The Portland daily press., 1866-03-09
Labor Refor,n-Its Object.
By AN ADVOCATE.

-
To the Editor or the Pressaj sjogsh aaissie, =
80 After full years discussion or rather op-
portunity for discussing the objects of this
% movement, we are now, for the first time ask
"a ed what we are driving at and what we wish
to accomplish. will briefly answer the in
quiry.en s.hiad .las2E Gs 10 BIZ 45
l. We wish to prevent class Legislation;
and to accomplish this we would have all
classes of business represented in our halls of
legislation, five could only succeed in obtain
ing candidates who would consent to stand as
the representatives and opponents of our prin-
ciples. sEu s9Iz3 . II ~ lLlH "a ..s.
~ O. five could succeed in the above accom-
plishnent, we should secure equal taxation
and representation, and laws that would pro-
tect labor by a lien on the production OF labor
for security for the payment of wages. j
8. We desire codifcation of the laws so
: that the people may have an opportunity of
, learning something oftheir legal chances in
the battle ofliie-without devoting a lite of
study to that object of attainment. aa
pa A. We are asked why we adopt or advocate
the eight hour SYSTEM We answer, because
we think it will promote cur interests; and
because it is not a question of wages, but sim
ply question OF time, involving no compul-
sion on the part of employer or employee.
y. o. We are asked why we carry the, matter
into politics. answer, we do not; we ignore
party distinction in the movement, and take
this course because we can get hearing in
no way SO well as through the ballot box
which for our peaceful purpose is more potent
than the sword. When politicians learn to
work for the interests of the industrial classes
in common W tn other interests,-then, there
will cease to be a necessity for continuance
of,our organized movement. III L. +. P.
The subject treated of in the above commu-
: .nication is of SO much Importance that we
. cheerfully give, place to such arguments as
may be addueed in relation to it from either
the advocates or the opponents of the move
ment. AT the same time, we are strongly of
the opinion that the friends of what is called
Labor Reform" are acting under an entire
misconception Of the true principles involved
In this question, and that their movement has
. In 10 few elements likely either to ensure its
success or to make its success desirable. The
manner in which our correspondent presents
his points does not show them in a very for
midable aspect; nevertheless, he Is himself so
evidently sincere in the ground he takes that
we have no disposition to treat the matter
otherwise than seriously. sH ri s-s...i IN (
The great mistake of those who are pressing
b this movement evidently consists in supposing
that the interests oflabor are opposed to those
of capital. Not only are these two interests
. wholly compatible with, but they are in fact
inseparable from each other. Whatever tends
to the detriment ofthe one, cannot fail to in
Jure the other. Capital and Labor are two
great forces, whose combined and harmonious
action produces wealth; and the share of each
In the common gain is allotted by certain nat
ural and inevitable laws, the force of which II
is impossible for any human Continuance To
resist. The rate of wages is determined nv
competition. Labor is, in one sense, a com
modify which one class wishes to buy and an
other class has to sell; therefore like all other
commodities It'll subject to the natural law
Of supply and demand. When laborers are
abundant in proportion to the demand, wages
are low; when they are few and the demand
great wages are high. Capitalist and laborer.
bargaining with each other, are alike bound
by this natural law, the operation Of which ad
justs the market price as surely as 1t does that
OF corn or cotton. Any successful attempt,
therefore, on the part of the laborer to raise
wages above the rate at which the law of de-
mand and supply would fix them entails loss
upon capital, thereby finding to diminish BRO