, 1864-03-25
CAPITAL And LABOR,
Their Relations to Each Other.--Na
AntaGonisu1, but Mutual
Dependence.
Address ofJoseph mednl, Esq. 10 the
Chicago typographical Union.

Gentlemen ofkhe CAaeago Typographical! Onion:
i Is proper to statc in the outset Of my propose
remarks what induced me to appear hefore you I
discuss the relation that cxists between Capital IN
Labor. found the following paragraph III the a
drcss Of the Committee Of Railroad Engineers. i
re.enncc st'sn 70 the 1IGlcaty between thelr Asst
Tbs T. Ent contes. between labor and capital
osc ss Siv 7. snreorat,oe and eas
:Et terminated IN maki.E tie poor man poorer, IN
Z @ 1sn 1is5s5 hns nops
t taT shalt ahou come and 1o further" -
regard the pozition here assumed wholly erre
reocs and unsound, and the purpose Ct my remark
Is to show that there is no such thing as contes
:ttWeen Capital ano Lahor-tl.at no antagonist
contrary teaches error, and error 10 worsc tan il
noEance. The reason why select your Aseocis
dan oeiore Thcm te discuss the question Of the rc
more at home before such an audience, rs balon:
70 your honorable profession. sly LOT in businos
G sGn,th,a y &c est t,,ran3 among ,yon aed r,
! prefer to speak 10 you on this Topic, becsas
printers As a Cues, are more Intelligent, bette
Icad; snu sarc thought more carefully upon thi
and KINDRED questions than almost any other clas
Of mechanics. Their business throws them rish
into the focus Of light: their dealings are witt
ideas; they handle them az famiiarIy as merchautl
Dc their goods, and consequently must be familiar
Tic working classes - correct appreciation Of iht
principles which undctlie their daily industry-tht
t.'s relations Of the different classes Of society
The first thing in order Is, to define Whist is c.pi
tai? Correct definitions arc important, Aad essen.
tinl to correct information. And in answer to The
Question. repy that capital Is wealth, or property
nlser hoardcd and therefore idle. It IL not cap
tta1, and while idle benefits not mankind. CapIta1
lends ne sayins Of past labor to enable you to do
Labor. define 10 be humsn rfTorr Mt r.nrod,o.
ton. This Is tls simplest definition / can g17e,
Canitai 1esds M and supports 1ahor while it T. en-:
E "a hs TsFp sBoe e g agsps GaP1.l
Fou Inc product OF past labor to enable you to do
present lalor, you hare not e4ved any for your
sslyee; Without capital 10 support the laborer
while Ae 1s engaged IN reproducing, he groEs hum
IT In sir hour. weak In twenty -four, and famiehes
III iotty-eiglt. This shows the dependence of1abor
On capttal Capital Is just as necess25 to 1abor
tually dependent. and he who teaches you that cap-
tai and labor are antagonstic are eneies, might
Us y Wsi attempt to persuade ron that your dinner
quscs food for his stomach, clothes for Ills back.
house 70 shelter him and Iacl to heat that house,
guirins oil those things. linen could i've without
the necessity Of eating; II they. could co baked
Ike wild animals and i've out in The woods:
i IT, the, hey, co1ld sabs:st on tie grass of
earth would not be necessary TO discuss the rela-
lion between capital and labor, as II would not e.
ist- But beeanae civilized man is not btute, be-
re brute, therefore the relation between clpltal
and labor exists tn society: what then is It that
causes the contention for admit that there has
been IN Ill modern times contention between Ia
borers and their employers. You strike AGAINST
me md strike against you that ts. tho emp!oyrrs
as cass all through the country, want TO ret the
to work as ceapt5 practicable, and The
, work. There is clash Of interests, admit, bnt
that ~ not antasonism between capital
ana ths neor tl;s Il T. dispute merely between
who furnishes the lsbor, about division Of the
Joint property after It has been produced. In the
long nm looking At It as whole: IN nat,on Ike
Neither can ever Get much advantage or more
than Its respective, equitable share in the division
Of TIE products Of labor. That proposition may
lend That Is impossible in tie ve1y atrre Of ci1
lized society for either class-capIialists OF 1abo-
rcts-to obtain in tie distsion Of their products
iii to each s CAS-. Z fnd,1idna1 sa sessa eeses
md IN some trades. Freely admit
hero VIII be exceptions to this rule In come
r1des the employer will get moro than can be con
Idcred Justly - his portion Of the products; in
,lher Instances for a time the workmt1 will have
nc advantage and get more than the capitalist can
laotd to pay, but t. every case the tendency te
o give to each class its equitable portion. Nercr
udee OF rules By exceptions, and never judge Of i
whole nation By the particular condition Of cer-
of the earth IL this selation; some places arc it,
lie higher than others, but tbe1e Is general aver
sge OF height aboye the level, and the tendency
up the valleys.
