Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-08-26
THURSDAY MORNING, Aug. 20, 1869

THE LABOR UNION PLATFORM
The labor class in this country forms a
large proportion of its inhabitants, and
when you separate that class from all
other interests and form it into a pal ty
for the purpose of efecting any political
or social object, its power becomes at
once irresistible, provided it can be held
together and marshaled fully UP to the
object to be attained; for we may say It
is the movement of the people, a. IL
outside of the laborlng class could not
muster respectable minority. But this
may never be. Though we should &C
custom ourselves to look az matters as
they are now presenting themselves
somewhat differently from what we have
done heretofore. AS the education and
intelligence of the masses progress the
body of the people who form those
masses and who are the workers. will
have their say in the formation of the
laws that are to govern them. They
get this idea naturally from the repub-
lican institutions of the country.
The prosperity of the country can
never be seriously retarded by the le-
gislation that may emanate from it's la
borers, provided they have sufficient in-
telligence in the choice of their repre-
sentative men and law makers to shun
the political tricksters and demagogues
who are ever ready with the tender of
their services, for offices and spoils
The recent national labor convention
is an important "new movement" in the
affairs of this country, and the interests
represented there are amply sufficient to
govern this great country. It is no
doubt that the effect of the movement
will somehow or other be ininical to
free trade, as free trade allows the pros
ducts of the laboring classes of Europe
to come in competition with the labor.
ing classes of this country is folly
to suppose that self does not govern in
all such matters, more or less. The la
boring classes may think certain altera-
tons In public measures would improve
their condition. If they have not the
power to effect those alterations, why of
course, those who oppose the alteration
will not let them make it. But If their
numbers give them the power, of course
they will demand the alteration; possi--
bly,, even If it goes to the extent of de-
manding-we say dernandirg-that no
article shall be imported into this coun-
try that can in any way, shape or form
be manufactured here. gss3s4 s
We are not exactly "a nation of shop-
keepers, but there is strong tendency
in the masses to make US nation, and
a nation, too, of manufacturers; and if
it should occur to the people that they
can make their circumstances easier by
whiting out notions and steam engines
themselves and swopping them off a.
mong themselves and their neighbors on
this continent, rather t an send abroad
for their notions and steam engines, it is
quite likely they will do so. And as
they have to produce the wealth to pay
the taxes and the national debt, they
may some how see their way very clear
how that sort of arrangement may about
bring them out even with the capitalists
who own the land and the bonds of the
nation. OF course, this sort of process
might look somewhat like the operation
of our all swapping jackets among
ourselves; but this is very large coun-
try and it proauces a large quantity Of
gold and other metals, which constitute
wealth, besides what cotton, tobacco and
other "sass" which the "outside oarba-
rians' are willing to give MS gol4 for
Now, the idea may be, if we u.aio our
own notions we need not send our gold
abroad to pay other people for making
them, and then if we send what cotton,
etc., that we make over and above what
we want for our own use, and get more
gold for that, that between the gold we
save by making our own notions, and
the gold we make by selling what we
send abroad, we shall soon be rich, and
able to pay off the national debt and all
other debts, and have something TO go
upon, This may not be such bad idea,
after all, and if the Southern people can
ever be induced to make sectional ap-
plication of it. they will find it Won
derful panacea for the ills that atsict
them at present. Some might term it
''home manufacturing" but as that-isa
not popular term at the South. at this
time, we will not. Ff EFTk1T n
But we have rather depressed. We
started out, "at the case, without copy
or notes, merely to cogitate little on
the platform of the National Labor
Union, or in other words, merely to give
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