New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-11

A correspondent, VINO os'oen'v vc"o'os nise"
qualified to eplshen the public on the financial
disorders of our time and their remedy, commences
as follows:
Productive Labor IL the true aud only source Of
wealth In fact ali wealth is the product Of Labor;
but unfortunately for those who perform that Lsbor,
the offs arsng therefrom are given to or are mo-
popolized by the employers or manufacturers, VINO
become rich upon the product Of the workmsns Toll,
viii be ia left to pine away in penury and want
Nothing is more common than the above style
of assertion, yet nothing can be more essentially
false. Productive Labor'-if BY that is meant
ply sics', muscular lsbor-is not the only source
Of wealth; !" nor is all wealth the proddct" ofsuch
Labor. Intellectual Labor is just as conducive and
essential to the production Of wealth I" phys
ica,-brap. ,rk as useful as hand work. The dig.
gers and Dasons On o canal or railroad do no more
construct it than do the engineers who plan and
direct the construction. Suppose railroad is to
be constructed at prospective cost of Ten Million
Dollars or days work, and on engineering genius or
inventor of labor. saving machinery shows bow to
make just "a good railroad a. was intended, at 8
cost of Nine Million Dollars or days work, this
man is just a. truly creator of wealth, and has
created a. much wealth. as any ten thousand diggers
who do hundred days work each on the railroad.
Nay: the engineers or inventors device will natu-
rally prove useful in the construction Of future
railroads, and so be perpetual creator Of wealth,
while the dggers labor is useful and productive
where it is applied, and there only.
But sgain: Capital-thst is, the unconsumed
product of past lsbor-is just az conducive to pro-
duction as present labor. Suppose two farmers
live side by side in the West, where there ID great
need Of Railroad. II is necessary that the resi-
dents on the line should subscribe handsomely to
the stock or the road cannot be built One Of these
farmers has this year produced $500 worth Of
Meat and Grain beyOnd his current needs, and be
.ubscIibes $500 to the stock Of the Railroad aud
cells this Meat and Grain to the laborers on the
road al pays up bis subscription with the pro.
ceeds. The other has no surplus product; but be
takes stock to the extent of $780, and goes on the
track with his team and boys, and works till he
earns enough to pay up his subscription. One of
these farmers 10 said to contribute Capital toward
the road, the other Labor but the contribution of
the former is as real and as valuable in proportion
10 its amount as the other. Capital is in fact La
Dor, and Labor is ore description Of Capital
Nor lie it true that all profit is monopolzsd by
employers or capitalists. The mechanic who gets
ten dollars per week (and many receive, or were
recently receiving, far more than that) when IN
skilled labor is worth but dollar per day, makes
profit On his capital which is bis skill or knowledge
Of his business, that is just as real and just 40
clearly profit as is the employers profit, or capt.
talists's, when he gets any. Let Us illustrate this
truth:
A. b. and C. d. are two farmers or pioneers in
Western Iowa, and each get dollar per day for
ordinary labor. But A. b. isavery skiuful and rapid
GRADER Of grain, and charges and obtains So per
day for grading because he ia worth it. This isn't
profit, says blockhead, il is only pay for his labor.
Very good; C.. d who isn't a good GRADER, and
couldn't earn ten shillings day in that capacity,
scrapes together money enough to buy Mower
and Reaper, wherewith he can cut grain four times
as fast as A. b. can cradle il: and nvw ne enters
into competition with A. B. in grain-catting ask.
ing and receiving IS per day for himself aud ma
chine-team and every thing else being found him.
A. B. is a capitalist. isn't hel making profit on
bis machine, which is his capital; but wherein is
bis machine capital that A. B.s skill in grading is
mott
Here are million people, clustered within three
miles of our City Hail. Every adult is the absO-
erty to be bis own master. The jOurneyman shoe
maker, hstter tailor, &C., are at perfect liberty to
excl snge the products Of their labor directly with
each other and pay No tribute whatever to capital
OF direction In Atate of barbarian, they do this,
extensively if not wholly; in civilization, they do
not, because they can do better. The halter can
make more and better hats by working with an en-
ployer's machinery and other capital; 80 with the
shoemaker tailor, and others. They work for en-
ployers, just as . farming neishbor will hire c. D.
and bis Reaper, because he derives an advantage
from so doins-he can got more hay at less cost
than otherwise. So there 10 not jOurneyman in
this City who works for an employer for any other
reason than because he believes he csn so procure
for himself more of whatever he needs or desires
than in any other way. The employer usually hires
him for kindred reason but We have known sew.
ersl instances-know such now--wherein employers
continued their work when they made no profit by
it, and would have preferred TO stop merely TO give
their workmen chance to live till better times
Did our correspondent ever know case in which
journey men continued to work from like impulse
of good will 10 their employers, when their own
interest would have been subserved by stoppingi
We have done our part to bring about more
perfect and harmonious relation between Capital
and Labor than that now existing. We know 9th
ers whose labors and sacrifices in the same cause
command our profound admiration. The great OBJ
staces to success in this, at best arduOus and diff.