TDaili Name Industrial Markt-us
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% Nome Mine Workers* Union, No. *40. Western Federation of Miner*.
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Entered as second class matter March 1, 1*11, at the post office at
•tome, • Alasxa, under the Act of March t, 187*.
“To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
aearly hs possible, is a worthy object of any good government.”—
abranam Lincoln
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Address all Communications to Daily Nome Industrial Worker,
Box 210 Nome, Alaska. Phone, Black 184.
Nome, Alaska, November 21, 11)10.
A HOLY CONVENTION.
Every year at the close of the
good old summer time, and the flow
ers are withering on their stalks
while the seeding ripens in the field,
there is a convocation of the Episco
pal church in the United States and
they gather together to legislate
for their church and to consider the
policies which may with wisdom he
adopted. They pray for enlighten
ment very prudently, although that
their prayers are always answered
deponent sayeth not.
One interesting feature of these
ecclesiastical gahfests is the fact
that annually there arises some oi
the Lord’s officially annointed to
protest that the Church is losing its
hold of the people.
That seems a calamity indeed, al
though the people whose person has
been freed from the grip, might
think otherwise.
However these men who are so
com erned at the loss of fructifying
power on the part of the church agi
tate a larger sympathy with labor,
and there is where they face the
economic opposition of the leaders
within the Church. One reverend
gentleman said that the church had
identified itself with privilege and
for that reason the unprivileged
masses were leaving its fold.
It is many a long day since that
charge was first levelled at the
priests and hierarchs of the human
religions. Away back in the dim
and distant past long before theo
logy had become so simply compli
cated as today, the people complain
ed of exactly the same thing.
It has happened in almost every
rite that this charge is preferred
against the priesthood and upheld
by the facts.
Yet it is reasonable that this
should be so. Privilege and power
are identical terms. And because
the privileges enable the powerful
to control there has been a tendency
upon the part of ecclesiastical
power to line up with those in au
thority. Thereby was order main- i
tained. Thereby were customs,
especially superstitious customs, j
crystalized, and the control shared
liy the priesthood who i cr ime the
buttresses of privilege. It was so !
under feudalism. It is so under
capitalism. New systems bf thought
provoke no such attack as from the
ecclesiastics. It was so in the early
days of Christianity and it is so in
Us later days.
So it is very significant that there
should be this complaint that the
Churi h is losing Us prestige among
the masses. There is a reason fori
that. I! is partly within the church
itself, but mainly among the masses.
Tin t e it- a tendency to divest mo
dern sacerdotalism of its sacro-sanct
nature which it has so long laid
claim to. It is hard to reverence the
anointing that is performed with
cotton seed oil. It smacks of com
m re ialism and mammon worship.
PRICK VARIATIONS.
It is a fact that comes strikingly
to light when we begin to examine
certain definite phenomena in the
economic world, that since the time
of Adam Smtih the economists have
approached the subject with minds
immersed in old metaphysical con
cepts and carried on investigations
exclusively confined to generaliza
tions and abstract ideas.
Accordingly it is utterly impossible
with the aid of economic science to
ascertain with accuracy the causes
for high prices, and they remain
almost as much in the realm of con
jecture as they did when Smtih first
wrote "The Wealth of Nations”.
It is <iuite true that price, ab
stract price, has been subjected to
very comprehensive examination, as
have such abstract ideas as value
and so forth. But concrete varia
tions in price, and the importance ot
the matter is beyond dispute, are un
I solvable by any discoveries have
been made in what price is as an ab
stract general proposition.
Quite the contrary is the case,
and today we see with amusement
and wonder that when even the sub
ject of such a general increase In
price as the high cost of wheat is
considered, economists, government
j officials and investigators all differ
among themselves as to the reason.
Some blame it upon the law ot
supply and demand, some upon the
broker’s speculations, still others
upon the surplus gold production re
lative to other commodities, others
again on the trusts, the railroads,
etc.
It is true that gold has greatly in
creased in production. In 1902 the
world production was some fourteen
million odd ounces; in 1914 it was
some twentv-two million odd ounces.
And the increase from 1902 to 1914
is no more great than Is the in
crease from IS 90 to 1902.
But nevertheless, while this might
explain some, it will not explain all
of the increased or varying prices,
and without a determined effort to
reduce the statistics that are avail
able on prices to some better classi
fied relation, it is impossible to
hope that any reason for increased
cost will be much else than conjec
ture for a considerable time to come, j
A survey of the prices of raw
materials such as wheat, wool, cot
ton, sugar and so on reveal the
fact that these commodities tlunctu
ated during each year, from time to
time, with an average that little
differed. Thus in each year the
difference between the highest price
of wheat and the lowest, averages in
the neighborhood of five points.
