Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1906-05-03
Letters the tho Editor
Claims Another Remedy.

Editor News. 1t makes me tired to
hear men constantly trying for the
privilege Of uniting together for their
own good and to transact business
through that association for all who
belong to it. ] do not know of any
company or corporation that denies
that right to laborers What corpora
tions are contending for is to also trans
sact their business in their own way,
without being dictated to by outsiders
Another thing. 1t appears that UNI
ion laborers refuse to allow non-union
laborers the same rights they claim
for the union You can see that it is
human nature to be selfish We all
want rights that we are not willing to
concede to our neighbors, and we vitu-
perate the character Of those who fail
to see through our spectacles.
Has not a laborer the right to hire
for such wages as he may see fit? Has
he not the right to not join an organic
atom Has not a corporation the right
to employ such labor as they may see
fit without having their property de-
stroyed? There is another point Of
view to look at. The labor question.
Suppose the company comedies the
higher wages demanded they will add
the price paid to cost Of material and
force the innocent to pay more for coal
and manufactured goods than they 9th
erwise would. The company doesn t
care what it pays. The commoner
makes good the price paid | am a
farmer If the cost Of my pillow, wag-
on, harrow or gears is raised | will put
fho nd or or.
farm products, so as to keep even.
am president of Farmers Co-opera-
tive union and we are now organizing
for the sole purpose of pricing our cot
ton, corn, wheat, rye, oats, meat,
eggs, milk, butter and all other farm
products. We have never done this
before When we take bale of cotton
to the merchant, we pulled off our hats
and stuck them under our arm, as it
were, and meekly asked him how much
he would pay us for it. When the sale
was made at his figures we meekly
asked how much he charged for yard
of calico or pound of coffee and we
paid his charge. The result was we
were robbed equine and comm. 1t
isn't going to be that way any more
We, as farmers, are going to charge
what it costs to raise our stuff, to-
gether with a small margin for bad
crop year or for other accidents and for
a rainy day. Some of us use coal for
our engines that run our gins and farm
machinery. If yon raise the price of
coal on us up goes the price of grub
and don't you forget it. We are now
| buying our own cotton from the bears,
who are selling futures before it is
raised and l am of the opinion there
will be hell to pay and no pitch hot
among them when the day of delivery
| arrives We have been hoodooed and
| buncoed all our lives by Wall street
| gamblers on our productions but we
are getting onto their game of futures.
We are buying futures right along,
taking all the offer under a certain
| price AS all the cotton will be in our
own hands, we will clearly to have
the bear by the tail and d down-hill
| pull.
Brother coal-digger, we will let you
into our union if you desire to join
and will take the obligation that we
have taken. Every laboring man who
makes his living by the sweat of his
any farmer who fails to come in. We
don't call him names because he sold
his cotton for less than II cents, the
minimum price we have fixed on it.
We just go along and buy it ourselves
without letting him know who pur-
chased it or we simply watch the mar
ket in Wall street and pick up there
for safe keeping until the time to de-
liver the goods arrives. You need not
| be bit surprised to see cotton go to
10 cents in the near future 1t wilt
soon get there, and the consumer will
foot the bill. Go up on your coal and
up goes the price of grub. Up coal,
up grub.
Now, in all kindness, | want to tell
| you that we are all on the wrong track
to remedy our troubles. Farmers I'M
ions, coal unions, or other labor unions
will have to by experience (for they
won't take advice) find out that high
er wages will not give relief. There
is simple remedy that will bring
prosperity but labor is not yet ready to
receive and adopt it. l am anxious
for corporation to refuse every demand
made by the miners union that oppos-
es open shop work. 1t will be better
for labor in the long run. Desperate
diseases need desperate remedies. AS
soon as labor unions are compelled to
admit that any union laborer may
work for whom he pleases and for what
| he pleaSes, corporations will take one
more turn of the screw and labor will
then, perhaps, be ready to accept a
mild tonic which will relieve them
without any violence to capital or de-
struction of property or calling each
other names. There is one thing | am
anxious to see and that is that you
drive out all anarchists from your ord
er. tell you candidly there is nc
need of violence. The game is in YOU
own hands and you have the four ace
and the King, with straight flush. Il
you know how to play them you
will take the tricks.