Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-11-24

From the National inselbSeooer.i ,y
PROPERTY IN HUMAN Labor Ih1 oNAA
PROPERLY.

PROPERTY.
n. ill, ,.,v, this proposition by exact or deniaa'
49,, ~ O rss,ouiug: for it is a question III p''ys'.s'e
nm :, zion 10 numbers, not one III neral scieh'..
r and water are as useiul ap" d o ne'sssd,5 90
fooJ. or clothing. cut they have no exchange
,sIns. and are not considered property, oecsLs7
a.. a ARE not ususlly the suGiects OF individual appfo'
nrisstion or monopoly, but are equally free for the en-
ioymeut OF all. ,bsv
wou'd also cesse TO Do considered property.
When the laods OF b county become The suejrc'e
Of separate ownership, tboso who OVID tneih n"In
what is called rent to tho ~tenantr5 VINO nceupi , ~,
or employ laborers to cultivate them anu p o. go
laborers to retain but q part O. The crops "n'cn toey
rear.
In the former case he landlord exercises ~ P'Ao
Of compelling the tenant TO pay MN REM vi u pr
viI+oe Of enioyipe the fruits OF ms own isoor ors'o"t
a. rr,n ,hs land. He. the landlord, gives no labor G:
nj. nwn "a exchange for tine labor Of his tenant; Tor
hw.hsoomjne a land owner he has acquired the power
M crnpellinQ others TO WORK for HIM without pay
al kss become possessed OF property N amman 1eor.
gis lsuds are not property OF Themselves and WouId
hs yaluelsss without this power. Give a man a farm
in a country where the rest of tie lands are 10 com
mon and equally good, and all can see his farm Can
have no value, would not sell, wouid no' % property,
Land has no value until It becomes q monopoly and
can command labor. But the power OF commanding
human labor is the power of q master, and me only
valuable right or property OF the Inaeter. Inc land
holder has property il ham An labor to the amount OF
the value OF hs land. and that vs'ue 10 measured oy
the amount of labor which h- can commsnd hence,
AZ population becomes more dense, the !ano!ess moe
numerous, and landholders fewer, Ianoe necoine q
CLOSE monopoly. and their price rises IN proporuon !"
their scarcity. Il is the labor. not the lanC: WnIon
! commando the price, and which Is the properly. The
land. il ia true, Is an agency in production; but rain.
heat. li1ht, and air, are equally necessary agents ioi
| this purpose, yet we never call them property.
In the distant upcooupied prairiee, near the ROCKY
Mountains q farm would have no value: oecause !!
--.,l .;.. - oop,n,and ri labor. oYo6Dt TO an ACTUAL
STAKEHOLDER, and to him it would be valuable because
be has property in human labor, az q STAKEHOLDER, not
| as a land monopolist.
WHAT 10 true of lands Is equally true G: all capital.
II will none breed none produce income or anything
valuable ofitself. 1t IL only valuable as It ommano
labor. It 10 pocer, not property. Intrinsioally com
mon earth 10 more useful ard necessary IMAM golo
and If gold were equally common IL wouia DC e4uany
yalueless for Il would not command labor, or Inc re-
suits or products OF labor, which Is the same sAine. us
value is measured by the command it gives over Ia.
Dor. -.
has property in human labor TO taat amount anu tois
lie his only property. y.
God would have had no value with Robinson
Crusoe, becCuse it would not have commanded ha.
man labor. He owned no property untl ne oaught
Friday. He possessed, with none his right TO dis.
pute," On island-its land, it's water, its very air ana
many Of the Injuries aud necessarieso OF HE. buth
| could sell nothing. His possessions, though uaeiu',
had no value. That which is valueles'; wnlen VIII
mt gell. WuCu W VI "
property; nor is that which sells and commands hu'
man labor strictly property; 1t is like the rule OF "a
master, q mere agency or power, whlcn ,nVes's is
owners with property IN human iaool. avg anu
price represent, certain amounts Of labor. Nothing
but human labor or Its products, or what comnance
human labor has value or price.
In buyine the products of labor we are but com
mandinE past labor. In seeking 10 acquire ProPe!y
man labor. for that Is the only valuable property, anu
that which Is not valuable, however useful Is not pro
perty.
