iailg Worn? 3nh«atnal Worker.
Published Daily except Sunday
Nome Mine Workers’ Union, No. 840, Western Federation of Miners.
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“To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
•early as possible, is a worthy object of any good government."—
anraham Lincoln
Address all Communications to Daily Nome Industrial Worker,
Box 210 Nome, Alaska. Phone, Black 134.
AH changes In standing advertisements must re^ch this office at six
•'clock each evening to Insure Insertion In the following Issue.
Advertising rates made known on application.
Entered as second class matter March 1, 1211, a* the post office at
Rome, • Aiasaa, under che Act of March S, 187*.
Tin; i:.\im:o.vi) stkikk
There is no probability that any
attempt will be made to belittle the
importance ot the railroad strike,
its consequences will be economi
cally too serious and its affect upon
industry too grave to make it at all
likely that any person is going to
regard it as a storm in a tea pot.
On the other hand the dramatic
nature of the climax, the endless
negotiations, the persistent prepara
tions for the gigantic struggle may
easily lead persons not careful, in
over-rating the importance of unim
portant phases and ignoring the re
ally important issues that are in
volved.
We are so close to this gigantic
strike movement that we pan easily
lose perspective and fail to grasp the
essential factors of this great strug
gle. We will mark easily enough the
dash of the brotherhoods with the
companies which employ them; the
interesting and semi political effort
of tlie government and congressional i
leaders to effect a settlement; the'
disastrous results which a stoppage
of the trains will have upon in
dustry. and easily enough these
tilings will loom so large before our
mental vision that we may ignore
totally the real key to the situation
which is the class antagonism inhe
rent in any system of private owner
ship and private exploitation.
We say, have always said, that
however latent or dormant may be
that antagonism, it is none the less
always present under the capitalist
economy. There is always and per
manently a difference of view and
a clash of interest between the views
and the interests of labor and capi
tal which employs it.
The railroad industry, one of the
greatest in the entire economy, is
no exception. Between the wage
workers and tr.e dividend takers
there is an inevitable antagonism
which may be held in the leash as
during normal times, but which
sooner or later breaks its bounds and
stands revealed as in the present
crisis.
And this is the problem which all
reformers face, and face without
any ability to solve. The very in
ability to offer a solution leads the
best intentioned men in the world
to regard the economic and social
forces with which they deal as de
mons which now and then become
uncontrollable, and which for that
reason necessitate a resort to force
to keep them quiet.
In all the dickering and the bick
ering and the rag-chewing that went
on in Washington, we see no re
cognition of the fact that the strife
itself is an incident of the class
struggle. That it is the effort ot
the workers to obtain a greater and
greater share of the product ef their
labor.
Nor have we seen a single railroad
President say that the urge for pro
tits prevents them now conceding
the railroad men tlieir demands be
cause such would threaten dlv:l mdu
end there was no surety that if
those demands were granted today,
the companies would not be called
upon to grant still higher demands
tomorrow.
In the entire United Stans no
body of men have been so loyal and
conservative as the railroad brother
hoods. They were in no sense revo
lutionary. They did not recognize
the existence of class antagonisms.
Every conductor, every trainman,
every fireman, every engineer carri
ed in his estimation a president’s
portofolio in his grip sack. They
boosted for the railroads politically;
worked tor mem socially, and gave
them a service the very essence of
which was docile servility.
They refused to affiliate with the
rest of organized labor, and even so
conservative men as Gompers could
not induce them to ally themselves
with any organization in which
there might lurk the suspicon of a
taint of radicalism.'
They were quoted by speakers
and by politicans as the public re
futation of the socialism's emphatic
declaration that there was a class
struggle in society and time and
again up-lifters, reformers, and wel
fare workers looked with a sigh
upon the beautiful bonds of indus
trial love that bound railroad
brotherhood man and his manager
together.
Withal there was working the
great economic force which com
pelled a divergence of interest. The
need for profits was the great incen
tive of railroad operation and the
need for good wages under fine liv
ing and working conditions the in
centive of the brotherhoods. Those
two incentives have nothing in com
mon. Better wages, shorter hours
mean less profits. The railroad man
agers know that. The brotherhood
men instinctively realize it, and the
clash occurs just when every one
‘thought the lion and the lamb were
sitting down together to a love feast
j in mutual administration of the dis
tribution industry for the welfare or
human society.
