Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-03-16
For the Advertiser.
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Labor Is the source Of Ill Weatu IL is tuo "'t'' "
all capital 1t is the measure Of all value. Nothing
but labor can give value to anything in the property
sense Neither land, stock, nor any other mate
rial, is worth anything or has any utility except the
value which human labor can give it, either directly
or indirectly. may stand upon the most fertile Is
land in the Pacific Ocean,
"Mouarch of all I survey"
Surrounded by heards Of cattle, by hocks OF sheep
by groves of oranges by forests of rosewood, by cus
ters of spice trees but cut of from all communication
,6ith my tello,c man, and how much wealth would
have? Any except what the labor Of my o'cn hands
could give me? Could have even q shelter without
building it-any food without gathering it-nny
clothing without weaving t-any fire without making
its TLe Island and all upon it would indeed be
mine, but how much subsistence or luxury could It
afford me, independent of my own labor? But L
more labor were brought upon the Island, then my
land, my cattle, my herds would all rise in value;
and lust in proportion to the increase Of labor upon
the Island would be the increased valuo OF my pro-
perty The new con,crs wsud have to labor for their
subsistence or luxuries, as had previously haa 70
do for mine or rather there would be general CON-
test among us to control ech others labor as nnch
rs possible that each might not only suosiS but
also enjoy tho luxures of life with the last labor OF
his own hands. If any one thinks that ne can raise
cotton or corn, or build him house or add to his
wealth in any way, even exist without labor ic'
him try it. lie will soon find himself thriving like
the Iri hm ms horse lie nay command the labor Of
others with capital but that capital itself would bo
but the representative Of prerions labor.
l,lo g, thoF F,,,pf, f,in <rha on
flows all wealth, the spring is the source whence
comes oil the water Of the ocean, the whole strug
gle Of mans lfcis to control Of as much
human labor-as ho possibly can. AS man can only
exist by the sweat Of his brow, and as oiing till the
brow sweatS is not agreeable and all men desire
to have not only the ncccssaries Of life but its luxu
ries Also which cannot be had without dominion over
moro labor than is required for exisancc, so oil
men strive to command the labor of Others that they
themselves may exist in comfort well rs be able to
enjoy all the luxuries of this world without any toll
Of their oYn II is 8 matter Of indilerere, to a,
whether he commands thc labor of B by superior in
telcct, by cunning, or By foras. Hence the natural
state of mankind is warfare with each pher-antng-
onism at every step from the cradle to tho grave
and let philanthropsts, speculative phi
losophers, theorze they may they can never dis
prove the existence of this universal conflict among
men to control each others labor. Old Hobbies, Of
Malmesberry, who, I believe, first announced the
priucpe hero stated, has often been assaulted for ut
teripg 10 repulsye truth, but the word t II accepts
his doctrine as tho correct onc-and Adam Smith, as
we'll as al the other free trade rather free compe-
titon writer's, have basedsther arguments upon the
above principle Us the starting point of all their de-
ductions.
eFrom this same principle rcsults slavery or tae Sub
lection of one mans labor to tho exclusive use Of
another. Such slavery has always existed and Will
continue to exist until the constitution Of man shall
be changed.
"Such hath it bcen-shall le-bencath the sun
The many still must labor for the ono"
Iaasmuch as po~er itself is sweet and is nearly as
desirable as the right control other peoples labor
for our own Eehoof to make selfcxistence easy and
al luxuries attannbc it must follow, that the par
ty who commands the labor of others, will wish to do
81, as absolutely and unquestoned as may be- There
FORE slavery of the patrarchn kind such as VIC have
at the South is the primary 9ar's=i relation OF The
sks-sssfs dsiDg class everywhere while
auyery to capital wages, slavery such rs they have
Mt the North and in all hreing society, Is but Il
secondary abnormal relation of the two classes To
the feoug study aud practice Of man to procure his
own subsistence and u1uries with the labor Uf others
may Le attributed the fact that patriarchal slavery
has always existed throughout the known world un-
iii within brief period Of timc Such slavery was
oncc co.extensive with Europe, and either white or
black partrarcha slavery for both have existed here
in South Carolina and in the other colonies) was
transported from the mother countries to every Euro
pean colony cvcr planted in America, in all OF which
it aouri.hcd until the brsakiuS out of the French
Revolution.
Indeed it may bc asserted that such slavery, with
sch. notifications here and there, existed in nearly
all tho stutos of Europe well us in their colonies,
NJ ,o vary lime the French Revolution broke out Yet
the entire population of Eu ope was thea and is now
,cLitc So that even white slavery was tic no inul
RELATION of producers and consumers everywhere until
recently. 1t has been abolished in al the states OF
Europc except Russiu. The Emperor Of Russia also
lately issued Ukuse aboshns scrflOm (ast isstyed
there) within his dominions, but his noblemen or
slave holders have peremptorily refused to obey the
mandate and they will assuredly continue to do so
as long US slavery shall be profitable, which will be
until subsistence begins to press upon land No slave
holder will release his grip upon the labor Of his
slave until that labor shall fail to afford SUB Is eacc
md uxures for himself, because the only restraint
Which he will permit in the management of bis slave
labor will be prompted by his own self interest lie
will derive all the profit he can from whatever labor
he may be able to control.
e1.l.. 80 hats
mora than its own subsistence 1t must be CLOTHED,
fad. housed and warmed, it can not exist ut all
The quantity of profit labor, or the excess Of its
production over consumption depends upon the local
ity. fertility and cost Of land upon which it is en-
Moved. Land furnishes all the nlatsral for labor to
work upon in the production OF either the necessares
or Injuries of life All tho food eat comes out Of
tho ground, either directly vegetables, or indirect
ly as animals reared upon vegetables All tho cloth
ipr we wear likewise either comes directly out Of the
ground as cotton and fax, OF Of animals as wool,
or out Of animuls as silk. So with our houses and
fuel so too with our gold and silver, copper and iron;
and in short, so with everything which sustains or
.dorns life It all comes out of the ground. As fer
tile land can subsist very dense population, SO
wherever good land is cheap, labor must DO high be-
cause cheap land can be found only where population
ia sparse nnd labor scarce-wbere the subsistence OF
labor is not pressing upon tho productive capacity of
the land.
Therefore, as no one can exist without labor-as
every one desires to possess not only the necessarcs
but the lu1urics of life by means Of the labor Of
obers-a, the exercise Of power labor, or in any
other way, is very dear to all mcn-as the profit Of
labor is heoxcess of its production its subsistence