That condition has existed for
twenty years, with remarkable
steadiness until 1 904, when the an
nual highest price and the annual
lowest price from that time on car
ried an average flunctuation some
where around forty points. It would
be very interesting to explain the
reason for this distinction, and It
is not to be done by the so-called
science of political economy which
takes but little cognizance of the
interesting manipulations to which
commodities are subjected on the
way from producer ot consumer.
Since 1890 prices have pursued a
steadily rising course. There have
been times when they fell back, but
they immediately started upon an
ascension which has been maintained
at a fairly average rate of rise that
is very unmistakable. Some of
course betray more marked fluctua
tions than others, and those
which are steadiest, it is quite signi
ficant to remark, are tiiose which
are trust-controlled. Those commo
dities which in the marketting are
hurled recklessly and indiscrimin
ately in the struggle for trade be
tray an astonishing inclination to
vary. Yet while the depression is
more marked in those commodities
which are not controlled, their rise
Is as certain, although not a
steady, as those which are
trustified. The chaotic mental state
of the public, the business men, the
•tatists and government officials ap- li
proaching the question of prices is i
therefore not difficult to understand. 1
S'o effort is made to determine the j
•ause for price increases or for price I
luctnations. Men content them- '
selves with reciting the good old law
)f supply and demand. That after i
ill is but begging the question, and
n political economy as with more
»xact sciences, general laws afford
i convenient means of concealing
ine's ignorance of the truth.
It is to be conceded that no fpod
jroduct and generally but few com
nodities of any kind have increased
n the same proportion as gold. But
nore important yet, in few Indus
ries as in the gold industry has the
■ost of production been so decreased
t costs much less per cent to pro
luce a given weight of gold than
ver before, and even if the quantity
of gold produced stood still, its
value, as such represented in price,
which in turn only discovers its bed
rock in its purchasing power, is
greatly decreased.
It is a self evident proposition,
surely, that if the prices of com
modities are expresesd in terms of a
commodity with varying value, the
prices, other things being equal, so
expressed will vary directly as the
value of the commodity in which
they are expressed. If gold varies
in supply or value, articles not var
ying so, whose value is expressed
in terms of gold, will indicate the
variation in the price of gold.
We have moreover to observe that
the full effect of the operation ot
monopoly controlling any commod
ity has not yet been noted. Yet
there is nothing that could be noted
so perfectly by an examination of
the activities of such a trust, say
as the suger trust, were the books
accessible to inspection.
It is the particular function ot
the trust to regulate the supply to
the demand, so that there will be no
abrupt fall in prices because of any
sudden swamping of the market
with that commodity. And there
is no doubt that the evenness of the
rise in price of sugar is due to the
care of the trust to maintain uni
form regulation of the supply to the
demand that this condition so pre
vails.
In conclusion this has to be said:
no scheme of social improvement is
so seriously worth notice as an ef
fort to meet the consumptive needs
of the community by adjusting the
prices within the scope of all. What
we have to learn by certain activ
ities in Europe is that absolutely
every economic phenomena is within
the range of human control. The
economic laws are not masterful
and immutable principles which ope
rate regardless of any directing
force. They are economic laws j
which have evolved naturally from I
an artificial condition in society.
Because they arise from artificial
conditions they can just as surely
be brought within the range of
human control for man’s improve
ment, man's comfort and man’s I
convenience. They are not very !
possible under capitalism which is |
essentially a system of economic
anarchism . They are possible under
a socialist system and under that,
and no other.
It is surely, any wav," high time
that we completely recognized the I
fact that we are unable to set the |
solution of the variation of prices
with any sort of definiteness, nnd
that it is still more or less conjec
ture. This means that we are there
fore quite helpless to meet the situ
ation in any sort of a scientific way.
The grotesque promise of the demo
crats that they would if they got
into power reduce the high costs
of living has been as grotesquely
marked as a failure. It could not
be otherwise. Thev do not know
why prices are high, and how then
can they takr»- proper steps to lower
them.
Almost all the economists who en
joy university salaries differ in de
tail as to the cause of high prices
just now, and their assistance would
be of little use to befuddled legisla
tors.
But what we do know is this
that capitalism has been slowly
making more and more perfect its
scheme of economic anarchism,
and that being the case an economic
chaos is just the result which might
have been expected.
