Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-03-27

uomIHtou 10 uuWHiuXs L no tW6 nus
tens when the world shall ackno wledge
him lord Of tho earth tho scepter Of
which has been too long withheld from
his grnsp-as he has been the creator of
civilization and tho builder of empires.
He shall soon pluck for his own taste
from tho vine and fg.tree of his own
planting. and sit in the palace. anil be
heard in the temple, and have his name
craven on the memorial pillars he has
reared. ..
THE WANTS OF LABOR.
The wants OF labor arc few. 1t wants
right direction in the aborer, right dis.
trbution in the work market, and per.
manent, remunerative employment. -
Perfected intelligence only can give uni.
versal righ. direction, by properly apply.
ing every workers talent. Numberless
workers, Of every class, labor under o
misdirection Of talent OF capacity, doing
thereby injustice to their tasks, and suf
feIing relatively therefor in abridged re.
wards. Intelligence sufficient 10 grasp
the simplest philosophy, with wisdom
enough to carry out its lesson, will give
right distribution. With labor, as with
everything else, demand regulates sup.
ply, and no law nor contrivance can
give proper employment to two, three, or
four persons, with one PERSONS work.
That is physical and moral impossible.
ity. And where prices OF labor are not
kept up by violent and inlimidating
means, associational or other, thev will
fall under the pressure OF on overstock k
of labor, just like other marketable ar.
ticles. This is perpetual fact. Per.
mancnt employment will inevitably re.
suit from a right direction and distribu.
ton OF labor-and not only permanent,
but as remunerative as the worker may
reasonably choose. Employment and
price will be at his option. That IS to
him who works for another. The earth
is wide enough enough TO give every man
field to himself; and suppose all men
were selfoccupied, providing for them.
selves an Independent subsistence, could
they be enslaved and famished as now
when many pairs Of hands rush to dc
the work of one pair? Plainly. no.
The "condtions" OF labor for Others
would be at their own will. The degree
in which this optional power may be ex.
ercised by the worker depends on the
distribution Of labor. 1t must no where
overstock the market, but rather keer
the supply short, and it can treat with
"capital" as an equal, and fairly share
the profits. For instance, there is al
ways a certain demand for labor in thi:
city, and the docr Of that labor IS cnti
tied to an equitable share Of profit. |
not thwarted by competition, he can &c
it. But competition, the result of over
plus, places him at the mercy Of "capi
taI." This is generally the condition o
labor, particularly in cities. Once in {
while. in specially enterprisins or spec
ulative times, capital competes will
itself. and gives labor an advantages; bu
it is only an exception to the rule. La
Dor is down ten times where it is UP
once. 1t is not so wise and shrewd a
capital. That seeks new markets whev
the old ones are full-shifts about, dis
tributes itself, and takes advantage o
labor prices and all other prices. Will,
thousands Of workers are suffering from
forced ideness here, or elsewhere, Their
| is, IN all the land, abundance Of worl
for all. If the sum total Of labor wa
80 distributed as to meet the demand o
the whole market, every worker woulc
be proftably and permanently employ
ed. The nobest organization labo,
could form would be one to intelligently
distribute itself, or its surplus, by coun
sci or pecuniary aid, from the overstockeo
10 The understocked market, and thu
command its own terms.
THE INTERESTS OF LABOR.
The interests Of labor may be consid
cred as many and complicated, or a
few and simple. The fewer and simple
the better for their clear understanding
Labor is the creative power, the eldes
and noblest capital. 1t is the worker
interest to regard and respect it as such
and to so forti(y it by intelligent a?pli
cations as to make it the marketable o
) commercial equal Of money capital.
is its interest to be in harmony wit
, money capital, and it can be without hu
initiation or subjection, with great ad
vantage to itself; for money'caplal
labor's exchange agent, as we'll as al
creative. Keep labor rightly distributes
, and money capital will meet il ha
way. It's not the interest Of the work
er to have labor protected as TO hour
+. and prices-save, perhaps, for appren
4 tices and minors--oy legislation or in
e timidating associations. This is falls
Q basis. seldom bringing present and ne!
t er securing permanent good. 1t onl
J, gives money capital an excuse for legi
9 lating and banding in turn; and tn
9 latter being more unit and MOI
&. shrewd will always out.legislate labo
e Trades unions, such as have been d,
9 veloped here, are not labor's best friend
d They keep multitudes from work by di'
d ,ating arbitrary prices, in defiance
3, the natural law Of demand and suppl
10 and permitting none Of their over.stocl
, ed competing craftsmen to work for lei
d prices when labor and livelihood we
ys thereby to be had.