Water appears to become valuable by being sepa-
rately appropriated or monopolized In q country
where water is scarce, but it is more strictly a power
which invests the owner with command Of II property
in human labor. The monopoly or separate owner
ship of the water does not increase us utility. nor lie
value, unless we apply the term pGue 10 anything
that gives property In human labor. 1t the water
will not sell no one would consider II property. IL
II does sell it is bat q means OF commanding hu.
man labor. 90.
So of air. may charge my neighbor for emitting
to erect a structure which would impede the passage
of air 10 his tenement. l have property IN my neiSh
Dor, or his labor, to the extent of the charge, not In
the air.
Tho common roads of the country are not proper
~, have no value though very useful. Should the
Legislature give to Individuals the right to charge
tolls on them, then individuals would, TO the amount
of the tolls, acquire property IN human iaoor, De-
cause they have the command OF labor to that extent.
II Is not the roads that are the property out the pow
q U dXlUR vi COllll1 bhihSs VI 'NPSh -
human labor, which might have bsen given by the
Legislature without mentioning the roads.
All pro6t.bearing capital is but a means OF com.
inanding labor, Is property in human labor. l lend
on, 6ftv thousand dollars for twenty years, receive
sixty thousand dollars in interest, and then have my
capital returned intact. have commanded, not paid
for, sixty Thousand dollars of human labor. l have
exercised tbs power Of II master without mourning
the cares, burdens and obligations OF a master. Cap.
ital Is only the power OF taxation, and the power oil
faYafjon IL hut DropertY 10 human labor.
HI who owns fifty thousand dollars capita! or pro.
perty has property 10 human labor to that amount
if he employs it. II he keep 1t IDLE ne has no proper
ty At all.
Gold is worth sixteen times ss much as silver, be-
cause il represents sixteen times as much human ls-
Dor, and silver several times as much as iron. TOR the
same reason; yet ircr possesses g-enter utility than
either. In cqulring either we but acquire properly
In the past labor Of man.
LAWYERS, doctors, mechanics, editors, nay, all neo
seeking to make money, are but e1deaVorioR TO &C.
Quire property 10 man, or lie mems labor, WSlca Is
the same thing, TO: the master has property only III
hs slaves labor.
The lawyer hopes to make ten dollars per day,
which 10 commanding or acquiring property IN at
least ten days' labor OF the common lsborer. by viz
tue of skill 10 his profession he e1pects to have pro.
perry In human labor, to the amount OF ABOUT three
dollars a year.
The merchant hopes to res!iz" shuod.ed thousand,
retain it tor himself and his pos'-:ity intac;, merely
employing it ss 60 engine to command sx thousand
dollars OF human LABOR or IT'S results per annum. no
will have property il mans labor TO the amount OF
one hundred Thousand dollars. He will not be a
master, .ur masters are beset with burdens, cares
aud obligations in providing for and governing their
slaves. Nor will the subjects from whom he extracts
his income be- slaves, for slaves have rights. have
property in their masters il their old sge, infancy,
sick ness. or misfortune, moot Invaluable property; but
these subjects have no properly IL the capitalist.
Human labor is the only property, and the struggle
to acquire the command or possession OF human labor
almos: the only pursuit.
This theory, so demcnstrably true, yet 50 difficult
of comprehension, may command attention aud in
ves,igation in this crisis, when all men see that under
certain conditions the mastery and dominion OF caoi-
tel may bs worse than that Of human masters. We
are takirg no part herein 10 sectional differences, but
simply propouuding au abstract problem in social
science. GEO. FITZHUGH.
WAsHyoroS, Der. 29, 1856
DEATH OF GENERAL JAMES HAMILTON.
The telegraph announcer the sudden death Of Gan.
James Hamilton. 1t does not furnish the particulars
in the case, whether his body has been found or whe.
tier he is only amongst tie missing AMI therefore
numbered with the dead. Upon this point thers may
be room for conjecture, and ye: the dirpht'h is in
such positive terms, that we are forced to the painful
conviction that he wen; DOWN, with other passengers,
in the fatal collision of the steamer Opelousas az. His
~ an daatb, ,>ril ha p.d pars = yerv many in this