It rests in the artificial right of
men to traffic in human need and in
the satisfaction of human want; it
is a condition which has resulted in
evitably from foisting upon society
a scheme of things where not hu
man welfare but individual profits
is the mainspring of productive and
distributive activities.
It would be really very hard for
a rational being to consider those
activities reasonable which are ac
tually engaged solely in gambling
upon the food of the nation. And
the homilies delivered against the
Chicago Board of Trade and the
wheat gamblers show that this fact
is readily realized when a little
thought is given it. What is not re
cognized is that this condition' of
traffic is however quite general, and
it is the special function of the mid
dleman not to grasp profits from the
consumer, but to aid the producing
owner of factories to realize the
unpaid labor of his productive
plants.
That's a much harder nut to
crack. Most every one sees clearly
the fact that the consumer is rob
bed. As a matter of fact he is not.
The robbery begins with Yhe labor
which is not paid on articles pro
duced. And it is because labor pro
duces more than it is paid that it
so hired. It is because it is poss
ible to rob a man of four-fifths ot
the product of his labor that the
owner of the tools and machinery ot
production puts him to work. He is
the man who feels it coming and
going, and he is the only commo
dity-owner whose commodity
shows no tendency to rise and is
sluggish in the market under all
conditions: the worker and his la
bor-power.
Yet we have noted in a survey of
prices that those maintain the stead
iest which are unified or trustified
as to control. When labor does the
same thing and in each industry or
ganizes its only saleable commodity,
then will conditions for labor be
different also.
RELIABLE TAILOR SHOP.
Front St. 3 doors west of Alaska
Bank.
We do the best
CLEANING
PRESSING
ALTERING &
REPAIRING
Ladles and Gedtlcmens Clothes.
Men's Women’s Children’s
Since the opening of Navigation we have received 3270 pairs
of SHOES and RUBBER FOOTWEAR. Every boat brings more.
“There is a reason". Our prices are right and our business lias
been built by satisfactory service to our patrons.
P. A. PETERSON SHOE CO.
* -T'^' “™ *"* r',ml 1 ^ On tlic last boats we received a sen- S
10 THE PUBLIC
erous supply of fresh Candies, chosen
with particular rare. We will give
you the benefit of our experi-ence and offer a special Sale of diff
erent makes each week until Xmas.. This week will he
IMPERIAL WEEK.
Chocolates made and packed by the Imperial Candy Co., at
reduced prices. WATCH THE WINDOW.
On and after Wednesday, Nov. 22ml we will give with every
twenty-five cent purchase (or paid on account) ^ a ticket which
which entitles the holder to one chance on one of our heatiful
liaskets, filled with (Iclicious chocolates. Drawing, Jan. 1.
ROSE CANDY STORE AND ARCTIC BAKERY.
Every Sunday and Wednesday fresh whipped “Cream Puffs.”
57 Varieties have arrived at
» .
Mollers Grocery
211 FRONT STREET PHONE, MAIN 8a,
Do You Like Nice Fresh Eggs?
Then Use Hollyhurst,
Remember we receive fr esh shipment of these eggs en each
boat, thus insuring their freshness.
D.E. CROWLEY
Kent Transfer Co.
General Transfer & Freighting
Qoa! & qh
Phone Main 139.
TRY
PHIL MURPHY
fi FOR LEATHER VESTS & COATS, THE LONG KIND OREGON
CITY MACKINAWS. HATS SHIRTS, PANTS, SHOES, UNDER
WEAR, SWEATERS, FUR CAPS, MITTS, WOOL GLOVES,
PARKAS AND ROBES.
MURPHY HAS THE GOODS
GET THE NEWS RIGHT. READ Anything In the line of lob work
THE W OKKER, Satisfaction assured.
•t*n**i**t*vv,rvv*p,i*4*4i
MINERS
RESTAURANT
Opposite Industrial Worker.
FIRST CLASS MEALS.
Served In
FIRST CJjASS STYLE.
Under New Management
OPEN ALL NIGHT.
Phone Main 153.
%s. H. SIMEON
»{€#I**s**f**!<»|»»!«»I**l**J*.g«*f**f*
-V .
%* ♦’* *5* »!- 4* *1* *1* 4* •!* •£• ■£• *£• *r
INDEPENDENT
MEAT MARKET
Wholesale and Retail Dealer
In Beef, Dork, Mutton, Veal,
Ham, Bacon Poultry and Fish
Game in Season. All fresh
Stock. No old or damaged.
W. H. Webb prop. Phone M.I5
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