The most serious economic aspect
of the railroad question is that this
antagonism which is perennial will
j cause trouble just as long as pri
l vate ownership of the public utility
exists.
The financial problems which the
country has need to consider with
reference to American roads invol
ves the very important fact that
some are grossly over-capitalized.
Xo one except a financial wizard
could untangle the mystical stocks,
bonds and notes which are outstand
ing and each of which represents
some degree of private ownership
and in itself is a title deed to divid
ends. There are mortage bonds,
collateral trust bonds, plain bonds,
debentures, notes on funded debt,
income bonds, funded obligations,
equipment trust obligations, stocks,
common and preferred, in endless
and variegated profusion.
The financial system upon some
roads is simplicity itself because in
some there is less water than in
others. Some have been however
so frequently organized and re-or
ganized that the funded debt reaches
proportions as intricate as enorm
ous.
And the very important thing to
consider is that each of these cou
pons entitle the owner to profits on
the railroad operation, and that
quite regardless of the welfare ot
the shippers, the employees or the
public. The interesting and very
incapable effort of the public to
straighten the tangle through a
more or less pliable body of men,
extremely susceptible to the agita
tive influence of railroad publicity
departments, called the Interstate
Commerce Commission is a monu
ment to the stupidity or legislative
efforts at reform. Today the shipp
ers complain of severe rates and
look to the Commssion for relief.
Tomorrow the railroad companies
complain and invite the Commission
to extend permission for a rate in
crease. And with cheerful and quite
useless pliability the commission
bends to the varying influences that
it experiences.
Railroads in the United States
represent a tremendously profitable
investment, water and all.
The par value of the railway in
vested capital is about twenty and
a quarter billions. On this the an
nual earnings are over three bil
lions. With an operating expense of
about two billion, this leaves for
distribution on the twenty billion
capital, one billion dollars. This in
cludes all roads which pay no divi- j
dends, which are in the receiver’s |
hands and those also which are not j
operating. That is an annual pro
fit, upon capital most of which never
went into railroad construction but
fattened up ail kinds of magnates
and financial pirates, and is exist
ing as water in railroad capital, ot
some five per cent. • /
✓
There is a prime necessity for the
ompi te amalgamation of the en
tire railroad industry in the United
States. Only in this way is
the district with large ral
road requirements, but in
adequate returns upon constructive
costs of those requirements, to be
accomodated. And there ought to
be an end to private ownership. The
immense costs of general officers,
parasitic overseers, presidents and
bevies of vice-presidents are yearly
growing. The general officers aver
age per diem compensation rose
from $13.13 in 1912 to $16.06 in
1914, and according to latest re
ports it has similarly incended for
the past two years. Most of such
men might be eliminated without
affecting the efficiency of the road at
all. It is astonishing how little
the removal of a Mellen or a Hill
will affect the operative efficiency ol
any road, while the great salaries
they enjoy could be removed from
the rates that the roads insist upon !
charging. There has to be a re-ad
justment of the working day. A
glance at the statistical reports ot
the Interstate Commerce Commis
sion seem to show that the em
ployees engaged in the moving ot
trains receive relatively high wages.
But the figures are extremely mis
leading. There is no revelation made
of the length of the working day,
and when men put in the relative
time of two normal worker’s days
to make one day’s wages, the rela
tivity between the two sets of work
ers’ wages at once is deceiving it
not actually contradictory.
Yet, it is even at that manifest
that this struggle will go on until
private ownership is eliminated.
This strife is inherent in the capi
talist economy. Wilson cannot stop
it; the brotherhood men cannot, nor
can the companies. It may well he
that the sinister suggestion that the
employees be drafted rnilitaristically
into service when mediation fails
will ultimately be brought about.
The entire capitalist economy is
supported by force and violence and
this will be the logical result.
This of course establishes a system
of involuntary servitude and to ef
face involuntary servitude from the
country a civil war was fought.
To revert to this plan, which in
effect establishes industrial serfdom.
will of course precipitate a revolu
tion. The employers know that,
and are preparing for that. Time
and again they have stated that
their reason for advocating prepar
edness doctrines was not so much
to off-set a foreign enemy as to
counteract a possible domestic strife
at home.
At any rate this system of nrivate
ownership being founded upon the
forceful upholding thereof, through
all the machinery of law and gov
ernment, the fact that it should end
in a riot of civil war would not be
either illogical or remarkable in
any way.
