A False Issue.

This would open up a new and better era for the wage-earners, and ought to show [unclear: them] that the fight between the capitalist and the wage-earners raised a false issue. The fight was really between the wage-earners and the capitalists who employed them on the one side, and the land monopolists on the other, If an employer desired to initiated new industry he had first to pay the land-owner for a place on which to build his factory. This lessened his chance of carrying on his business successfully, for he had less money to put into the concern; and a less chance of making a profit upon his own capital [unclear: His] opportunities of employing labour were [unclear: also] restricted in this way. So it would be seen that the capitalist employing labour and the wage-earners were both injured by the other capitalist who was a land speculator. (Applause.) When the landlords and the speculators were removed by the proposed new conditions the capitalists employing labour would be seen to have no power to squeeze down the wages. As things now stood the conditions named, which surrounded [unclear: both] the employers and the wage-earners, forced down wages. This upper and lower mill-stone—these adverse conditions—could not but lower the rate of wages.