r lack of
employment. Markets which were once theirs are now American." It would
seem that the unfortunate British laborer is 'twixt the devil and the
deep sea. If he gives most for least, he faces a frightful slavery such
as marked the beginning of the factory system. If he gives least for
most, he drives industry away to other countries and has no work at all.

But the union laborers of the United States have nothing of which to
boast, while, according to their trade-union ethics, they have a great
deal of which to be ashamed. They passionately preach short hours and
big wages, the shorter the hours and the bigger the wages the better.
Their hatred for a scab is as terrible as the hatred of a patriot for a
traitor, of a Christian for a Judas. And in the face of all this, they
are as colossal scabs as the United States is a colossal scab. For all
of their boasted unions and high labor ideals, they are about the most
thoroughgoing scabs on the planet.

Receiving $4.50 per day, because of his proficiency and immense working
power, the American laborer has been known to scab upon scabs (so called)
who took his place and received only $0.90 per day for a longer day. In
this particular instance, five Chinese coolies, working longer hours,
gave less value for the price received from their employer than did one
American laborer.

It is upon his brother laborers overseas that the American laborer most
outrageously scabs. As Mr. Casson has shown, an English nail-maker gets
$3 per week, while an American nail-maker gets $30. But the English
worker turns out 200 pounds of nails per week, while the American turns
out 5500 pounds. If he were as "fair" as his English brother, other
things being equal, he would be receiving, at the English worker's rate
of pay, $82.50. As it is, he is scabbing upon his English brother to the
tune of $79.50 per week. Dr. Schultze-Gaevernitz has shown that a German
weaver produces 466 yards of cotton a week at a cost of .303 per yard,
while an American weaver produces 1200 yards at a cost of .02 per yard.

But, it may be objected, a great part of this is due to the more improved
American machinery. Very true, but none the less a great part is still
due to the superior energy, skill, and willingness of the American
laborer. The English laborer is faithful to the policy of "ca' canny."
He refuses point-blank to get the work out of a machine that the New
World scab gets out of a machine.