The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-08-11
The Radicals Against the Working.
Men.

ANY system that disproportions ex-
penses to compensation for labor is
false. If man is compelled to spend
more than he earns, the end is bank
ruptcy with the capitalist, and suffer
ing and deprivation with the labOring
classes. 1t looks we'll in print to see
the wages of carpenters, bricklayers,
masons, painters, and hod-carriers quo
ted at high figures. People think they
are in q flourishing condition, and that
the balances in the different savings
banks will testify to tho blessings of
the system which has produced these
results.
But it mrist be borne in mind that the
advance of wages was caused by the
operation of certain well known laws
governing all business transactions.
The laborers became aware of the fact
that their expenses were increasing
with alarming rapidity, that they could
not support their families on what they
received per day. They paid more for
the houses in which they lived, more
for the food put upon their tables, more
for clothing, than they did few years
ago, and hence the necessity for addl-
tiogal compensation. The money gain
ed by toll in any given period, ten
years ago, would purchase a far greater
amount of necessaries than at the pres
ent time. For four days work in 1859,
a laboring man coald buy barrel o!
flonr. Now the same quantity
will take the proceeds OF
eight days labor. Five pounds of tea
could be bought for one days work at
the same period. Now the same amount
of money will only procure two pounds
For one days work in 1859 thirty pounds
of sugar could be put in a wOrkingman's
dwelling; now he can get but half that
quantity in return for the like number
of days toll. Five pounds of coffee now
take all n man can earn in a day, while
in 1859 he could get fourteen pounds toI
the same amount of money. One months
work in 1859 would clothe man, his
wife. and two children for year. Now
it takes fully two and half months to
accomplish the same results. These are
practical results of the system under
which we are operating at the present
time, and they illustrate the bad effects
of disproportioning expenses to com
pensation.
Now why is this, and who are respon
sible' The answer is twofold. First
the Radicals have burdened the natior
with an unheard-of debt, which raises
taxation, and consequently the price o
all articles consumed or used by th'
laboring classes; and secondly, they
prevent the full resources of the country
from being developed by unwise anC
oppressive laws, and in this manner
make the North pay more than her shar'
of the national expenses. 1t is q fac
which the workingmen understand tina
they are the wheel horses; they, at last
foot all the bills. Tax real estate, a
| il is in this city, and at once rent
are raised. Put a heavy hand upor
manufactures, and up goes the pric,
of goods. Let the grocer feel hi
profits dwindling away under th'
repeated calls of the tax-gatherer
and tea. coffee, sugar, salt, aud othe
necessary articles will soon mount NJ
the scale of prices. This is the reason
whv priees are so high-the explana
t;on of the difference between the pro
dnce of n DAYS or a months labor II
1S5e and the same amount OF werk II
1853 To this must be added the fac
that in 1859 we raised from three and
half to five million bales of cotton pc
wear. and the price Of this was added t
the national wealth, distributed amonI
the States and came home TO eacn ma
in the wholesome condition OF 6uslne,s
low taxes and cheap prices. Now tn
cotton crop is not more thah two mll
lion bales, If that, while idle negroe
are supported by the Government at
yearly expense of over twelve million
of dollars.-4ge.