Only good judgment and keen
vision will enable the people to as
sist in a peaceful evolution of in
dustry to a higher plane when hu
man welfare will supersede profits
as the incentive. Meantime that
keen vision and good judgment
seem to be at present an absent
quantity.
OVERSTOCKS!/
To the Public: —
We have just finished stock tal:
i ing, and find that we are heavily
| overstocked so are making enorm
t ous reductions in Hardware—as
[much as 50% in certain lines. Not
! withstanding immense advances out
! side, especially in Hardware and
' Metal Goods, we are still selling on
j the basis of goods purchased tne
past two or three years.
We will sell for cash only at these
prices, and for a limited time, until
we bring our stock down to the re
quirements of the Camp.
If you have an order to be filled,
let us figure on it; we can save you
money. We have proved it oo
others, we can prove it to you.
DARLING & DEAN COMPANY.
RELIABLE TAILOR SHOP.
Front St. 8 doors west of Alaska
Bank.
We do the best
CLEANING
PRESSING
ALTERING &
REPAIRING
Ladies and Gentlemens Clothes.
GET THE NEWS RIGHT. REAL
THE WORKER.
Milo's
Cafe
OPEN DAT AND NIGHT
Next dour to Pacific ('old
Storage.
is*#*****1*'**!
LOMEN BROS.
Prescription Drugists
BRtiGS
and
Drug Sundries
Ktfaasfaaaa
Occident Flour
Huy a Sark of Occident Flour und muke as many bakings
as you wish. If you are not satisfied that it is better than any
other Flour you ever used return the unused Flour and get
Your Money Back
MOLLERS GROCERY
311 FRONT STREET PHONE, MAIN 8tt
Steamer Arctic
will sail for St. Michaels and ail way points including Solomon,
lllurf and Chlnlk, August 24.
For Information call up Al-aska lighterage & Com. On. or
U. S. Mercantile Co.
YOU CAN ALWAYS GET
LOWNEYS
AT
HILLS PHARMACY
A Boy will bring it to you if you will
Telephone
V
IF HE DOESN’T BUY YOU
HE DOESN’T BUY THE BEST.
We Deliver The Geode.
iBiMawManiaBiHanBKiaMaa^^
“S. S. UMATILLA”
For Seattle Direct
SAILING FROM
NOME
SEPT. 4TH.
SEPT. 25TH.
OCT. 25TH.
SAILING FROM
SEATTLE.
SCHEDULES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE:
F. J. O’CONNOR,
Commercial Agent,
Front St. and Steadman Are.
ALASKA L. St C. CM.
AGENTS
At Dock.
AUSM STEAMSHIP CO.
S. S. VICTORIA
LEAVE SEATTLE:
AUGUST 23.
SEPTEMBER 18.
OCTOBER 15.
LEAVE NOME.
SEPTEMBER 5.
OCTOBER 1.
OCTOBER 29.
STEAMER NORTH WESTERN due Nome August 25.
Steamer NORTH WESTERN sails from Nome, August 27, via Cor
dova, Juneau and Ketchikan the INSIDE PASSAGE.
R. A. Carroll, Agent, Nome
tfaKyiaaiawKaagaiiifaiaiaiafawMawiaKgafBfiilaMi aaemafiRfgKWiaBf^^
' iaMaaiaaaeiaafaiai^^
ij
I We have received on the
Umatilla a nice line of
SLICKER COATS before
buying see
Cheap John Store
"*■ "".T5BE££!'~ TSKTfi
ONE PRICE TO ALL. TELEPHONE MAIN 48.
******** ************if»iHn#afaaaaaJ
UKT THE NEWS RIGHT. READ Anything in the line of job
THE WOK'KKK. Satisfaction assured.
+ ^ + ^ + + +
MINERS
RESTAUR ANT
Opposite Industrial Worker.
FIRST CLASS MEALS.
Served In
FIRST CLASS STYLE.
Under New Management
OPEN ALL NIGHT.
Phone Main IBS.
S. H. SIMEON
+++*************
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+ + + + + + + + + + +•+*
*
U. 8. MAIL BOAT ^
“Silver Wave”*
*
Making scheduled trips b^i|»
tween St. Michaels and aD J
way points, including Bluff, >|,
Solomon, Nome, Teller, York, ^
•ft
Tin City, Deering, Candle and
Kotzebue. +
******* + + + 1?+'+