New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-06-12
slavery and Hirelingism.

There is nothing ike the collision Of par
ties 10 bring the truth into sharp relief
Amid the e1aggeration and eXuberant fe-
cundity of abuse which political contests
sometimes rejoice in, there will Turk now
and then an epithet so pointed, or an apprs-
citation so Just, as TO remain after the occa-
sion which originated them has passed away
One Of these lucky turns Of language Oc-
ours in the report of the Business Commit
tee of the Southern Rights Convention late
" held in Georgia Instead of speaking Of
the Northern members of the Union as Free
il calls them Hireling States. We admit
the pertinency Of the appellation; 1t Is true
that the system of labor which prevails
among the non-slayeholding States, and
generally in the civilized world, IS the hire
ling system and were our Georgian friends
as correct in all their phrases as in this,
they would not only exhibit creditable per-
lection in the English tongue, but deserve
the fame of being better reasoners than they
now pass for.
Looking at Hirelingism in its worst
aspects, 1t does offer not lovely spectacle.
1t has its analosies even with Slavery.
The essence Of Slavery Is that the owner
forces the slave 10 give him his labor with
out an equivalent, the essence Of the hire
ling system is that the physical wants of
the laborer force him TO DO the same. In
neither case is he truly free. The slave
ubeys the volitiou Of MS master, the hire
ling Of his employer. At the same time
Hirelingism often produces evils which
Slavery is exempt from. And these are
evils Of deepest die, such as starvation,
child-murder, and prostitution enforced by
hunger. We admit them in the fullest ex-
tent that they can be Justly charged We
are little more in love with one system than
the other.
Those advocates of Slavery who seek TO
shield the denominations Of their institution
by holding up TO view the denominations Of
ours, forget that they do thereby the more
utterly condemn what they would excuse.
For they can pronounce the hirelIng sys-
TEN bad one, only in the light Of loftier
humanity, TO which all social arrangements,
wherein the worker does not receive the
full predict of his toll, stand as imperfect
and wrongful, and Slavery as the worst of
them all
The truer way Of testing human insttu-
tons Is 10 inquire whether they are progress
sive, whether they tend 10 the improvement
Of the masses, and to their own reform and
amehoration, not what accidental evils may
attend them. A ilroad casualty nav ex-
hibit different and even worse features than
the Overturn Of an old fashioned stage-coach,
but the world still glorifes the rail, because
On the whole 1t IS better in itself, at the same
time that II aids the general progress of So
clety. And 50 the hirehDg system nav have
different and in some respects worse fea-
lures Though we don't believe il has, than
Slavery, but II has the infinite advantage
ard honor Of being progressive The CON-
p&rison Of the two Is conclusive on this
point. Have any Of the great scientific and
industrial inventions which shed such radi-
ance upon the past seventy-fye wears. come
from Slavery Has it originated any
mighty work or conceived any noble com
mercial enterprise 7 Did it ever establish
Free Schools ! Where are It's Fultons, its
Watts, is Jacquardsl Or if this is rot
enough. look at the difference between the
Hireling and Slave States The one are all
activity, invention, innovation, progress the
other stagnant, with only borrowed OF imita-
tive activity, no native invention nor enter