Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1912-07-26

and the textile corpora lions r reduced
thswages proportionately, a supposed
" social benefit was once again dis.
torted into capitalistic prodt- and the
revolt was on. The straw that breaks
the camel's back became the medium
Wherewtth to throw searchlight on
conditions such as no civilized society,
should tolerate, especially Is it's whole
endeavor is alleged to be away from,
just such asstate OF afairs. some III.
crease in wages ana Improvement III
conditions was the result OF the strike,
forced largely By, social means, to wit,
the solidarity If the aroused :W,s,6b riikzing
class, backed by an awakened social
sense Of jsstice t. the workers.
That the above Is not mere rant,
but a statement based on facts may
be- shown by the following Incident.
In$August, 1911, Local Union No. 20
+ w. w. issued an appeal for q gen.
eral organization Of all the textile
workers along the Merrimac River,
in order to more effectively combat
the tendency to reduce wages ana ii.
tensify labor at one and the same time
che appeal opens thus: y W.: n ss 4 sS
zone hundred cotton weavers are
fighting against the following condi.
lions which the Atlantic mills are try
ing to impose upon them: III. :. & =. Il
! "12 looms instead Of Z, at 40 cents
per cut, instead Of 70 cents; those are
in few words, the conditions against
which the weavers are revolving. +
Seven looms producing two. cuts a
week at the rate Of 70 cents per cut
leaves a salary Of $11.06 per week;
IL ooms producing two cuts each per
week at the rate Of 40 cents per cut
gives a salary Of $11.76. n. hi,
Admitting that each weaver can
make "a cuts each on IL looms, which
is practically impossible, he will neces-
sarily have to operate S looms and
produce 10 cuts more each week for
the sum of570 cents; so that 1t IS really
a theft Of $7.2O per week which the
corporation will make on each and
every weaver, and at the time throw
two employees, out Of five, on the
streets. ..
y Can we suEer such a system, such
"a disgrace to solidarity that they wish
tt impose upon us? NO.! III, s@.,,..
]f'nsHave We not the right, and - It
not our duty, TO resist such an abate-
ment OF our means Of existence?" j
Remember, this il under tariff laws;
and mechanical improvements that are
supposed to give labor more wages
and less toll under our present social
system This is bad enough. ,...s.
But note what follows the introduc-
ton of the state law reducing hours
from Sc to 54a week. Wages, already
miserably poor, are cut from 20 to 80
cents q week, while "wash-up" priv
leges are curailed and other means Of
recouping the time reductions are in
4roduced by the mill corporations.
. Thereupon followed the industrial
revolt that STARTLED the world. The
textile wprkezs deserted their looms
ny the thousands, just as they massed
by the machine process OF production.
Hear their proc amatio 5..'5
;3 I've, the twenty thousand workers
OF Lawrence. are out on strike for the
right to i've free from slavery and and
and starvation, free from overW 't,'
and underpay, free from 9 state OF At Il
I Fairs that had become so unbearable
and beyond oar control. that we are are
compelled 10 march out OF the slave
( pens Of Iawrence IN United resistance
against the wrongs and injustice cf
years ana years pf wage slavery.
ID. Turn now, the workers, - the
/ t,captta Iist side OF the me- The mills
4 involved In the strike have grown
enormously IN assets. There has been
! q continuous Industrial expansion sac-
4 ,,c,omrpanied Eby high average 81 divid q,
ends. Such Is the dividend earning
power Of .the American Wooden Co.
Tor instance, that It .is able 20 pay 1 its
annual Z per cert dividend, 10 spite 81
{ '4t,e strike. Note also that = subsidiary
,eompany Of the United States Wooden Iutt'le1t
\ Co, the Lawrence Eye y Works, re- s'
ports dividends Of nearly 20 per cent;
its shareholders now received IN =
q years what were formerly the diytd q
end payments for 4 years. The divi nd
ends Of the United States Wooden Go,
I itself, approximate q per cent annually
Take again the Pacific mills sof Law z y;
I reno, which reports big Increases = /. u e
8 assets, and q total return IN ten years 1f
Of s14s per cent. This is an average
yearly return Of 1880 per cent. Harder
work and lower wages for the textile ils