The wageworker., 1910-12-02
HARD ON WORKERS
Toll Of Slaves Used to Drive Out
American Free Labor.
STATES SIMPLE METHOD.


Minneseta Employs convsets 10 Manu-
faeture Binder Irvine That Under
sells tho Product Of Free wor.esrs.
Family Rights Ignored.
We are unable to join in the enthu.
siasm manifested by the governing
powers of the state OF Minnesota over
their ''successfur' methods Of putting
the price Of binder twine down to
cents below the level at which "the
trust'' Is able to sell It. Nor can we
hurrah very heartily over the fact that
by the same method the state will reg
ulate the market rates Of agricultural
implements In the coming year.
The states method is simple-so sim
pie that the morality Of It seems to
have evaded the attention Of its legis-
lative. Judicial and executive depart
ments and Of its citizens In general.
It Is the good old plan Of reducing 81
workingman to slavery and taking
from him by force all of the product
Of his labor except bare subsistence.
Success in this plan blinded many a
generation Of Shareholders. and the
success Of Minnesota Is undoubted. for
she made a profit Of $1S9.69 last year
out Of every slave in her twine works.
and with her new agricultural imple-
ment works also operated by the same
sort of slave labor her total profits
from this source are expected In future
to average 100000 year. All goes
into the state treasury.
Apart from our objection to slave
labor. the feature Of the plan which
results in barring the trust made bind
er twine out Of Minnesota brings up
In our bosom certain disturbing sensa-
tions. There are many good trade
union people working for trusts in
this country. IL by the word trust" is
to be meant any industry conducted
on large scale. The railroads are an
example. Actually we prefer to see
railroad men in their present condi-
ton rather than in slavery.
The binder twfne trust employed
free labor to make the goods It for
merry sold in Minnesota Each slave
who is now handing over to the state
$4,000 annually has been substituted
for q freeman. whose wages must
have been approximately the same as
those prevailing in similar grades OF
work in the United States. and on the
whole. after some extended observa.
ton. we believe that the general Amer.
ican rate Of wages Is still somcwha,
more than sufficient to maintain our
workingmen above the slave level We
shall be reckless right here and now
and say. however much the trust In
the financial and Industrial fed Is
abhorrent to justice. we are willing to
tolerate it for little while longer
rather than to see It abolished by the
Minnesota method. There may possi
bly, be some other way.
Another thing that appeals to us IN
this case Is that before being thrown
into slavery many Of the men in Min
nesota's binder twine slave works
were husbands and fathers and their
families are now In sad need Of the
proceeds Of their labor which Mime
sofa Is. taking from them~by force. II
is hard thing when even slaves
little children are in destitute circuna.
stances.
As is always thsease:in social prot
hdns, at the bottom ct .1t al is a ques.
Hon of naogaii4y. sta1es sSeaee ofsl MIN.
sneeota--nonsense. there h no state OF
AiI.a,<,sf,fsa Ii, / mora 1 roSnOnSihlifv-fC