Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1844-01-30

the riches which are to satisfy the cupid
ty or the ambition of the men Of this age,-
an age OF financial and industrial war, 10
which the laurels are money bags, and the
victims the poor toiers of Industry.
The object of Capita, therefore, is to draw
all 1t can from Labor, TO amass, to absorb as
much as possible of the wealth created by
human industry. We find, consequently,
Capital arrayed against Labor, and Labor in
Its despair endcavoring to react against Capt.
tai, and conflict and opposition, or regular
y organized warfare is waged between
them. On the one hand Capital seeks to
Cypress and spoliate Labor and on the other
hand Labor strives TO resist the encroach-
ments of Capital. Capital is respected in
this country by the merchants, bankers, finan-
c'res and observation-disclosures in Europe,
by these classes and the nobility: Labor is
represented by the agricultural, manufactur
ing and mechanical classes This relation
of the two classes of capitalists and laborers,
renders them opponents and enemies of each
other,and while the first class is prosecuting
extensive speculations, securing privileges
and planning monopolies, the second class
by feeble and impotent shifts are endeavor-
ing TO increase slightly the price of wages
or maintain the pitful modicum which they
receive. But Capital in all-powerful and as
II accumulates, Labor must be impoverished,
and tho result must inevitably be that Capi-
tai viii absorb and monopolize the wellth of
society, whilst the immense majority who
perform the labor will be deprived of every
ti,ipo nj .,,DI- Il
tuition.
How can il be otherwise? Labor can
not maintain IFS ground against the encroach-
monts Of powerful Capital. The only prop
erty of the working classes in their Labor,
which they mus sell day by day in order to
obtain the means ofexistence. Employment
and life are one with the ldboring classes;
the labor,ng classes cannot wait and force
capital to buy their labor at far price; they
mus; have work, and the labor of their hands
must be realized at once in a shape which
VII give them the means of Subsistence
Not so with the cllcs Of Capitalists they can
afford 10 wait, having ample means Of living,
and thus while halt-s.avei Labor is urged
BY WANT to sell itself at any price, Capital
at lis leisure can plan schemes and dictate
terms, which suit its own interests. Labor
must accept the terms which Clpital laws
down; the producing classes must either
take the wages which Capital WI give if
they are It's hrclngs,Cr they must sell the
products of their Industry at the prices which
Capital establishes and will pay, and buy
what they consume at the prices it asks
In either case the effect is the same, TO i'm
poversh the producing classes. In regard
to the eff CT upon wages where capital oper-
Al 5 upon misses ofhirod laborers,t the result
IS well known, but in all the ram;fcations Of
business, agr cultural and manufacturing, the
process of sPotintioa is constantly in opera
ton. The pr oaacer everywhere is forced
to sell the products of his Industry cheap
and to buy what he consumes dear. Thus
he pays tribute to ,pital whether employ
ed IN finance OF commerce. which in time
onahies il TO cat up his substance. Do not
mcChln cs and small manufacturers see and
know this when they take their wares to a
malket to sell? Do not turner's see and
feel it when they take their products to the
country me ychants 10 dispose of? to say
nothing of the extensive and powerful
leagues among millers, droyer5 and butchers,
which fleece them upon large scale out off
their heavier products, their corn and their
cattle, by taking every advantage which cir
OFF,?
They who have the active capital and
WELD the credit of soc;cty--the bankers,
merchants and Observation-Disclosures
and sell the products of labor; and they are
thus enabled 20 levy tax upon both produ-
Ger aud Consumer.and in time 10 become the
possessors Of the means Of production ami
distribution, the whole capital of society
she sol, workshops, &c, the mems of trans
ROTATION, ships, STEAMBOATS,, canals and rail
roads-besides controlling and directing the
money power through the agency of banks
and other moncycd Institutions, which they
also own. Thus they have completely in |
their power Labor or production, ard those
rio are Engaged iaH
With this power and these advantages
possessed by Clp al, and the weakness and
the dependence of Llbor.it is evident that
the producing or laboring classes who com
pose the great body of the people must in
time be impoycr shed, reduced to DEEPEN
dcncc and become the lowly hirelings and
scrfs,-thc "liying machines" of Capital
Oar remarks upol the other three div:s-
ions of this subject are postponed to the
next number
..HoSt of the ancient rhilnSonhers ,n;c,bf |