The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-09-13

Il y
elegate who attended meeting of
he Illinois State Federation of La
Dor who suggested that a man at
the age of 45 years should be taken
but and shot, says an exchange.
The suggestion had been brought
forth from the fact that some of the
large corporations of the country
had drawn what was called the
dead line in the employment of la
Dor. Nobody who has passed the
mid life period of 35 years, it had
been decreed, should be taken in
their employ.
The long g-eXpressed idea that
when an article is half worn out
the best part of it's usefulness has
passed prevailed among the manu-
facturers. A man, they argued,
at 45 had spent the years of his
usefulness. 1t was in opposition to
such drastic and inhuman pro
nuciamento that led to the discus
sion referred to.
The Chicago delegates method
of settling what promised to be a
veXed question in the industrial
world at once was taken up and
cammented upon throughout this
country. In other. lands the sub
Ject was discussed and general sur
prise was expressed that such
things should exist in the "home
OF the brave and land of the free.n
Now let us consider what this
r
ing plant should desire to employ
several machinists. You and /,
reader, make application. An af-
1able head of one of the depart
mentS meets us. You're machin-
lists, he says. Then he proceeds to
catechise us on our qualifications.
Everything being satisfactory, he
announces that the company will
pe pleased to take us in their SER
wee. But" he remarks, 81
almost forgot to ask your age.
What! 40 and 81 years old! Pm
extremely sorry, gentlemen, 1 can
not take you on. The fact is, our
company will not employ a man
over 30 years of age.''
Disheartened and chagrined. we
take our departure. Probably in
all ante-room we find several men
waiting to be ushered in. We tar
~ and hear the conversation that
takes place. The applicants we
readily learn are foreigners, scarce
lii the country more than few
months. They are under 80 years
ol age and readily are taken to fill
the positions we have asked for.
AS we pass out from the office the
'hought occurs-Scarce reached
middle life and yet we are thrown
upon the scrap heap of humanity.
All the years that have been spent
Ill perfecting ourselves in the work
we nave followed must come to
nauSht; If we would hope to live,
'heh we must decend the ladder:
we must crowd someone else out of
thelr place. Every man prefers to
work at the business he has been
educated to in life. 1t becomes a
second nature to him. The trusts
ara corporations know this, and
y. Mheil lhey discriminate by an age
tiliilG II against the worl>ingman they
co SO Understandings. 1t is done
lor the purpose of flooding the labor
market with a class of WORKING
men which will be compelled to 90
outside Of the union line to secure
ga hungry stom-
ach, " Jim Spangler Cone of the
consplratorS who was inveieled in
the conspiracy to assassinate Lin
colnO said, "caused him to aid in
down President Lincoln. ,,
III Is not the workers hungry stom-
ach, but those of his family. that
modern conditions conspire against.
1he man who fails to care for his
lamily is held up to the community.
one who will wantonly disregard
the demands made upon him by
Wife and children deserves the
hardest condemnation.
But what measure of censure are
we to give those who would make
such thing possible9 In the DAYS
OF slavery the bondsman was al
ways assured of being cared for in
HIS old ann orI ,,.,