Show t Communications cat o vv e fEX iT 0 CAPITAL AND LABOR One of of- the greatest questions of today which his is agitating the minds minds' of political economists is is' is the one with the above bove heading The history of every nation records the discontent the hatred and strife between those two factors facton and yet and yet no solution has ever been brought forward to make peace between the one who furnishes the instrument instrument instrument ment of means for production and the theother theother other who furnishes the manual labor The spirit of contention and malice between between between be be- tween the two existed when Rome and Greece were in their glory France England Italy and Spain inherited inherited inherited in in- the same trouble and ana the United States today is confronted with the same problem The question is is' asked Why it should it exist The one is comparatively speaking speaking speaking speak speak- ing ing- solely dependent upon the other Without capital labor would be of little littleworth littleworth littleworth worth but yet though it is to difficult to to say why one is the oppressor of t the e- e other In writing on this subject I wish to be impartial but to show fo to some extent the condition of the laborer and capitalist in inthis inthis in inthis this country Our government began its career career by declaring That all men are created equal This quotation from one point of view is correct and should ever ever be recognized as true especially between parties where there is contention When the colonies of this nation united and formed the Union there was very little of what is is known as class I tion 11 1 When industries were started when in- in r. r vestment nt of capital was begun and the call for labor by which means wealth could be increased and products manufactured manufactured manufactured manu manu- class distinction distinction had its infancy in America and has grown from the first It may be asked c Why Why- do I attribute the cause to the beginning of industries When the colonist depended on his farm farmand farmand farmand and on hunting for his food and cloth clothes s or when he had to buy them from the mother country each and every man in inthe inthe inthe the United States was a hard worker and toiled from morn until eve for the necessaries necessaries necessaries saries of life No man could be idle for or upon each ones one's labor depended his exist exist- ence So all were on the same foundation foundation foundation tion and no person was was higher or better than any other person But when capital of the wealthy lords of England was brought into use invested in new industries industries industries indus indus- tries in our country the laborer first found work under contractors or O bosses In the early cotton factories of Massachusetts Massachusetts Massachusetts Massa Massa- started by foreign c capitalists the poorer classes of the United States became the workers and producers It can be readily seen why the people were influenced influenced influenced to become workmen in this industry It was a sure compensation that encouraged encouraged encouraged aged them The art of farming was not very far advanced and discouraging it was for th the one who depended solely on his ground for subsistence The wages paid to the workmen in any new industry was comparatively low and after a few months of work the employ employed employed em em- ploy d was at the mercy of the employer Besides a small remuneration being given to the laborer the working hours were from twelve to sixteen hours the air in inthe inthe inthe the factory was foul and sanitary conditions conditions condi condi- most horrible It was not only in the cotton factories of Massachusetts but in all the manufacturing manufacturing manufacturing turing industries throughout the surrounding surrounding surrounding surround surround- ing States The conditions of the working classes in some of the large factories in the Eastern Eastern East East- ern States from the beginning of the the- present century up to a few years ago was and is to some extent now most degrading degrading degrading de de- grading and terrible to read about and think of We have witnessed almost almost- the the- same condition in our own country as did England witness before her repeal of the the- Com Combination acts Previous to these it was a crime by statute for workmen to co combine bine to have have- wages increased or working hours re reduced reduced reduced re- re while masters were left perfectly free to reduce the rates of remuneration or lengthen the hours of labor The beginning of this century fount found foun t the e la laboring oring classes of England almost destitute of political franchises unaccustomed s. s t toured tomed med to discussion and the free communication communication communication of thought The working classes thrown into such sucha a condition would naturally cause revolts and after H Huskinson's act of 1824 labor labor- unions began their career in Great Britain The men women and children concerted themselves together throughout the entire entire- manufacturing era of this nation and gradually by making demands and forcing forcing forcing forc forc- ing their respective employers to concede the rate of wages was increased hours of labor lessened and as a whole whole- their social ocial condition was improved in the United States the working working- and classes have enjoyed more freedom liberty yet labor unions were instituted as early as 1825 and a careful study of their their- career not only throughout this country but throughout England Germany and France shows that they have li lif lifted ed the the- employed to a higher standard elevated them and infused into their minds the the- true worth of refinement and education True innumerable disturbances have occurred throughout b the nation between labor unions and nd the I employers to such h p r r an extent that the public to-day to recognize these organizations s as tyrannical and a detriment to society The troubles at Homestead and other places which occurred occurred occurred oc oc- in 1892 gave them grounds for th this s opinion But from an economical standpoint labor unions have been and are now a benefit to the people They are a refuge for the common laborer and they tend to tomake tomake tomake make him more and more independent of his employer and give to him more of equal rights Yet we see every day the strife between the employers and employed the one trying to suppress the other Blood has been shed men have been ruined and the problem confronts us to today today today to- to day How shall we cause a mutual understanding understanding understanding un un- between the two how can the labor question be solved Such is the condition comparatively and briefly speaking between the capitalist capi capi- and employees today in the United f States What the outcome of the the labor question question question ques ques- tion will be is difficult to determine Many theories have been advanced by noted writers and thinkers for its solution but it still stares us in the face Living as we are in this enlightened age it is high time for man to affiliate with his fellow man to live for the good goodof of others as well as for himself ever everI I keeping in mind the immortal words of r c Grant Let Let us have peace i LEVI Y YOUNG UNG |