The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-09


chine owned BY the. capitalist. HE
CONTRIBUTES HIS SHARE OF THE
NATIONS WEALTH and he is going
to regulate the price OF what HIS La
ROR produces, just exactly as the
capitalist regulates his demands, based
on the possession Of capital.
At this interesting meeting OF the
president, the. cardinal and the labor
leader, Cardinal Gibbons made an ex-
tremely short speech. In it there occurs.
one sentence that ought to be post
ed up in the United States wherever
men work for q living. It should be
used as a text by every clergyman lin
urging the workingmen to get full pay
for their labor.
argument Of every individual demand
ing national. ownership OF national
property. -
The cardinal said:
"What would it avail any man to
own all the coal mines in Pennsylvania
and West Virginia, If there were no
hearty son Of toll to dig in tho mines
and transport tho coal to tho various
centers Of commerce. They would be
a useless heap Of rubbish"
That is the exact FACT.
There you have the real labor un-
ion argument, and the real argument
for national ownership Of national
monopolies.
The coal mines Of the world would
indeed be useless heaps Of rubbish"
- II +0r 10 T.ARnR that
digs and transports the coal.
And since that labor alone transs
forms the heaps Of rubbish" into
enormous fortunes, into thousands Of
millions of dollars, OUGHT NOT
THAT LABOR TO HAVE SOME
THING TO SAY ABOUT THE TERMS
ON WHICH IT SHALL BE EN-
PLOYED?
The coal is in the ground, put there
millions Of years before any creature
came here to use it.
It would be mere rubbish, useless
accumulation, EXCEPT FOR THE
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF WORK
ERS THAT DIG 1T OUT AND DIS
TRIBUE IT,. AND THE TENS OF
MILLIONS OF CONSUMERS THAT
BUY IT.
Mr.. Roosevelt might we'll have taken
this sentence from the cardinals
speech and delivered another address
based upon :tt:: :; -
He might have said to the enormous
crowd that gathered:
"The coal was: made. for all the PEG.
pie Of theswortd.f All that we add to It
10 HUMAN LABOR, AND HUMAN
LABOR oULDs BE THE, FIRST
clNslDERATIoNFF*z I'm THE pieTRl.
BUTTON or THE REWARD a.. 80
The distribution 81 the GOAL should
be accompanied by high. pay, for the
mon that work, tho iowe.t possible
price for those: that bug. The coal. Last
and least considered, should come. tho
schemers that stand between the work.
men and ths consumers.
1.-THE people should brush aside the
parasites 4 at prey on the laborer and
the consumer alike, and give tho bene-
fit Of Natures generosity to tho men
that dig the coal and to tho families
that burn it."
We look forward to a speech along
these lines by Mr.. Roosevelt, q speech
which will not endeavor to indorse at
the same time the union man and the
scab.
If any man came up and said. II am
in favor of honesty, but don't believe
In interfering with the thieves" he
would be laughed at.
Yet he would be no. more ridiculous
than the man who says, II am in ia
vor Of labor unions but wouldn't
tolerate any interference with scabs. "
Cardinal Gibbons hit the nail on the
head.
The coal mines would be useless
heaps of rubbish" II there were no
hearty sons Of toil' to dig in the
mines and transport the coal.
Therefore let labor, which trans
forms the rubbish heaps into golden
prosperity, be paid as it should be,
encouraged as It should be-not treat
ed condescending1y and told that 1t
must refrain from interfering with it's
avowed enemies. -.