, 1863-08-29

u. ,le1l. TAul ausWCI6 quietly, rt1Te
your servants By the month or the day, If
you Ike, but leave me my own plan; I !
prefer to hire them. Eor Hfe' Peter gets
furious at this, and shouts, You sha'n't;
II you do I'll beat your brains outr
(And- has been trying ever aince," adds
the philosopher, but can't manage tr1
- It is utterly untrue that the difference
between free and slave labor is the differ
cncc between hiring Tor month and hiring
tor life, It is wicked libel on human na-
ture to class; freedom ,and slavery as one
and the same condition, as the British Cop
rerhead does American slavery is not
hiring IN any possible sense. There is the
difference between Peters mode Of OBJ
timing. labor, and Panl's mode, that ex-
lists between trading and robbing; between
= bargain and . burglary; between: an .
: honest citizen and a notorious thief; be-
. tween lawful, free Government, and
fraudulent, dcspotic usurpation:
= If you offer q man q specified sum for
his horse and he accepts it, the horse lion
estly becomes yours; this Is trading. But
II you seize the horse by force, OF compel
, him to take your price, this is 1obbing.
Now. the stock In trade, and the means Of
: livelihood Of the lahorer are his strength
and skill, his capacity to work; TINT con
stisutcs his fixed capital, lis property on
which he depends for support for himself
and family. If / need help to conduct my
business, and offer to pay him stipulated
sum for . giren time, no matter how long
!. or short, and he agrees to take 1t, tits
bargain. He offers his skill and strength
and time for my money, He performs Ills
engagement, and I pay him Ills reward
The transaction is honest and satisfactory
on both sides. This Is Peters method
Of treating laboring people, as Carlyle ad-
nlits., = ..>.
Take another example, Suppose need
the assistance Of a 1aborer, and the first
one I meet seize BY the collar and say,
I'd" Como along with me, / want ydu !" and
y. by virtue Of superior strength, and a re-
wolverine being totally unarmed-1 force
:. him into my service, and set him to work,
( placing an oversecr with 3 whip and a re-
volver. over him to compel him to toll.
Suppose when q months. work is done he
asks mc, Ct slr, how much wages arc you
going to pay mct" I answer "saonc, but
';'your Eictuals and clothes, and poor and
t'scanty at that lie asks again, show
long arc you going to ,torrs me thus to
Labor for you for nothing?" / reply, until
the day Of your DEATH" He again asks
s."whas will become Of my wife and child
rens" I answer, :. They are sold to work
"for their purchasers, like you for nothing,
"all their days, and ny wife and children
3 "are Mt Saratoga In search Of fashionable
Hpleasurc, spending the money got for
them" This Mode: Of treating tho Labor
ing man Carlyle calls hiring him for lifc.' y
This is bis. friend Paul's method ofmak-
: Ing a bargain, and getting his work done.
But 1t is simply robbery, garroting: No
=. matter though The. structure Of society
srests upon such an internal condition Of
things, and though the law of State will
enforce It; It's character Is not thereby i'm.
proved its villany Is not removed. It is
= system OF plundcr, Of. larceny though
;. sanctioned by custom md supported by
Law. Because many may be engaged IN
The practice It Is none the less wicked, ana
: the number Of those who profit thereby
docs not reduce the guilt and wrong Of
e2ch. g.; - -. - -
!. IT, .lsts neither hard work; nor low wages,
: nor poor diet, nor zagged clothes, nor q
novel, 1or a;dwellIng that makes man a
:, Slave. But III + the fact Of the COERCION Of
!. lis WM By another; tic arbitrary depriya.
ton Of personal: freedom tile loss ,of thc
II power tomake q bargain; the TACT Of h1s
being reduced to the condition Of inyolun.
: tary lifelong seryisudc, without having had
q voice in determining his lot. And this il
exactly the condition in which Carlyle's
3. Paul the soutl,) has placed his labor
ing population: No man ever voluntarily
enters into such !: relation. Slaves in tht
first instance arc always stolen, or taken
IN war, and are thereafter kept in seryitudt
: by arbitrary, tyrannieal force. Pete,
= opta'ns his labor BY contract, by mutual
= consent and Agreement, and for a valuable
consideration; it being simply m exchange
OF commodities, one mnn swapping BIZ
!: wotk for another's money, Paul Oh.
tains his labor by brute force; by whips
:*and branding irons, pistols and torture l,y
treating tho labo1er a. beast Of burden
destitute Of will or rights. According ID
Carlyle; Peter gets furious at The con
- unued existence Of this Internal method a
hiring for nte," aud Is trying to beat on
Fauls brains io make him abandon II
!: {: ! onewonla think he: had good cause 10
= hfashing, Paul if.he Is guilty. Of snc1 ri
inhuman, wicked :treatmeat % Of the - 1,tor sps[
ing poor: But it is mt. true that % pete
=: struck the first blow; 1t is not tTne thu ~ =
struck back for the cause named p.+ -
struck first; he deliberateiy picked a er,, ,r
rel with Peter; he forged pretexts for al,
:: ssrute:: He pointed the finger Of scorn !
..-c Pcter,for hiring and paying wages to h
laborc1s, and called him q " "mudkiu," an
no, "gentleman;" he called him cowar'
rubbed his first under Peters nose, spit
his face andtold him that he could viii
fps paluoons like him. Finally he d