The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-07-04
FROM ILLINOIS.
BRAIDwooD, July /, 1865.

To the Editor Of TIE WoKErsGxAS's ADVOCATE.
That Capital is fully arrayed against
Labor must surely be eyIdent TO every work
ingman who takes even a cu-sory view oi
the workings Of the one in connection with
the other, and the more We examine lis
bearings, applied 10 any trade, without
exception, lhe more fully are We convinced
that the whole system is rotten to the very
bottom.
Reduction after reduction fails upon the
lsborer, ard why Employers, when they
are demonstrated with, regarding the unreA-
sonableness Of snch demands, invariably
say they have no desire to reduce to such a
low fgure-but really there is no demand,
and competition is SO great that in order to
sell, they certainly are compelled to lessen
the expense in the production Of thsmate-
rial. Thus are we cajoled BY false reason
log, and thus the avaricious capitalist al
ways excuses himself for acts Of cruelty
for II 10 nothing short of cruelty to 50 impose
upon the laboIer-he who Is the wealth Of
every halion-he who alone can Justly say,
as be bthOids every improvement Of the
age, "These are mine thase are the work of
my hands" But, would ask, suppose
their Wa no demand for q certain commodity
10 the market, would 1t by reducing the
price Of such, create demandf Ii might, but
II il did il would be false one, and must
surely recoil upon the first producer, because
-apitaI y inexorabIe ard VIII not yield a
1.-THE a is per cen,age. In other words,
suppose Ihe consumption Of coal in the
United States TO be 100000 tons per year,
and the market price to be IS per ton, will
il iuerease the consumption any il the case
Of thaf ton Of coal being reduced to S4i
cannot see wherein Il will, unless il be to
glus Inc market What thenf still greater
rsdatfioa in the reduction Of the material
"A conntry, like an individual, will not as
general rule, purchase more than Il needs
ct anything. Hence the fallacY Of the above
argument, that We are compelled to reduce,
IN order 70 sell. NJ no, we cannot accept
sch reason.
IL In mot the greedy, grasping disposition
81 some wretch who, desirous Of mOnopo-
iizinR tho markets, and that be might com
mand greater sales than his fellows even
nc the cost Of the lAborer--thereby adding
to his already accumulating stock, and Civ
inK another screw 20 the rack Of oppression
that already binds and sfflicts the workman.
The workingman. aye, him whom in this
country, it is ssid, the Government is ser
vant to-; who would think or il, that be
should allow that servant to invest one por-
tion Of the National production with full
power and authority TO sway over, (whose
province il alone to act as a medium Of ex-
change) and make subservieot, all others TO
the will OF its possessOrs, without an ef-
fort to shake 0f that which has been false
TO its pledge, false to its charge, and false
to its master. Add now, my dear sir, it is,
believe, patent to- every workingman
throughout the country, the ravases that
money IL making mon their rights and
privileges-every day it grows stronger and
stronger-and rs il strengthens, the power
of the workman becomes less, and his au-
shority diminishes in happy cOnjuncrfOh
with bis liberty. So viii il continue to DO,
until workingmen make ar effort 10 better
their condinon themselves. They must not
dtr--d upon Governors appointed by capi-
tai an5 faction. No. Capital is arrayed
against labor, and ms a unit 4 stands So
whether il be in the form of Democrat, or
whether IL he la the form Of Republican.
Remember Sherever capital presents itself,
under whateEer cover, in search OF office.
i is, workingmen, as your enemy. There
fore grid ye on your rmor and be We as one
also, let there be no divisions amongst you.
For in that lies your destruction. Be ye
firm in your determination, and determine
Won, one and all, thar ye shall be one party,
aud capital the other. Thus, and thus only,
in my opinion. can lsborin any way cope
with capital, and hope TO be successful
in the cont st.
promised In my last that ! would let you
know hoe our strike progressed. AZ IL still.
driving 90, without any concessions being
made on either side Notices have been
posted up inf0s-ine the men that the woIk
Il ready 90 START bus no conditions being
mentioned, the Inference can be nothing else
than that the trims are the same as hitherto
snrOeassd hy the company, >, and Which the
men struck Against, namely, twenty five
sssss .psrton ef a Fedacsieni aado psid only
Tor What passes over the, large screens, in
sssAd oil tho small ones shat used 20 be. M.
The slime has gvne past that the notices
90 in my last, given for the men 90
vssass che hoases here. Ne attention was
given % these, except tic miners consnlted
=, sssornsy On che Legality Of them, and
upoa his assurance that they were entirely
Illegal, md that the company could not
sjsss by virtue Of ssch, 90 further heed
80 paid fhem- Bat SONS Or the men wers
served on the day before yesterday wiGh nsw
oses, carrying NTH them IN order thar they
nuse lGnss then On Monday, tho 6th Inst,
"a nnnnmnnnie1 uish fha threat thai IL