Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-04-30
THOUGHTS FOR wORKINGMEN,

i I o. 4 M. I..vld ,,ot 20 10 would clOge
ON ~ ~. =, hat n great
ous oII -a1ol,,;nr hes nassed aver
anu s'an",. '' rUroos;ns in he tread
ene ,rIsL -, M inns ana nrin
n;n,ny &C he no.srnment and bathing It's
S,pis' " ~ ~ eod = nj ,aars If thonsends
ae arr. &c halnIass victims This
sain.;nu shonrh bowaver great ia mot
20, no,nn,s;s Thera il vet work for the
800, "a hsrd. IA heads Of our peo.
rias"Is Is not h the nature of reyolu.
,;Sas - ,sovai, hackwards, and hence /
49, w ~ ~ hat our n.onle will he able
as 80. ~ ,h ~ storm mi retSrn 10 their an.
o;sn, N oor;ngs The hest that we can
do - ~ d;,sct Ia coarse "A we'll As we
can and evblve good if we may, out of
~ba, sssms 20 he anvil
IN cbansss which have occurred ne.
oAss ~ o,hers and among them none
= s 800 o,rsrsnt 10 The ave of an atten-
.;va 'ohssryer than the necessity of re-
as;,,s';nr onr social and nolitical svstem
- sscnra N avery one n fair
sswsrd tor his labor and no more If IL
ha trna that the sum of human labor
nroSnces a total Of a given amount. then
ne rneonal distrihution of IL. whereby a
few ge, m;llionsl and the many bare
snbs;stence Involves a gross Injustice to
soms one and the political system which
silows II Ia sadly ont Of harmony with
the dictates Of Justice and right. II
certainly eyinces a great failure to ad-
inst nroperly the respective claims of
can;tal and labor. II is true that our
const;tutions proyids against granting
n,ononol;ea and nrohibits class legisla.
ton and our legislators have eyinced a
commendable jealousy upon the subject,
Vet with ali that thew have not only been
occasionally BETRAYED into error infring-
inc upon their constitutional inhibition
lint have strangely enough entirely over
looked the equally mischieyous and de.
structive monopolies which grow out of
accidental and fortuitous events, or
result from the wakeful diligence and
unscrupulous arts of ayarice. These.
while thew are not the offspring of inju.
dicious legislative grants. are vet fraueht
v;tb all the evils that flow from them.
Take. for example. the city of Boston
or New York. A few men in each of
these cities are worth from one to fifteen
or twenty millions of dollars. Who does
not know that this immense capital is
constantly being used to depress or in.
fate the markets of the country, to suit
the views of these millionaires and their
friends. regardless of the claims of honest
industry and the cries of the helpless
poor? They thus control the labor of
the poor and dole out to them and their
holpiess wives and children Just such
subsisterce as may suit their own views
and minister to their own devilish cupid.
ity And let me ask, too, where is the
legislative body that is above the infiu-
ence of such concentrated power.
Again, take the case of the sole owner
shin by one man of a large district of
farming land, or large number of
business and tenement houses in city.
/ appeal TO the experience of both |
country and city tenants to bear me in
the assertion, that the earnings of the |
tenant class, in a large majority of in
stances, are SO reduced by exorbitant |
rents as to leave but small share to the |
laborer and his family. And thus the |
laboring millions, whose toll alone swells
the sum of human products, are ground |
to the earth to feed the pride and pamper
the luxury and arrogance of the cum
ming and avaricious few. These evils |
are not confined to small localities or
isolated communities; their roots have
struck deem into our social and political |
systems. and millions drink the bitter
cup to the dregs without knowing the
hand that mixed it.
Is society always to groan under this
burden or shall we 90 earnestly to work |
and remove it? and if the latter, how is
il to he done? To harmonize capital
and labor by some method that will curb |
the rapacity of the former. and relieve
the pains Of the latter, is a question that
is lust now attracting anew the attention
of reformers in almost every part Of the |
world, except our own.
Among the various schemes which | |
have seen s uggested none have struck |
me with so much force as the one which |
has recently been proposed in England. |
and that IL TO limit every mans private
fortune 10 a given sum. Now, without
intending to indicate any sum as a given |
poiut 70 which persons might be con-
lined. | respectfully suggest that a vast
ann of human misery might be avoided |
NV a law nrobibiting anyones priyate |
fortune exceeding the sum Of one |
hundred thousand dollars. Perhaps fftv |
tbonsand might be enough. The truth Is.
mo mans services TO the world are worth |
more than the former sum and yery few |
are worth that much. It is enough for
ali nurnoses of personal comfort and the !
d;scbarge of ali social and relative du-
lies An beyond that il a mere surplus
I - . &c o,.x,-o,.;oI a.