refers to railroads.
Yet it seems that EVERY MAN
: WISHES A MONOPOLY FOR HIMSELF
and competion for EVERY OTHER
CALLING EXCEPT HIS OWN. He
s saw that the shoemakers union had en-
tered into an agreement that they
! would not work for less than certain
. AMOUNT OF PAY, AND IF THEY
FAILED TO GET THEIR PRICE
: THEY WOULD STRIKE.
confess cannot see how he will b'
y able to get more money by merely
o DEMANDING it, or by refusing tC
work. Capitalists are but few in mum
;. Der and need but little OF your labor fo
themselves. They are we'll provideC
b for and own most of the money in th'
= country. A great many people go bare
q footed now because they are rot able t.
= buy shoes at present prices, and highe
, wages will force higher prices 10
- shoes. If employers should give high
ia or wages they will necessarily raise th
price of shoes and as they do not nee,
but few shoes to supply them, the bul
den of higher prices, will fall upo
those least able to bear it, and more O
them will go without being shod. So
q is with the coal strike and other strik
1T in our country. The operators do nc
need but very little Of the products {
~ labor TO satisfy all the demands of liz
t, ing, They are able, if so disposed, t
r sit still and live for years off of th
wealth they now have in their posse
. sion, On the other hand thousands {
c. poor people would be reduced to starvt
tion, What difference does in max
VI with the employer whether he pays or
"a or ten dollars per day, if by the oper
tion he profits by it? Either he has tt
y money to pay the higher wages, or
~ has not.
to II he has not the business stops. Tn
strike might continue forever and hig
y er wages would not come. If he hi
- the means and is able to raise 20,
ce wages, this will press laborers in 9TH
fields Of industry, causing them to pa
IS more for subsistence, and force them
ev demand higher wages, and strike to o
tain them.
St Another consideration to be look
'eS into in regard to higher wages (mone
ur. being fxed) the fewer men can be el
plOyed, and therefore the less veal
art can be produced.
II capital of 1000 can pay S1OO +
labor and $1,000 men could get work
one day, and produce one thousand d.
ne, lars worth Of additional wealth to Il
gs, community, II wages we're raised to u
ma dollars per day, only five hundred m
ne could get employment and only al
OK, i've hundred dollars to the wealth
,Ss ~. the country, while FIVE hundred m
"A. would be idle. do not know wheth
Did have made my meaning clear so u
the averas se laho-irg man can see h