Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-20
PEOPLES PULPIT.

Editor Courier:
In one Of Dun's or Bradstreets
weekly reviews recently published, the
writer after telling us Of the wonder
full prosperity which we have enjoyed
for the last two years and predicting
continuance of the same for 1906,
says in effect that about the only
termination Of the miners to demand
recognition and adds that we believe
it would be wise for the miners to be
conservative In this respect. Now
this seems to me to be a very unkind
and uncalled for remark. The miners
IT. asking for recognition are only ask
ing for something that is cheerfully
granted to everyone else.
The railroad companies are organ
lied. The coal operators are organ
lied. The manufacturers, the whole.
sale merchants, the retail dealers, in
fact, nearly all employers of labor are
organized for their mutual benefit.
These organizations of capital are
recognized not only by their employees
but by the entire country and why
should the same right be denied labor !?
Another fact in favor Of recognition
is that operators or employees who have
tried 1t and worked according to an
agreement made by the organization
prefer 1t to the old system. Does this
man who wants the miners to be con-
servative remember that two years
ago we accepted a reduction and al
most simultaneously the market price
of all commodities and hecessaries of
life began to rise and has been adj
vancing ever since7 He surely does
not know that the average income of
the coal miners of the country for the
last year was less than $500, thirty
three and one-third dollars per month,
little over eight dollars a week.
Think what it means to support q
for sickness and furnish the least
amount Of pleasure on SO q week. We
believe in being conservative, but not
SO conservative as to approach SER
Witty.
Cleveland Moffett, writer Of some
repute says, ut is admitted that we
are the richest people in the world
today---the richest people the world
has ever seen. The Wanted wealth of
Croesus Is estimated at only s8,0O0000,
but there are seventy American es
tates that average thirty-flve millions
each, our stock of gold Is greater than
that Of any other land, while our
banking power aggregates nearly
| fourteen billions, as against twenty
billions for all foreign countries. We
produce one third of the worlds coal,
wheat, and three-fourths OF its cotton.
We produce more steel and iron than
England and Germany together and
| our manufacturers are double those Of
Great Britain and Ireland combined.
Our railroads carry twice as much
merchandise every year as Is carried
| by all the railroads Of all the other
nations Of the earth put together.
| From all of which 1t results that our
wealth Is increasing at q prodigious
rate. Josiah Strong In his Social Pro-
gress says at the rate of $8,000,000 a
day, and experts declare that nearly
two thirds Of this increase goes to
| swell the possessions of those who are
already rich"
The following short poem which I
| heard quoted the other day by an OF
pirate to the conditions as they exist
] in our countrv today:
| There are ninety and nine that live
and die
In want Of hunger and cold,
That one may revel in luxury
| And be wrapped in the silken folds.
They toll in the fields, the ninety and
nine,
For the fruits Of the mother earth;
They dig or delve in the dusty mine
To bring it's rich treasures forth.
But the wealth released
BY their steady blows
| To the hands of the one
| Forever flows.
i There is food for reflection in the
above lines for every man and woman
in this country. We believe 1t Is best
4 for labor, best for capital and best for
everybody as society is constructed al
| present for labor organizations to be
conservative, but 1t doesn't necessarily
follow that we should not demand
recognition when all other organiza-
tions are recognized 1t doesn't mean
that we must not advocate and work
for universal eight hour day. II
doesn't mean that when times and
l4conditions are favorable that we
i should not ask for an increase In
I wages, so that we might be better able
/ to provide for our families, to be able
to keep our boys and girls in schoo
a little longer, to have a little saved
\ to- provide for the last act in the
II -. e. r =,