M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-12-12

D. when few of the now living had beer
born, and thenceforward continually
can not but think that we are still
his debtor. | submit therefor, fol
+ your consideration, what further marx
of re .ognition is due to him and our
selves as a grateful people.
II With the retirement of Gen. Scot
came the Executive duty Of appoint
ling in his stead q General in chief o.
the Army. 1t isa fortunate circum-
stance that neither in council mol
country was there, 30 far as ]
know, any difference of opinion as to
the proper person to ba Aelected.-
The retiring Chief repeatedly express
led his Judgment in favor Of General
Mcclellan for the position, and in this
the nation seemed to give an unani.
nous concurrence. The designation
i of General Mcclellan Is therefore, in
a considerable degree, the selection OF
the country as we'll as Of the Execu.
tive, and hence there Is better reason
to hope there will be'given him the
confidence and cordial support, thus
by fair implication promised, and
without which he can not with so full
efficiency serve the country. 1t has
been said thar one bad General is bet
ter than two good ones, and the say
ing is true il taken to mean no more
than that an army is better directed
by single mind, though inferior, than
by two superior ones at variance and
cross purposes, and the same is true
in all joint operations wherein those
engaged can have none buta command
end in view, and can differ only as to
! the choice oi means. In storm at
sta no one on board can wish the ship
to sink, and yet not unfrequontly all
go down together, because too many
will direct and no single mind can be
allowed to control.
1t continues to develop that the in.
surrection is largely, if not exclusive,
ly, a war upon the first principles of
popular government; the rights Of the
people. Conclusive evidence Of this
lis found in the most grave and ma
tu.ely considered public documents as
we'll as in the general tone Of the in
surgents. In these documents we find
the abridgement Of the existing right
of suffrage, and the denial to the peo.
pie of all right to participate in the
election ofpubllc officers, except the
Legislative body, advocated with la
bored arguments to prove that large
control OF the Government in the peo-
pie is the source ofall political evil.
Monarchy, itself, is sometimes hinted
at as a possible refuge from the pow
er of the people, In my present po.
sition could scarcely be justified
were | to omit raising warning voice
against this approach OF returning des-
potism. 1t is not needed nor fitting
here that a general argument should
be made in favor Of popular institu-
. tions, but there is one point with its
connections not so hackneyed as most
others, to which ask a brief atten
tion: 1t is the effort to place capital
on an equal footing with, ifnot above
, labor in the structure Of government
t 1t is assumed that labor Is available
e only in connection with capital; that
. nobody labors, unless somebody else
, owing capital, somehow by the use oI
/ it, induces him to labor. This assum
t ed, it is next considered whether it il
2 best that capital shall hire laborers
e and induce them to work by their owl
. consent, or buy them and drive then
to it without their consent. Having
. proceeded so far, it is naturally con
n cluded that all laborers are either hir
. ed laborers or what we call slaves
j. and, further, it is assumed, that who
:, ever is once a hired laborer is fixed il
y that condition for life. Now, there il
r no such relation between capital and
labor, as assumed, nor is there an,
n such thing as free man being fxeC
:, for life in the condition Of a hired la
f borer.
Both Of these assumptions are false
d ana all inference from them ar
groundless. Labor is prior to and in
y dependent Of capital. Capital is onl
: the fruit of labor, and could neve
' existed iflabor had not fret existed
Labor is superior to capital, and de
! serves much the higher consideration
Capital has its rights, which are a
F, worthy of protection as any othe
rights. Nor is it denied that ther
is, and probably always will be, re
lation between labor and capital, pro
ducing mutual benefits. Tie error il
iu assuming that the whole labor Of
: community exists within that relation
r A few men own capital, and tha
= few avoid labor, and with their capi
$ tai hire or buy few to labor for them
d A large majority belong to neithe
: class--neither work for others nc
s have others working for them,