Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-13
From the New York Journal Of Commerce.
The Labor Problem.

IL is not surprising that the Evening Post. or
any other radical abolition organ, should regard
our remarks British labor AMI its results in
the minuer which We suggested in our last article
on the subject We then spoke OF the impoSSi
| hllitv OF expecting "a calm examination OF the
important questions involved from men who were
excited OH the slavery question. and who would
he regard all argument on the su Ject a.
either for or against slavery The Evening Post
with all It's accustomed partisan anti slavery
preiudices, plunges re, klessy over head and ears
into the discussion. and iii es away at the Journal
| of Commerce, Democrat" and slavery, in
| column which only evinces its total failure to
appreciate the great question. But we would
willingly pass BY the bluuder and the abolition
ism of the Post. it nv 81 dong we could provoke
any free and open discussion Of the labor que'
ton trusting that truth might be evolved, aud
some good thus done
The Post entirely misapprehends. and therefore
misapp les our remarks. Let repeit them,
. and start from this point:
THE simple Truth 10 be learned from the les
sons taught bv such books Is this; that a system
of free labor has not vet been invented in Europe
which paws the laborer a support for himself.
vile, children and aged parents in sickness and
insanity. rs we'll as in health. from the cradle TO
the grave. Such "A system Il what we want. To
devise such system should be the labor of the
phianthropst IL may. and probably would.
require law operating IN two directions, the one
tn compel the employer To pay. and the other To
| compel the emp loyed To work; aud tins would
| give the such a contro! OF the other a To
| make il look much like forced instead of free
| labpr But it must come to something like that
/ prob tblv. after all
! Now let our neighbor dismiss his foolish fears
! that We are arguing in favor OF selling white
! EngliShmen into slavery We did not say nor
/ mint nor WIS IL "A necessary de iuctIon from our
remarks that II would have been better Tor these
! poor Eagl>h sufferers in want and shame ii they
/ had beel born under the system of Southern
/ slavery i'm America The Post seems to have
drawn AN inference that in that case We should
/ not have had the record of 30 900 vagrsnt child
rem. 10 aiming law,e.s. furnishing the criminals of
"A country nor the horrible details of starvation,
vice ,nd crime which crowd the pages OF Mr.
/ kss : book But they would have suffered 9th
-rwi-e perhaps and made 10 such suggestion.
| Rever-ing the comparison, however, We do say
without hesitation th Il if il were in our power
change the fate OF the Southern -lAves. their po-
son and condition, To that OF the British Ab0rer.
A. il is described by Mr. kav. We should he Grim
inil. even To nhuminity. IL We made the trans
position We might petbips challenge the
Evening Post distinctly to answer the question,
Would YOU advocate such an exchange II II
could be mldel" But it would be a h rd ques
ton for Il radical aboltionist To answer to the
is of no importance on the nun question, which
is how To devise a system of labor which shall do
Justice to bOtn employer and labOrer. which shall
be tree from the evils of putheru slavery ami OF
+ British barbtrism We want, the world wants,
something better than either o. those systems.
That .as long as human l. frAil and men sI
fol this can only be done by enHcting laws and
enforcing them Is plain TO need proof
/ There are QuixOtic men who look Tor a
\ practical millennium in which employers will do
all that is right and all that Is generous. cut OF
pure goodness, and laborers wild fulfill all their
! part of the social contract a. delightful duty.
and be economical and thoughtful OF their child
rem. avoiding al waste. and never getting iuto
I want and trouble When that day i here We
shall indeed need no laws e. regulats the rela
ton between the two classes The peaceful
times of such a state of things are much to be
desired; but until God spares poor men from
sickness. INSANITY, old age, and other inhrmities,
they will not come; aud until they come, say for
a few centuries OF thousands OF years, II seems
likely that labor must be protected and regulated
bv Jaw or else the labOrer must sometimes s'arve.
and his children must sometimes grow up vaga-
bonds This regulation by Law Is new thing
IL free countries. We have had the most ardent
abalitionsis among u here clamoring for laws
employed against the supposed encroachmen,s
and Cypress OTIS of employers We have also
he ri from wear 10 ve,r ssrsritn View urse,i on
the people: and W. often hear the enactment of
laws for regul iing the relations of rich 4nd poor
loudly advocated We have great msnV such
laws in active operation nov We have seen
social experiments seeking the accomplishment
of a similar object 10y mutual agreement But
still civilization groans under the result of its