The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-03-18

country today are seeking the
cause of the Industrial crisis which
is at present convulsing them.
The answer is this: Eighty five
per cent. OF the necessary articles
for the world to use are made bv
the labor-saving machinery. Aud
almost every day some genius is
lnNentlng more, making the de-
mand for wage workers less and
less while Oh the other hand the
army of wage workers grow larger
and larger making the gulf be.
tween Dives and Lazarus wider.
sleeper and darker.
The capitalist owning the ma
chlnery can take fifteen per cent
OF this army of wage workers and
produce all the articles that can he
sold in the markets of the world
thus leaving the eighty five per
cent to find work in some other
way or remain idle to starye, steal
or fight.
This country would have landed
i'll the malestrOm long since but
capitalists found other fields to
cultivate in exploiting labor. They
railroads, built thousands of manu-
featuring plants, sunk thousands
of coal shafts and built many
gorgeous palaces, thus giving EN-
plOyment to thousands of this
army Of wage workers. But now
they don't need them The rail
roads, coal shafts and manufacture
ing plants are finished. They
have their traps set, their trust
mills running, and all they have
to do now is to sit back and see
their mills grind out millions of
dividends. There is no place nor
work where they can employ these
wage workers at a profit now, and
so far rs the master is concerned
they can starve to death.
The wage system has "gone to
seed,N this is why this panic
struck the country And it must
inevitably grow worse and worse.
Some people think that if the
government was to issue more
money this would cure it. But it
would not, because under this
wage system men can't work
unless they are hired. If more
money was issued our blind policy
would be to hand it over to the
banks and let them loan it OUT for
usury, and these idle millions
could not borrow a dollar to save
them from starving to death; and
the capitalist is not going to hire
them because he can't make a
profit.
There we are. An effort is be-
ing made to bridge over this gulf
by charity and temporary work,
soup houses, donations. and some
cities viii inaugurate public i'm
provementS. These things will
only mitigate the conditions foi
time.
This idle army will grow right
on. They constitute no small part
of the market for manufactured
goods. But getting no wages they
can buy nothing, and manufactur-
ing will be curtailed. and more
men thrown into this idle army
This wage system is burning the
candle ut both ends.
There is danger ahead, when this
idle army reach seven, eight, or
ten million which it must newt
ably do somebody will get hurt
To student of economies the out
look is dark. When these mil
lions of idle men hear their chill
dren crying for bread and see their
mothers starving to death they
Will go out tOraging, and then the
government. under the control of
the capitalists who have robbed
these men Will cali out the army
and militia and police and with
their gatling guns Will begin to
slaughter them. Then the cyclone
viii come. Some labor leader Will
all 4 strike that will stop every
railroad from ocean to ocean,
The cities VIII be shut up in dark
ness; the water supply shut off;
every telegraph destroyed. and
chaos will reign supreme / don't
say these things viii occur: only
say there is great danger Of it. If
the people were wise enough to