The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1867-06-18
THE LABOR MOVEMENT.

THE bABOh MONEmENT.
There is an old maxim that capital is
cautious. No one will dis.
pute the aromatic verify Of this PROPOSE.
ton. That capital is cautious is a well
attested fact, and no argument is needed
to substantiate the truthfulness Of this
postulate. 1t is equally true that capital
is distrustful, and is controlled by want
Of confidence and faith in the masses. The
rich man is inclined to the belief that all
the world, especially the poor, design to
rob him.
Accordingly, he gathers himselfup within
himself, and throws out his pickets to
guard each avenue, and soon becomes
selfish to degree truly astonishing. When
in his early struggles, had he been told
how selfish he would by-and.by-as he
prospered-become, he would have said,
els thy servant dog, that he should do
this thing?" Since this labor movement
has assumed form and shape, we see this
over-cautious spirit Of capital cropping out
everywhere; and the first cry against the
cooperative movement and against every
effort to secure TO labor its honest earn.
ings is agrarianism.
Everybody knows that agrarianism is
a monstrous crime, diabolical in its incep-
ton, progress and contamination. No
sane or rightminded man can endure IL.
But now, as always, when a great move
ment is inaugurated, and the ground upon
which 1t rests for support cannot be over
thrown, then those who desire to defend it
are wont to resort to arguments which
have no validity in their application to the
question under consideration. II q noble
mastif or q snarling cur annoys you, you
have only to cry mad dog, and you will
soon be rid Of the troublesome beast. So
with respect to any movement, moral,
political, or social; give it bad name and
you will cripple its power for, at least,
time. Hence, just at this time, the cry, as
we have said, Of agrarianism is raised
against the labor movement. All such
objections against it, however, are friv.
OiouSiy iiciSNuhtt uhlouhueui ulu uDsuIu'
The intelligent laborer wants not, nor does
he ask for, anything more than just re-
muneration for his toll. He would not
deprive capital of any Of its just rights.
All that properly belongs to it he would
most willingly conceded. When, therefore,
it is attempted to check this most benef-
cent reform by the cry of agrarianism, it
must not be thought strange il there be
found those who deny these ad captain
dun arguments, and call for something
more than mere assertion to disprove the
enterprise known as the labor movement.
JESUS Of Nazareth said in his day, chow
hardly shall q rich man enter the Kingdom
Of Heaven" and we may certainly say in
our time, chow difficult it is for rich man
to comprehend the true relations Of cap.
ital and labor"
We have had our attention called es-
pecially to this subject, by reading the
letter Of Hon. GLRRIrr SMITH upon the
question of confscation; and while we
agree with this great and good man in al
most all he he says respecting confscation,
having no faith in it as a remedy against
the injuries imposed upon us by the re-
bellion, we do not believe with him that
there is the slightest occasion to appre.
bend that the agrarian doctrines will be
applied in the North, or that such doctrines
are in any sense the offspring of the labor
movement among us.
Let no man be driven from his purpose
to secure to labor its just reward because
of the senseless cry Of agrarians; but let
each man do what in him lies to Sc
cure to capital all that properly belongs
TO it. At the same time let him devote as
much influence and as much time as is
possible to the grand cooperative labor
movement which is bound to be fully |
developed and practically adopted and
pplied.
We see il stated that on the 9th June
here is to be labor convention in Albany,
I. Y. We shall watch this meeting with
much interest, and we trust its delibera-
ions will be productive of much good.