New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-01-29
LETTERS FROM TIE PEOPLE.
"LAROR AND CAPfTAL.7

To TIE Editor u TIE ". y Tribune
SIR: You take an opportunity IN your Journal Of
to-day, to give the public q lesson on Labor asd
"Copi,al In that lesson you Sex these questions
Of labortrs:
DO Won brv rshcr Tor rs pro lust which the hlog)
on the pTrcte hch sou thus la peso othen % y'u
rsy each FOR shirts ~ al I'd she
,est he 90 s 'Ss sssi suppose We .Soui a. ~
you that we could not rally siod g. 'el ~.
sou could smother paper tnst woad aa.~e TOR
.~SI ~ supoe soe,[ %s', , ~ yos ~
price became st the owe az which be coa1 afJt
per cent owef-goud you ne, .nh :, hint Would Jon Ut
,ay: Ny good afford nobody busin
u have oc venture. les hat ash
YOU wisdom 1T The futures tut what eaut aod,
terms than We can o. where re4sy ba, IL
not shall 70 lin who sells chespe.- No~ II the
Whittier a. .oSs how you require him %
Lay yours not ~ wis. is worth 10 tho @srst La, Tor ~h.t
you ihitk Il ouaht to bins to sfoId fair living ao~s
sne sell for ~hst he can setl"
Iune diately following these qss sions, you say:
The truth that the Of dealings With each
other abstract Justice las we thnk sh uif and ul
mssey be bat Necessity suy cheap possible aat
nat mske IL and don ke it, are lot able forth ifh 20
change Nr We have ted AID now Neither did nsr.
chants employee, mske though they POO ,sbly admire
more Be that be changed
AIDE orlsben Oes you will have 10 bnS yonr Co,s Shirts
Boots Coal other nreesris IS veil IS eel your Labor
Oh yeIJ different principle bom that pr-ysios Just
fancy an sIt'sa cong TO and hodos there farmer
who besoust him 70 buy bis beats or potatoes for twenty i've
tssS cut .5o BY douh and b. h. SoSssy coas not - I'd
BIS potatoes for less thai our h though other,
would whole Pak full Of eanore, CHER prices The
times sfsrd, be Likely to boy en- th, eonsdsEauonp
You are decidedly right in asserting that the
basis CT maDkLds dealings with each other Is not
" abstract Justice When tina: kind of Justice Is 10
vogue you and will be older than at present.
Still, such Justice rW come. Itwould come sooner II
different tactics were u'ed By the workingmen They
themselves are the cause OF The delay nd these are
their sins;
A, y, add are deaers in boots and shoes. Each
has stock Of equal value, resarcs material aud
workmanship, and each is doing good business,
which yields him rs per cent proa' on the capital in
vested. Their workmen are fairly renuDersted for
their labor, and all are Satisfied. I an acquainted
with A, having traded with him long time: and am
saihfed with bis goocs and their prices. Ny shop
mates ID snd + have respectively traded in Like
maDLer with Il ano &. Shortly after, idea
ters the BIT al Of that, by reducing ais profits he
con so increase bis business that he shall really gain
by the operation because be must sell more goods
tran bis neighbors and { provided his ooots add
shoes equal in workmanship aud material thers,
as heretofore. He sdverti:cs, be blows" Ny
shopmates and tho public go to his ssore they buy,
ard he succeeds During this process A pays his
woikmen the old prices. Aftsr wbls Is snd
are forced to reinquiah business They have 90: fg
ured az hs. now hiss the market 70
ferent. does not rsss bis prices; he nis ht lose
his trade thereby and although be is doing we'll I"
be wshes TO do better-ihs, s be wants 10 net moro
money. What does be DO nos He iBfor Ne his
woiknen tia, business IS slack and be must car;sl
his s1peDsts-in other words he must draw or part
OF hs men. Tbis he does. A part OF bis osn and
tLose OF sEd c are ION tue town They must
have work, and be kbowEit. tie knew il before they
did, because he planned the bt,le - be fought.
Now comes bic last move: He informs his remsning
worknen tbat TIER wages mat cone down. They
stand cut He is firm. The sorsnea counsel to-
geiher. He chucklts The wOrkmen gros patriotic
ard resoye 70 s,srve. He is calm. Some OF the
Norkuen break faith with their brethren aud en
ployed by A, who Is enabled % sell hs goods y
per cent profit sgaia, and With larger run Of ce
TONERS.
For time things work in th. way. + Is f5end OF /
Adams from lin the Of bis busios', AID ,
inns oi.ely opens opposition store and vodsr.e1
A. Why shouldn't hef lie is w,Iing take less /
profits Lis reLt, pos,ibly, is not his, and be 70
anxious TO succeed He employs slci as are out Of ,
work and nearly starved, and be PCS them never
ere than A, and often less. complains OF this /
treatment TO his men. He can't compete with +, be-
cause gets bis work done for sss taan he Is payag.
AZ men try 70 persuade Fs MN to demand !" fair
wages. rs men say, No, gentlemen, We are not
going TO rrk chance Of Employ nent BY demand
ing higher wages. And 50 down goes wages q. AS
establishment sgsin. Well, this kind Of game is