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THE COURIER
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somo on tho outside who are not bo discreet."
Tho question of wages and labor is now uppermost in tho public
mind, and it seems hard to Hnd a middle ground in the discussion of
this topic. .Nearly every writer or speaker takes an oxtremo posi
tion, and tho debate, conducted from a radical standpoint on both
sides, does not, apparently, help things any. One very sensible ex
pression on this subject lately came within tho observatory's range.
It canio from Albion W. Tourgeo, author of "A Fool's Errand."
Judge Tourgeo conducts a department in a Chicago newspaper and
recently he received the following letter: "Tho black slave had
nothing to think of but his task. Food, clothing, homo, family, in
sickness or in death his body was provided for by his owner, by the
law of the land. Ho had not to think of providing for 'rainy days,'
nor for sickness or death of self or family nothing but a life of work,
to eat, drink, sleep and die, his master being compelled by law to
provide something, however liltlo it bo, to keep body and soul to
gether, in health or sickness, and to bury tho poor carcass when
dead. How is it with our greedy mine owners and soulless corpor
ations with their workmen? Thoy can by reason of monoply of laws
'corner' all avenues of employment, and force thousands to givo
them a life of labor at a beggarly or near starvation pay, Just suffi
cient to keep death at bay for a few short years, and when sickness
or old age claims tho laborer for his victim, tho law allows the em
ployer to turn him out to die, or to shove him 'over the hills to the
poorhouso" to bo a public charge uutil death is kind enough to claim
the victim of bad laws and worse humanity. Then when tho poor
wago slave dares to combine with his fellow slaves to secure a living
wago for his labor, that has often enriched his master to a many
titno millionaire, tho law is called on to protect the slave master in
his robbery of the laborer of the only 'capital he possesses, and shoot
him down in cold blood for daring to assert the right of a man to
demand pay for his labor sufficient to support his life and that of hiB
family. Thn republican party freed the negro slaves; what has it
dono for tho liberation of the white slave is the question. We know
tho democratic party has done nothing in the past; promises every
thing for the laborer, but does nothing. Will tho republican party
do anything to free tho great mass of the workmen from monopoly
bondage?"
Judge Tourgeo objected to tho language of his most radically
inclined correspondent. Ho could not, ho said, with equanimity,
hear the American citizen whoso speech and hands are alike un
bound, compare himself or his condition with that of tho slave. "It
shows that he does not realize how immeasurable is the distance be
tween them. As a mere beast there may bo points of resemblance
between them. As men, tho only relation that can subsist between
them is that of contrast." He continues: "There has never in the
history of tho United States been a day since the abolition of slavery,
when tho producing laltorers of tho country, that is, tho wage-earners
plus tho self-employing mechanics and agriculturists, could not
have controlled the legislation of the com try and of every stato, if
they had so desired. If they did not, and do not. it is their own
fault. If orporations corrupt voters it is becau jo laborers are cor
ruptible. If tho laborer is not true to himself, how shall he expect
others to be true to his interests? No rights or privileges or oppor
tunities were taken from them by force, but by their own assent.
By far the most serious of monopolies, to wit, the railways, were
chartered and promoted especially by tho laboring element of the
country in tho hope of benefit from them. This fact does not niako
the bnrthou any lighter, but it should restrain us from casting all
the blame on those who probably saw no more clearly the end than
we."
Tourgeo also reminds his correspondent that people are nothot,
nor allowed to be shot because they demand higher wages or refuse
to work for lower wages. Men are shot when they forcibly obstruct
others in tho exercise of common right or destroy property in revenge
for what is deemed unjust treatment. It is bad policy to impute
evil motives to one class as against another unless clearly shown
to bo true. Tho employer of today is, like the employe of today, the
product of conditions which both helped to create, and which can be
peacefully and rationally cured by the co-operation of the best types
of both elements only. He finds that much of the real trouble at
this time lies in tho fact that unrestricted competition has produced
a universal overproduction, and in the line of all great staples a con
Bcquent cheapness which must entail a serious diminution of tho
share which either capital or labor, or both, are able to derive from
tho product.
