The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1906-12-03

Wv N"NNA#HtH fHH8##8 AANH NHNAH HaaAHA
. pools. combines m0nopolieH and
= u various kinds q financial an
lowed soon BY Industrial union
. Henry George. Jr.
E.+s s4s%4 4@EE-
vices The nation f. yet IN the man
power era.
Bot the forces that are making
such increase in productive power
in ether parts Of the world are com
ia into Japan. and will within the
rest decade or t~o make great
strides.
Mere Than Initiative.
We commonly speak 81 the jap
ansse 40 Initiative. Implying that
they uiavishly follow an example
and nothing more Nothing could
be further from the truth. Unaer
hneh an assumption.
And u would be idle 20 assume
that the japanese workman f. tn.
rarabir 81 using machinery. The re-
cent manufacture and uEe - ships
aad engines - var would dirpFoYs
the tFaurlad rule II TIE military dss-
tstttsu 81 The EhnKunf thought ard
action in an their branches became
farnsii1rd. precisely As they dld In
The Nile valley under the rharaohA.
hut nsW ln the na# axe upon Nhafa
japan has entered. when every boy
i being Taught more OF lcrs - the
ldra - equality il superEedinF that
- privilege. all thought IL shaking
off the ahHrRiea of Journalism. and
the japanese arc cot only Initiating
Nhat they Judge % BE- the points u
excellence ia foreigners. but Hre
making improvements and going be-
Yand them 81 the field ~ invention.
L. BE- a. be expected. then. that the
taraucnc wufkmsu. for - long held
down a. u low standard q EuhHiai-
sues, VIII remain theFe7 on the
contrary the effort 10 use. 10 adopt.
70 discover better eontrivances and
progresses arises. on The whole. from
a nsw dcHirg--the desire 90 set bet
ter and easier subsistence and all
the things that belong to the IDEALS
uf western civilization.
Apps,iss fer comforss.
Nothing IL of more common re-
mark among ohservant japanese
than this Not only does the jap
aneae gentleman sndeaVor 10 obtain.
for Instance. the house hold couveu-
fences and iuxurlen Of occidental
civilization. but japanese worknen,
under the stimulus Of the new 20
Utiesl and Industrial aspirations.
strives 90 give his family better and
more varied food. while ths country
fifi. gems into mlil OF factory and
getting what t. her and hrf penpie
are munifccnt wages. Puts more or
better ornaments IN her hair. and
iu place ~ cotton ebi foutside sash
OF Esrdi.) she wears = six one.
Living Costs More.
And with these new aspirations
have come-in the larger cities. AZ
least IAN increase in wages. IN the
building trades ia Toxic. for in
stance. wages during the past uine
or ten years have doubled. And
this Is 30 In some other lines,
Hut with the new standard OF Nv
ing aud the rise IN wages has come
= new cost Of living. This II owing
to the same monopoly and taxation
causes that are operating IN ahe
United states.
eeru, Of unienisu,.
In The United States the incroas-
ing difficulty Of getting q living re-
quired by an advancing standard
and the Industrial depfessions that
occur have resulted Ia the formation.
defeuHivcly and extensively. among
the Workmen OF a larger and larger
and moro and more centralized
trades unioninm In japan little Of
this has yet appeared. owing perhaps
10 the long sub lection OF the work.
erH. as a class 20 the government.
10 whom they stlil look FOR dlrec-
tion and aid.
but, just as the rule Of the Shotgun
and the Daimyo had to give way to
that OF the SamuraI. or gentleman
soldier class SO noW the aHcgndancy
Of the new commoner Is beginning.
and a big coal mine strike not long
since and several strikes IN wooden
and cotton mills. with the riot here
In Toxic over an Increase OF half a
cent In street railroad fares. show
the signs OF the class Of trade organ
ization, or. az any rate. OF harmoni-
Gus action.
FRS, Union Failed.
But. curious as IT may seem. the
first effort az trades union organiEa- /
ton. az We know Il. has proved
failpre IN Japan. II occurred within /
recent years. when the demand for I
labororH was increasing and wages
were on tho rise. As we know IN /
the United states. during a period u /
prosperity is not the time
when unions recruit, but. on the /
contrary. they lose IN membership /
and fall heavily into arrears ln dues. /
And sluce the majority OF workers in /
The respective trades here could /
make better terms Independently In /
the sale Of their labor than was pos +
sihle by united demand through a
union. they lost interest in the union /
Idea.
ne OnWrttten Law.
The late brilliant I.acadio Hcarn 1
has given the impression that some
ancient usage peculiar 60 Japan Is
still holding its common people IN
a tiRht Strip, and he instances the
Olurikisha mani. lie says
hat the idea behind tho words adj
dressed to too jealous kurumaya
who endoavors to outrun his fellows
In the ordinary dispatch Of business .
might be expressed. You know
that you are breaking the rule. that
you are acting 10 the disadvantage
of your comradesi This r. n hard
calling, and our lives would be made
harder than they are if there we're !
no rules 90 prevent selfish compcti-
tinu +" And fTau0etInn this Harm