El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-02

pocket Of the general tax payer and
put into the pocket of particular
classes Of protected manufacturers
But his concern is that so little goes
into the pocket of the employees.
There is a plank in the platform
which speaks OF establishing mini
mum, or living wage for women work
erS and 1 suppose that we may assume
that the principle is not in the long
run meant to be confined in its appH
cation TO women only. Perhaps we are
justified in assuming that the third
party looks forward to the general
establishment by law of a minimum
wage. 1t is very likely, I take it for
granted. that if a minimum wage was
established by law the great majority
of employers would take occasion to
bring their wage scale as nearly as
might be, down to the level of that
minimum and it would be very awkward
for the workingmen to resist that
process successfully, because 1t would
be dangerous to strike against the
authority of the federal government.
Would Be Wards of the Governments
Moreover, most of the employers at
any rate, practically all of the most
powerful of his employers, would be
wards and prOteges of that very gov
eminent which IS the master of US
all. The government is to set up a
commission whose duty it viii be, not
to check or defeat it. but merely to
regulate it under rules which it is itself
to frame and develop. So that the chief
authority behind them; when they do
they will have the license of the fed
eral government to act including the
right TO pay the wages approved by the
government.
And it is worth the while of the
workingmen of the country to recall
what the attitude toward organized
labor has been of these masters Of
consolidated Industries, whom the fed
era1 government is to take under its
patronage as well as under its con-
troll. They have always been the
stout opponents of organized labor and
they have tried to undermine il in
great many ways Some of the ways
they have adopted have worn the guise
of philanthropy and goodwill and have
been used for all I know in perfecting
the faith Some of them have set up
systems of profit sharing. of cOmpen-
sation for injuries and of bonuses and
even pension. but every one of these
plans has merely bound their work
ingmeu more tightly to themselves.
Their rights under these various ar
engagements are not legal rights. They
are merely privileges which they en-
joy so long as they remain in the en-
ployment and observe the rules of the
great industries which employ them.
If they refuse to be weaned away from
their independence they cannot con-
tinue to enjoy the benefits extended to
them.
LegaIfzes MOnOpOIies.
when you have thought the whole
thing out therefore you will find that
the program of the new party legalizes
monOpolies and systematically sub
ordinates workingmen to them and to
plans made by the government both
with regard to employment and with
regard to wages. BY what means, eX-
cept upon revolt, could we ever break
the crust of our life again and become
free men, breathing an air of our own,
choosing the living lives that we
wrought out for ourselves. Perhaps
this new and all-cOnquering combina-
ton between money and government
would be benevolent to US, perhaps it
/ it would carry out the noble program
of social betterment which so many
credulously expect of it, but who can
assure US of that? Who will give bond
that it viii be general and gracious
and pitiful and righteous? What man
or set of men can make US secure I'M
der it by their empty promise and as
surance that it will take care of US
and be gOod?"