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Show DEMANDS OF LABOR. To the Editor of The. Intermountain Catholic: In your last issue, quoting from Carroll D. Wright, it was stated that the wage system was not the proper compensation for the laborer, miner jr mechanic. This has proved itself unsiifisft.ctory in the past. It severs all friendly relationship between be-tween employer and employe. It makes the business busi-ness relationship between both a matter of cold, mathematical calculation. The; latter see colossal fortunes, wrung by the former from the swept of their brow and. their heart's blood, lavishly and foolishly spent at home and abroad, whilst the army of producers, who enriched Carnegie, are old, feeble and many maimed. Many have gone to premature graves, and the remainder are where they were fifty years ago. Of what benefit are his reading rooms to this vast army who contribute to the riches which are now a burden to him. Would it not be just to the wage earners to share in the profits of the coal mines instead of receiving a -small pittance for the time spent in the dark dungeons dun-geons and bad air of the coal pits. The threat so frequently made, that capital can starve labor into submission, will no longer enslave united labor. la-bor. Our just cause of grievance comes from such men as Carnegie, who have wruAg tfieir millions from the sweat and muscle of their peons. Equality Equal-ity backed by intelligence tells us that -was not justice, jus-tice, hi this age it cannot stand the test of honesty hon-esty and fair jplay. AVe have in our last battle in the coal regions of Pennsylvania received the recognition rec-ognition of the. president of the United States, and if we are united we will win. The union of coal miners, who produce an indispensable product, will i lead to victory. A UXIOX MAX. Salt Lake, Dee. 21, '1903. AVe insert the above communication more to show the tendency of the present conflict, than for its real merit?. Yet, in studying it carefully, we find it: contains more philosophy than the world ever dreamed of. The Writer refers to the army of workmen who wasted away their lives enriching Mr. "Carnegie, who has been for the past ten years trying to find son'e outlet for his immense and burdensome wealth, whilst lhe remnants of that army are old and feeble, and many are depending on the charity of the great state of Pennsylvania. Because old and decrepit they are set aside. For them this rich and glorious land is exhausted, because be-cause their sweat is dried up, their old bones creak, and no longer are they able to enter the bowels of the earth and dig out. the immense treasures which are concealed beneath its fertile soil. Wc have heard all this before, and in the present agitation the tongues that were mute and silent in the past are now proclaiming an inequality where, all should ' be equal. Military rule and Catling guns have no terrors for them whilst they stand united in solid phalanx and peaceably press their cause, but they must not infringe on the rights and liberties of fellow workmen who may be unwilling to join their j ranks. Xo doubt the action of Mr. Carnegie has . developed much of the bitter feeling, and what might be considered ten years ago an unjust demand de-mand is holdly made today. In the present crisis they cry is not starvation, but a struggle for liberty, lib-erty, equality , and emancipation from the present system of wages. This our correspondent indicates when he asks: ''Would it not be just to those-wage earners tc share in the profits of the coal mines instead of receiving a small pittance for the time--! spent in the dark dungeons and bad air of the coal pits. The question propounded is a difficult one, and, in our advanced and progressive state of society, cannot be easily passed over. A notable .change has come, over the working classes. A demand de-mand in the sharing of the profits of our chief industries opens up a new chapter ' in the great evolution that is taking place. Only a few days ago we listened patiently to one of their craft giving his reasons why. the demand was just. He said: "If labor, is .a. unit, and its rights championed cham-pioned by one chief, both capital and the public must make its overtures to our representative. For the individual there is no redress of any evil or hardship which may be imposed. I once sought redress for a glaring Injustice which all knew I suffered. I was impolitely requested to leave the office, and next day got: my discharge. Xow that could not happen under our present rules aud regulations. When we are united as one corporate body, we can make our ; demands for a just share of the profits of the commodity in the production produc-tion of which we as miners, contribute more than the few dollars invested .by capital. Why should not our demands receive recognition." We reasoned with our interviewer and told him that in America, where constitutional order was in full force, no measure of social amelioration that wa? antagonistic to that, order would be ever sanctioned. sanc-tioned. All loyal and law-abiding citizens should be conservative and strive to preserve, the order established by the wisdom of our fathers. "But you mistake," he said, ."our demands for those of Socialists, who demand a division of property. All we demand is a share in the profits of the commodity com-modity which we produce, and which cannot be produced without us." We listened and said: ''There must be no violence or infringement on the rights of others whilst pressing your demands." For him .there was no halt or backward more. He read the newspapers and considered he was competent com-petent to solve the most abstruse political question. ques-tion. His craft was honored' and dignified by the president of the United States, and his present demands, he felt certain, would' be recognized ere long. If so, well and good. We wish him peaceable peace-able success. Our correspondent may be too sanguine. san-guine. We would refer him to a work recently published, "The Story of a Labor Agitator." It is written by one of the best known labor leaders Joseph K. Buchanan of the western states. Aft- er recounting all his ups and downs in building up labor unions, he .winds Up his story in these wordc : . " ''After eight years of hard work and sacrificing, sacrific-ing, of battles fouglit, of victories and defeats, with tens of thousands of toilers in the land reaping reap-ing the rewards ..f those years of striving, I sit alone, surrounded by the wreckage of my last redoubt, re-doubt, broken, ruined, deserted. Here, in this forum (the office of the Chicago Labor Enquirer) where it has been my proud boast that every slave could clank his chains, every freeman voice his will, I bow my head beneath the tyranny of bigotry, intolerance and jealousy.". |