New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-25
THE LABOR QUESTION.
To the Edito, sf The NJ Y. Tribune

To Ae Edito' a The ~ T. Tribune
Sm. You ask substantially (see TRIBUMf
Nov % and Dec q: Why don't joarneymsn sell ts
products their indusr directly TO The consumer instead
Of the employer especially in those traces Tn mica
only "a email o94regati0n Of capital ana maemneTyn
nscessaryS"
will tell you Poverty is the afiiction OF journeymes
The family absorbs the wages We have nothing saved
at the end Of the year. Combine wo cannot because
combinations expensive. They need capital inteh
gence leadership These we have not. Hence comb
nations at present, impracticable. But give US
two more hours for study, then will make political
economy and natural philosophy our common posses
SION The former will apply to busnessi the latter
10 the increase Of mnchinery With these cooperaton
is possible; without them IL is not.
Again The wealth OF nation is determined by the
amount of capital it produces Machinery to capita
what economy IS TO industry.
The more machinery and economy we have the
Weather we become. But how to get these an
swer-we must speod our neeos and not on superna
tiles In woId, it is EDUCATION that we need' ui's
U.s. then more time for ednca'ion.
Again: Wages will be determined By the amount Of
intelligence we possess other things being equal and
not by any arbitrary or fortuitous circumstances
In this we aoree with THE TRIBUNE. But What is thus
" law. whose lnteDt W N"""'" - ~ "
our highest conceptions OF equityl But are wages
tho present day. determined by any such pinc'pesi
Evidently they not for we do not receive anything
like an equitable proportion Of what our sk ana IN
dustry are entitled This is truth which the labor
Ing mssses have felt for many years but have not intel
lieently seen The truth is now beginning to dawn
mon our minds witch ia this-Thdi the dsTence "a ne
d,crs of ski and abily az be,,eea the fmp0ye'and ne
employed Is not great dsto r0rrdnt so pasqH0t d'sr
button Of he profits Of Industry. Immense wealth on
the one poverty and ignorance on the othcr-are
lie entagoni,ms Of society. The poor feel these me
qualities most keeDly, end eroan under them ~iin lIn
pafience Most truly is di'con,emd r,efu! ogeneg n
human ogaus' May 1t ieao 70 an inVenisen' e0"'''"
Of our difficulties - ,o.o,,
Elr,ra Dec. 5, 1906. h
R,pry.-We think it answered neither in ae-
cordance with wisdom nor with the iac'S
in the case. For /. We hold that every un-
married mechanic can and should save part oil
bis earnings at the present wages OF LABOR ana
cost of Living; and that no one ought to marry
until he has done this. We see and know that
our bachelor mechanics squander their earnings
or their time shameiully, and we feel that they
must amend or no improvement in their circum-
stances is possible. 9. We do not see how Jour-
neymen are to earn or save more money by
doing fifth less work. 1t seems to us as clear
as sunlight that either their earnings will be less
or the cost of their products and living MORE
which amounts TO the same thing.
Let US apply a practical test to the poin'
whereon We seem 10 differ. Here are million
farmers all around Us who hire labor, and most
of them make by so doing-the prices OF farm
products having been very high for the last two
or three years. Now this we say-and we say
it as the fruit Of much experience and observa-
ton: Let any farmer hire fair average young
farmer as foreman and O suffcieney OF ordinary
laborers to work his farm properly; and let him
leave his farm wholly in the hands OF that fore
man. those laborers. giving it no personal
attention, bat paying each of them the ordinary
wages out Of the proceeds of the farm, paying
also his taxes and it is an even chance that no
will not have one dollar left over for the use OF
his capital or rent OF his farm. If be mixes in
good allowance of brains, oversight, energy.
management, the case may be different. But
il is a mistake very great though common
mistake-to suppose that all employer makes
money so easily OF 80 abundantly as our CORE
spondent calculated, in his former essay, or as
lourneymen seem generally to suppose. Good
managers generally mot always thrive; the
other sort usually fall but the notion that a
man who becomes boss" may thenceforth
work lightly and fare sumptuously. has SwamPed
many thousands, and will swamp thousands
more. However, 20 ahead. and make matters
better if you can. ltd'