The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-22
The Labor Question.

ot capital, without any other design than To
escape from labor and 10 make capital for
themselves. They have no interest in the
working classes. They are simply striving,
in the use of clap-trap, to make the labor
crs of the community subservicnt to their
own political and social advancement. Such
is the present policy of the whole Radical
party-frOm lis Alpha 10 its Omega from
Wendell Phillips down to Governor Scott.
Mr. Phillips pr0claimS that the political
role OF the negro is ended, and urges Il con-
test of labor against capital. The grcat
bull-fro% OF the turbid pond has sounded the
alarm and p,iilcd away to new quarters,
and every tadpolc Of the species is following
in his wake.
To this class Of politicians the plan for
rcconsiructins society is very simple. They
propose ''shortcr work and higher wages
as tho social panacca They seem to i'm
aginc that capital is fund which propric-
tors are seliishly retaining to their own uses,
and which the labornS community may
draw upon without limit. They iuvciyh
| against the economic principle which rc.u-
iatcs the rate Of wages everywhere law
| asserted by political scientists, that re,nune-
ration dcpcnds upon the relations OF capital
and population, upon the amount of money
invested in any kind of industry and the
amount of profit accruing TO it, on the one
hand; and Oh the other upon the amount
and quality OF labor seeking employment in
| that special business. These schemers have
been busily engaged, not only during the
war, but ever since the war, in conliscating
the capital and taking the profits from which
wages arc derived; and now they dcnounce
the employer, as if he, not they, were re-
sponslble for the privations of the working
classes! Such is the policy by which the
haseSt OF all the political parties that have
! ever ruled this country seeks to win Il new
lease of power. Whatever may be the sue
cess Of the project, its impudcncc is sublime.
The working classes will not need any
great amount OF acumen and reelection to
| lind where the true difficulty lics,-wc refer
Id the Intelligent among the working classes.
or course, when Pompcy Ducklcgs, who
blacks boots, is told that he ought To have a
dollar pair for his work, and that he Slt,X
hare MS ''iyhtS, if lie will vote for Morphine
Jawbrcak, ESQ, as general Inspector of
Boots, (with salary of $500 year, the
'swart artisan" will enter into any sort of
union, and cast any sort of vote that may
be required. Tie will not reflect that, OF this
rate, people may prefer TO eschew blucking,
or to polish their own boots. But, even in
this event, his advisor will claim the honor
and the olIicc-of q friend OF the working
classes.
The thoughtful operative knows very we'll
that higher wages augment the expenses of
production, and that when pushed beyond
certain point of expenditure, the capitalist
can derive no profit from his investment, but
must divert it to some other business. If
the latter had the monopoly Of the market,
he could save himself by raising tho price
OF his offices, or his goods. Unfortunately
this is not the case with us. we have lost
Sl4, 000, coo OF the capital controlled by the
city before the war. loss to every class i'm
The community While Savannah 10 the
South, and Wilmington and Norfolk TO the
North .laTe renewed their ancient rivalry
with us, we have not yet wholly recovered
from the dcso!atOns of the blockade, the great
fire, the bonibartlmcnt; from the rayagcs
of cotton agents and Federal generals and
bErcaH agents; from tho incubus Of Sicklcs
ana CanhF and Scott; from the Nisitations
of droughls ana dcinagogues, of catcrpillars
and carprt-baggcrs. And now the insatiatc
lcechc: who are draining the life blood Of
the community; who with every now incl
sion have renewed the cry, Give, givc;" who
have never said and who never viii! say, "It
is cnongh;' vino VIII never let go until they
draw into their pestilcnt carca,scs the whole
substance OF the State of South Carolina
these monsters are striving to infuriatc the
poverty which they themselves have created
against the property which they failed TO
steal!
We honestly and earnestly feel that We arc
acting for the best interests Of the working
classes, when VIC urge them not to press the
employers and capitalists of Charleston.
The men upon whom The interests of oil de-
pend are just getting upon their feet Their
prosperity is the prosperity of all. They
are striving to secure what will benefit all
the concentration of the products Of the State
in the City OF CharlestOn--.hc planting of Il
forest of masts in the hari,or of Charleston
The construction Of all the agricultural and
mechanical implements we need in the
workshops and foundries of Charleston.
With the sentiment OF that noble appeal
urged by the Hon. w. s. IIcncrcy, and pub
lishcd in out issue of Thursday last, we en-
tirC!y aurcc pI, orr pnorla ot;;I ,l:y,l,,,
that self forsctful fortitudc which distiu-
guishcd them during the whole war. Int
ihcin, as they then did, sacrifice present ,;,l-
vantage to The hope OF future gooI-l hope
which this Instance cannot deceive; for
the restoration OF business to the city will
promote the interest OF every citizen. N
OF us are fricnds-wc have lived together,