The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1907-09-27

In recent number of The Public, Louis
+; Posts paper, striking article written by
Thornton West published The Commone>
reproduces this article in full: 1t follows:
= AS WORKlNGMEN MUST SEE IT
Are there two kinds of law in the United
States-one for the rich and for the
poor man? Are the petty thief and the poor
criminal to be promptly and adequately pun
ished. while the rich thief and the powerful
criminal go unpunished, for occasional
fine during the stress of aroused public opinion?
Are members of organized labor to be prosecuted
for capital crimes on dubious testimony, while
rich and powerful mine-owners bribe legis-
latures. can appoint governors and state supreme
court judges. can openly, detantly, and violently
trample under foot state and federal laws. and
with the aid of governor and mitia--the latter
confessedly in the pay of the mine owners-sus
pend the writ of habeas corpus, nulify all civil
law. depose civil officers, deport citizens, sup
press newspapers, destroy property, and create
lawful anarchy-with absolute impunity and
without even a pretense of prosecution by state
or federal authority?
From the viewpoint of organized labor and
its sympathizers. those questions constituted the
real issue in the Boise trial. This fact explains
the deep and widespread suspicion and the
pressed bitterness against the state'-that is,
the prosecution--in the Boise trial, and the de-
nunciation of President Roosevelt for his un-
timely and unfortunate classification of the
three accused men undesirable citizens
1t is dangerous and "unpatrotic" to min
mze the revelations of the trial at Boise. Yet
the labor troubles in Colorado and in Idaho
different only in degree from what happened in
the street railway strike at San Francisco, from
what happened in the Homestead tragedy, iii
the anthracite coal mining strikes. in the raj:-
way union strike at Chicago, and in hundred
other sti likes of less impression the public
memory.
On the part of organized labor, what is the
meaning of this unmistakable lack of faith in
law and government OF this too ready resort to
primitive and barbaric methods to obtain justice
AS its members see it? On the part of organ
lied capital. what is the meaning of this gener-
ally insidious. but when necessary. fragrant and
q md matt inn nf Law and
ernment? Surely. it is not merely contention
between employers and employees to whether
or not wages shall be temporarily increased
reduced?
Is not the present attitude of organized
| capital and of organized labor the outgrowth
of different method of doing business on a
| large scale, of different spirit in industrial
and in commercial enterprises-the different
| method and the different spirit being the pro-
| duct of the marvellous growth of corporations,
| especially of trusts?
Professedly, trust is formed to reduce
the cost of production and to establish and to
| maintain prices that will be just and fair to
! consumer and to producer alike. In reality,
| a trust is formed to crush out competition, to
control the supply of the raw material and of
| the finished product. to reduce wages. to make
| the price of the product high the public
| will stand, and to limit the disbursement of
| profits to as few persons is practicable-in
| short, to prey the necessities of the people,
| to subordinate humanity to money.
| Are not the violence of labor troubles in
| the last twenty-five years, and the almost uni
| versal and unanimous condemnation of the
high handed methods of railroads and all other
| monopolistic corporations-are not these ex-
| preston of a profound popular discomfort
caused by the glaring injustice of special privi-
lege the one side, and of constantly Iessening
| industrial opportunity on the other?
| Is not President Roosevelts wonderful pop
ularty due to the fact that he has called halt
on the abuse of corporate power, and has de-
manded at least the regulation of few special
i privileges?
i Are not the bitterness of organized labor
and the strong popular feeling against monopol-
istic corporations potent proof that the world
i old struggle is being waged in this country
more openly and more fercely than before
i the struggle between those who without
! getting and those who get without earning?