The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-08-31
(Ry Harold w. Houston }

A press dispatch from New York or
August 10th, contains the following:
! central labor marEet-a common
meeting ground of employer and en-
ployee, WHERE LABOR MAY BE
| BOUGHT ASD SOLD will be opened
this morling at sc Cooper square by
the PHILANTHRoPIST who, two
years ago Incorporated the National
Employment Exchange. JUST AS A
| BUYER OF HORSES GOES TO A
| HORSE MARKET, so THE PUR-
| CHASER OF MANUEL LABOR MAY
VISIT THE EXCHANGE, LOOK
OVER THE DAYS OFFERINGS AND
PICK OUT SUCH AS MEETS HIS
| DEMANDS"
Any man out OF work may come
daily to the exchange room, find a
comfortable seat AND WAIT TO BE
| iNSi ECrED or talked with by pros
pective employers"
We are further Informed that when
d man is fortunate (?) enough after
waiting and beng inspected, to
lind favor i'll the eyes of some human
slave driver. he must pay $500 to the
exchange before going to work.
a wonderouS scheme, this, and uae
Tor which we must return overflow
ing thanks to the "philanthropists"
What triumph OF civilization! In
the tangled maZes of that great in
dustrial jungle-New York City-ona
OF the very inner precincts of He'll it.
self. these generous hearted gentle
men of charity have provided us an
institution where THE lives OF the toll
ers may be bought and sold'' like
horses. How it wat. ease aid calm
their conscience TO come down in their
automobiles in the mornings and
look over the days Offerings.
In the Comfortable seats" of the
exchange each day will be seen the
young and old, men and women, boys
and girls, yes, and little children. Out
from the homes of Poverty and from.
no homes at all will come a sombre
procession of human beings to the
exchange" to sit in the comfortable
seats" and be ''inspectod''. There
sits a,l old man. old in spirit and body
but not In years, waiting-waiting to
sell what little energy still remains
in his ovcr-worked body, and for
what? Why, simply to keep body and
soul together for his few remaining
Years. by his side is young girl
one OF Gods sweetest tlowers-young
and comelly, with the rose-tint of
is waiting to be ".inspected'' The
! fiend of competitive strife has snatch
ed her from the arms of a mother and
hurled her out in the worlds labor
market. and sent her to this place
where labor is bought and sold like
horses. Before long it will send her
permanently upOl the street where
she Will barter her virginity for Il
crust. a sorry crowd of .'applicants''
indeed Their faces are sad, not
bouyant. Their hearts are heavy, not
light. This procession comes with no
song upon its lips. 1t comes gloomily
and silently. Instinctively it knows
| its mission. 1t. comes to sell its lab
or-its life-to the buyers of human
| life. God made Man-this paragon
| of animals"-and endowed him with
| life. And how limitless are his poten-
| tialities! I;arth's King. he scars upon
| the wings of genius out into the in
| Unite blue. He can rise to the heights
! of joy and sink to the uttermost
depths of despair. So. when he comes
to this modern auction block of labor
| to sell his heritage of precious human
| life he feels within his heart that he's
profaning a sacred thing. He feels
as though he is Il traitor to his maker.
And we'll he may, for no greater
sacrilege thTl the sale of girlhood
| and childhood is possible.
| AS hearts we'll in gratitude
toward these "philanthropic gentle
| men for building this auction block
| we naturally turn to learn the ideIl-
| tity of our benefactors. AS we scan
the somewhat lengthy list of contribu-
tors to the hu'adred thousand fund
| our eye catches some familiar names
| All! there's our old friend j. Pierpon;
Morgan. Many are the nights on
| which he has tossed restiessly on his
pillow trying to find some way tc
help the dear work people. Isn't he
| good TO us, Just think. last year the
| companies in which he is interested
took C'Ily four and one-haf billions
of dollars out of these same work poo.
pie. Next comes John d. Rockefeller
That name sounds familiar Hasn't
he something to do with the Stand.
ard Oil Company that charitable in.
stitution run for the dear work pao
pie? Then comes the Russell Sage
| Foundation with contribution to tn.
auction block. Sage is the old mise1
who held one of his wage slaves be
! tween himself and would be ASSASSIN