Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-07-25
CAPITAL OWNING LABOR.
EProm the N. 7 Evening Poss.l

CAPlTAL wv h1nG LhoO1s-
IFrom the N. Evening POst.l
Mr.. Herschel Y. johnson was a very
unfortunate person for Mr.. Douglas to Sc
lcet as his second in command in the COM
ing Presidential campaign. Without much
original force, with no great popularity at
the South, and almost unknown at the
North and West, his name, in any event, /,
could give but little strength to the ticket !,
Alexander Stephens of Georgia. or Andrew
johnson of Tennessee, are men of greater
caliber and have much wider reputation,
and if they could have been induced to serve
with Douglas, might have Frightened the
prospects of his almost tOrlorn hope lit
tie. 's-~ .-i'' --l l.sr. g 4
But Mr.. johnson, when his opinions shall
be fully made known and canvassed, is like
" to prove dead weight to a cause which
is already SO heavy that it drags along the
ground. He is not merely a Pro-Slavery
man, holding to all the peculiar notions of
his region, but he is an extreme Pro-Slav-
cry man, who justifes the institution on
its merits, and who would gladly give it
an unlimited extension. Indeed, If Mr..
johnson has not been misrepresented by
the reporters of his speeches, he is so ar
IDENTIFY in love with the form of society
which prevails at the South, that he would
apply it in other communities. During
speech which he made on the 18th OF Sep
tember, 1856, at Philadelphia, he defend
cd that system in this wise:
We believe capital should own labor;
is there any doubt that there must be a Ia
boring class everywhere? In all countries
and under every form ofsOeial organization
there must be labOring elass-a class OF
men who get their living by the sweat OF
their brow; and then there must be anoth-
er class that controls and directs the caPl-
tai of the country.
This philosophy, it viii be perceived
does not restrict the owning Of the laborer
by the capitalist to any special class OF IA
borers. Mr.. johnson does not speak OF
races at all; he does not say that the negro
workman only should be the property OF
the white man of wealth; but he lays down
general proposition which includes all
classes of laborers. There must be, he ar
gues, in every condition of society," class
of laborers. a class that earn their bread
by the sweat of their brow, and there must
be class of capitalists; but the true rela-
ton between these is not the relation which
obtains in Europe and the Northern States
of this Union, but the relation which obtains
on the cotton and rice plantations. Capt.
tai ought to own labor everywhere. to rem
der the services Of either effective. That
is the doctrine.
twill not commend Mr.. Douglas to the
laboring masses of the North, that his con-
federate entertains opinions which would
reduce them to q level with slaves. The
hardy fshermerOf New England, who gath
er the rich harvcsts of the seas; the mechan-
les of our great cities, mainly built by their
hands, and the yeomanry of the Great West
who convert the soil of the prairies into the
Subsistence of nations, have formed other
opinions of the dignity and worth of their
yOcations. They do not regard themselves
as mere machines. engaged in the task OF!
production. They make difference be-
tween their own labor and that Of the cat
tie upon their farms. Labor, in their es-
timation. and in its true sense, is high
social function, connected not only with the
prosperity, but with the peace and very ex-
istence of society. The great triumphs OF
civilization have been effected by its means.
and those who perform it properly take
their places. in the gratitude Of mankind
among the number of the worlds benefae-
tors.
Nothing demonstrates more clearly the
debasing effects of the slave institution
than its power to warp the minds Of those
who live by it, into the narrowest preju-
diccs. AL the records Ofhistory show that
the astonishing progress of modern nations
is due to the emancipation Of labor from
the old restrictions of rflom and slavery
All the writer's on the course of eiviliza-
ton concur in the deduction, and glorify
free industry as the principal source OF
those immense material and moral advane-
es which distinguish Europe from Asia,
and our age from the age of Gurth and
Wanda. Yet, in the face Of this testimo-
nv, in the face of truths 80 palpablc that
no schoOl-boy would risk his reputation by
denying them. we find gentleman respect
able enough to be nominated as candidate
for the yice-Presidency ofthe United States.
proposing return to condition Of things
exploded 10 Europe nearly i've hundred
wears ago. What intelligence as legis-
latoF, what philosophy as statesman Is
to be expected from such an Obscurant?
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