1propost 10 show you the expenses that arc indis-
pensaGle to capital 1t matters not In Whit It msy
be invested, whether IN the making Of boots or
ships or in the publication oi h newspaper. In the
transactions OF business the capta1ist will be OBJ
ised to charge 1ss Interest OF profit on the capital
arc liable TO loss b. trc Fnd Tater nr iichinin...
Sri Wear and tear; 4Il A sinking faod to renew
bis stock IN made when it il worn out; 5ih Taxes
tipnal State or local. On lie firar of thesa ffre
ttsms. Tic pro1r;etor Of The canits] n1,st Iire fs
lives On the Profit: il stands for lis own comnensa
The capltalist has no more control over the four
as, parued items than tho workman. The1 are he
Tond lis reach: he can't noeEet ceot ~ = then9, ,
sG.s hs e r. ,n enaq cent q @ tor
Fjs deterioration, taxcs and replacement. eIsc be
Iyfli ECON hnyc consumed kia canitai But thsre is
mother very important item to add: 1abor which
n,7st nlsn br dcdncie frorn t,e saIeahie raine he
ore the capitalist gets at bis ehare or restduura.
These efI thiuea ti1 the value OF the conmodty Be-
md snn,Iy md demand determine III. rrica At
rhich fEe owner must sell his coods Iia fsrennt
;cIl for lcss thau enonsh to reinburse
he six Items cnnmrFated eise he
rii1 sink his rnnfta1 ore in1na;r + Mn
az e net NM, taa neet..a9, ,,.;cs cc,Nos oa
+ h. 1.ol5s hts uro<fnct ahoTs thr nprEef or rsts
t. whIsh o;let mea seIl ,or, i yl remain o. sd
Is, that Tie higher he wages paid to
he laborrr the hirher The pce al which the afticse
nnst be eold. 10 SPEAK Of my own business
when the pape7 maker alyauccd The nr;ce of
4r11nt," We were Obliged to advance our subscrip-
T Id cSsfe Ssf of e
The psper maker advanced his charges becaueo his
labor and raw material cost hin mofe.
lsy down another proposition VIZ: The amount
Of lalor furnished in country like ours depends
uFon the quantity Of capital men possess, and are
come frst. There mnst Se sono s.vlns rom past past
labor in order to support the worknen aud their
families while predicting the commodity desired.
iuecssc oi cspifsl; and q increase rhe csptta tie
owners share mnst be greater than the ,eobsunp-
'icn oi himself and fnmlIy. In proportion to the
s'n M q rToat leie to ths smploySE I'll BE- ths In:
Of capital to labor, the workman would be reduced
70 Inc condition 9f tue savage; and when the cali
ts! Eas & consumed sS tue oTrer vo9fd be 20 better
kuEFist on Wild roots, fuie and game OF to starvc.
WorRmcn arc yny apt to think that their en-
lIosers nake 700 nlueh moneJ-*et more than their
aad Shn,Ee 1eo Sg9; t Is human
one ioohs ~ n'h oM4 1nsersst ntst which Il paft
o. tne law OF .seli*preseffa1ion But Keep this
ttath fteaolly n n.na twiihoqt psoht greater
the. .nnocer OF PTS empleEees-hc cannot feed naRe
mouths. II other words, he cannot Increase
lnstnets. Nine Years age. wnen bought an Inter.
CT in the Chicago IE19rFE It had but limited
capital invested N Il: ieeeon me whole number
Of 1ersons who IN lb15 derived the1r daily bread
from that institution vas less taan ane hundred,
men. women ard children-some as editors. Others
as compositorf, clerks, some as csrTiers
Dr news agents, same az paper lux and type max .
Ers, and taeir families At this time not less than
eight hundred souls derive their subsistence from
lie business Of that estabaishme1t-d!stEi tEibuted
through MI its branches name that sheet to H.
0slr3te my nl6uIheut ptAau7e 9Lt G1o1e t9tniia1
sS1iQ lis p9SI <Q plkEEAt kaAoA AA{