Charles II. Gould of this city, has alents that havu too long re
mained hidden, as any one will readily discern by reading the follow
ing resolution introduced by him at a recent meeting of Farragut
Post No. 2T, G. A. R.
Whereas, tho veterans of the lato war and all loyal Americans re
member with a prido that swells the heart with patriotic blood and
tills the eyes with joyful tears, the dariugdeeds of American heroes,
who made "Columbia tho gem of tho ocean," and filled tho world
with the names of Jack Barrie, John Paul Jones, Perry, Hull and
Farragut, and brought honor to our Hag and glory to the American
union, and whereas, wo have with unfeigned pride and genuine satis
faction witnessed the clTorts of our congress and tho willingness of
our people to build a navy that would rellect some of our national
greatness, and lloat a wall nf impenetrable steel between our union of
states and tho enemies of a free government, and whereas, in times
of danger Washington's orders were, "Put none but Americans on
guard to-night:" therefore be it resolved, that none but Americans,
(and by that we mean tho test of loyalty and citizenship) should al
lowed to pass ujxn tho defenses of the country. That wu cali upon
our congressmen regardless of party affiliations to probe tho matter
of defective armor, and defective and inadequate service to the very
bottom, "allowing no guilty man to escape," and if there lives a
shameless wretch, who would trifle with the honor of our Hag, and
the lives or our naval command, or a spy who would barter the free
dom of more than sixty-five millions of people for pelf, lot the drum
head court marshal bo revived that treason may meet a speedy and
just reward.
"Like the wnil of the banshee of Erin, comes tho cry that a traitor
or traitors, beside whose name Benedict Arnold's would shine like a
beautiful diamond in tho lottomlesspit, have by tho uso of defectivo
plate in the construction of our navy, jeopardised tho honor of our
flag and the lives of our sailors, and to save a few dollars and some
few hours' time willingly sacrificed overy principle of honor and vir
tue dear to American hearts and committed an act of atrocious and
and vindictive treason which bows the heads of tho living with
sorrow and shame and, as wo must believe, troubles the sacred
shades of Washington, Lincoln, Grant, and all departed patriots who
from 1776 to 1SG5 made their country's honor their dearest desire,
counting life cheap when weighed in the balance with national
honor.
Mr. Gould's resolution goes on to recommend the confiscation of
the Carnegie plant as a military necessity and tho trial for treason of
every person connected with this cowardly assault upon the very
citadel of our national life and liberty. "That we recommend that
in future trials of armor plate from this plant Carnegie and his man
Frick be placed immediately behind tho target until tho test is
comploted. Such a est would probably do away with tho numer
ous blowhards as well as blowholes." and it is further
Resolved, That wo call upon tho press of the country to sound
tho tocsin of alarm, demanding in the namo of all the people such
'test of materials which enter into the construction of our national
defenses as Bhall niako it practically impossible for such treachery
and scandals to occur; that if there be unconstitutional law to bring
such miscreants to tho dungeon cell and gallows treo that represen
tatives of tho press urge national legislation to tho end that justice
bo done and tho honor and glory of our flag maintained. Be it
further
Resolved, That tho thanks of all tho loyal people of tho United
States, and especially of the state of Nebraska is duo to Georgo D.
Meikeljohn, and to all other members of congress who aided his
efforts in bringing about a full and exhaustive investigation of tho
frauds that have been perpetrated upon a government by dishonor
able, treasonable and inhuman contractors, who have furnished to
the government of tho United States, poor, unfit and inferior armor
plates for our ships of war, and wo do hereby pledge to tho Hon.
George D. Meikeljohn our hearty support in all his efforts to bring
the guilty to justice and disclose to an astounued world the depth of
human perfidy.
