Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1844-07-20
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
nv HORACE GRIZZLY.

] have thus endeavored TO present tho Pro-
%tectivo Policy ii itg true light, briefly ofcouraa
as the size Of this publication Compelled, b1i
clearly, fairly, and IN direct comparison gith
the doctrines Of Free Trade. | am not auata
Of having left untouched any material point iii
controversy between protectionists and their
opponents, though many arc touched bFInaY
and Others only limited at. | hays sndeav6Fea
to present and ellcidate the leading principles
involved In the main question, By applying
which every special eat!i 10 10 DO met and re-
futod.
Yet ! am quite aware that a chief ground of
hostility to Protection on the part Of many LII
boring Men remains acknowledgements, tho
alleged inadsquacy Of Wages IN Mapufaefd,
RES, the excessive Hours Of toll there reantr4
ed, the controlling power Of Capitals b thin d..
partment Of the National Industry, &c. &ze. |
am not surprised that ouch considerations
should BIO employed by dexteroiIs politicians
to excite unredecting popular hostility againat
Protection, yet it 10 not the less obvious to nv
mind that they have properly nothing to d.
with the subject. For, allowing II TO be tho
fact that too much Labor 10 exacied from ard
too little wnges paid to the employed in facto.
ries, | ask what remedy the adversaries oF
4 iblbhItOb FAgPNbN : i W. give IitkI 20 lHGIRft
| and break down our Manufactures, how will
the condition Of tho Laboring class be inpro.
yed9 Grant that twelve. or thirteen ho1rF,
work per day is too much, and the compeusa.
ton paid therefor often TOO little, how will t1e
laborer be benefited by depriying him Of the
privilege Of so exchanging bis work for waRas1
Do you say that on the destruction Of the fac.
tories he Will find employ Mt more adranfa.
ua,. .A1 Iz.z an1,,a4n - tL..EHIz#
has every opportunity noW TO choose another
employment, and | am Huro have shown that
there are more chances for him and beltef wa.
ges out Of the factories than there would be
If they Rere destroyed. No man is compelled
to work in a cotton-mill or iron. foundr WHO
can do better at any thing else no man DOES
50 work except from a preference Of tho en-
ployment and the wages over any other that
arc at big option. Why, then, should any OPP
pose Protection on this ground! Is it not nc
torious that the average wages Of Manufaetuf-
ing labor is higher than that Of the labor EN-
ployed in Agriculture?
am no advocate for any form Of abuae Or
oppression if any such exist III connection
with Manufacturing Labor, / trust a reraedy |
will be devised and cnforced-I will do, aa /
have heretofore done, all within my humble
6uiliLf IL UtDbllOtE BuLl . GDblsbtliIfatiREE4 ! /
have long believed and urged that the hours
oflabor inmany Manufacturing establishments
are excessive and should be reduced. But
how shall this be accomplished Congress
can obviously do nothing-it has no power iii
the premises. IF the States can effect ady
good by legislation, let them % II; but this fs
all apart from the Tariff question. And 8aFo-
" no man of common intelligence can fail to
=. IT, iron Naoaaaff4f Tnfaa fba E,onf~-r1N-at
well as the Laborer-that ne company Oh indL
yidual halloween car afford to run Their or
his works but ten hours while his rivals ilthe
business run twelve OF thirteen, nor can be- raw
many per cent. higher wages than they DO.
Should any one attempt such a course, be
would soon be arrested by ruin. Unchecked
competition snacts and vigorously enforces lie
laws, and no man need hope to escape them
them. But here a wide field opens before ua,
which cannot be traversed in this essay.
But, while / admit and insist that any OPP
preston which may exist in connexion with
manufacturing labor should be exposed an.
corrected, | am convinced that much Of the
clamor against Manufacturing compap. en- ON
this ground is unfounded and unjust some Of
it hollow and hypocritical. know that MANY
VINO aeClaltl against tae haFdsLfp OF women
working in factories twelve o. thirteen hours
a day for some dollar and half (bcside board)
per week, do not scruple themselves to employ
women ID their own houses at less wages. and
keep them at work quite as many hours. /
know that the average earnings of seantgtres-
ses in our city. and in most cities, are less
than those Of factory-girls at Lowell, and their
labor more prOtracted and arduous. But this
is no excuse for oppression any where. We
all know that the general if not universal rule
IS to buy ~cheapshire cheap. and regard Neees-
sity rather than abstract Justice in business
transactions, and | do not suppose that Manu-
featuring employers are better in this respect
than other men They probably pay, as o gen.