Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-05-17
COLU M B u s.:
Wednesday Morning, May Ii, 1851
The Durability of the Union Considered.

AEC dUiHtS VI CVESAuOlVus
The durability of the Union is now seriously quest
toned by men of all creeds and faith the Union
admit the possibility of dissolution. Passing by
several points that lie in the way to full discussion
of the durability ofthe Union take up for consider
aton the last proposition in the argument, believing
we do that if it can be established that there are no
hgaments bond of union between the North and the
South beyond that of language and consanguinty the
continuance of it depends either upon the exercise of
coercion, upon the want of spirit to cast off
listing oppression In other words, ifthere exists
mutual interests be sustained nurured and protec-
tcd there exists reciprocity between the sections
either in agriculture, it may be set down
as an inevitable result of such relations that
later, rupture must follow,
Those at all conversant with the history of the coun-
try fully apprsed that the Union it has existed
since 1917, has been to the South not shield of pro-
lection to her institutions and her labor but contn
ua tax both upon her orbearance and upon her indus
try. Her labor has been taxed to build up Northern
manufactures, protect by bountes her fisheries and
enrich her marinemerchant service by excluding the
employment of foreign vessels. She has paid beyond
all that is just because much the larger proportion in
blood and for every foot of territory acquired
whether by conquest purchase, and has, is
r;ously known, been excluded by fraud compromise
from nearly the whole of it. 1t is clear then, that the
Union, instead of being blessing to the South, in
any valuable protection her institutions is
and must continue to be. evil and that the polt
cal power being in the hands of the oppressor tax
gathcrer it viii be used the moral power of the ad
lninistraton is, and will continue to be, against the
institution of slavery and that, to suppose such
state ofthngs exist forever is to suppose that the
sons and daughters of the South will continue
produce their kind, and each generation for
ward the stage Of life it viii be instructed to sub
nit to wrong because its progenitors did, and that fl
naly, the South will submit wear the Norherny yoke.
But we pass on to the subject matter before u.s. and
will only say in advance. that shall draw for Ian
sage, fact, and in instances for argument, on
various sources, and shall not therefore, award more
than general credit to our aids. We do not pretend
10 follow any one political economist shall a.
dept opinions unsustaincd by the experience of the
world.
The relation of Labor to Capital is one but little
understood at the South. This is not strange when
say that Labor here is Capital and that the rea-
ton which exists elsewhere between the white ope
rative and the employer, does not exist here Poit-
cal economists class this relation under three heads
Serfdom, Slavery, or Service for Wages The two
former moral the latter strictly Legal Labor is
the execution ofa Contract. The two latter pro-
pose to examines for it is they alone that fall within the
scope of our article. All that great in achievement
all that glorious in art all that is wise in law ol
in morals, proves that the best interests of humanity
require rst that Labor should be subordinate to aaC
controlled by Capital and second, that the interests
of the tro should by that very dependence be CLOSELY
as possible identified Wherever the relation has beer
of contract the worlds history shows that Capita
has held Labor in bond of hopeless helpless heartles
dependence that there has existed jealousy and bit
strife the weaker demanding is rights with impo
tent cursing, enforcing the; with revoutionarl
fierceness. France and England rich with histori
cal "reminiscences of Operative Strikes and insur
rectionary movements among their laboring classes
Labor and Capital is not politically equal at the North
for Capital in variety of forms is protected and whel
Labor appeals to political power protect - it is eth
er coerced by the law, starved by Capital. Th
societies for the advancement of the working men, an
the various subteruges sought by the operatives t.
protect themselves against the advance of Capital hav
all proved nearly useless. There is no denying thi
proposition Labor is the slave of Capital. Whel
the man must sell their Labor the buyer,
Capital, owns it. Capital toiH make the most Of tepur
chase e. it will obtain the Labor as cheap as it car
because there is necessarily interest between Cap
tai and Labor now considering them. The
are antagonistic Capital seeks to obtain the mos
Labor for the least pay Labor seeks the highest pa
for the least service The continual pressure of por
ulaton upon the centres of luxury, wealth and indus
try furnishes Capital with unbounded supplies of me
for Labor in addition this and here is where Labc
is rendered so powerless, machinery intervenes, an
by accelerated increase in production with less hi
labor there is less demand for it, but there
many mouths to fill, as many backs to eothe as ever
and yet the introduction of machinery has essened Il
Price of Labor by lessenng the demand for it. Th
is continual contest it is unceasing, and always
the disadvantage of Labor-this is inexorable ay
capital selects Labor the mechanic does his tool
subserVe particular end or do particular work
soon as the end subserved the work DONE the
is cast aside There is sympathy, because there
no interest, and SO Capital has exhausted
out the Laborer and is of no further service
is heartlessy cast upol the sympathes of the worl
and must be sustained, or starve This is heartless-
cold, but it is real. In ten days in Cincinnati la
winter we more human suffering, more misery al
want, than has fallen under our notice during our e.
tire residence in slave State The fact is such mi