The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-15
Work and Wages.

folly and extravaganza of the rulers Of man
kind. Where placid content slumberousll
reigns, there is neither progress nor I'M
provement Dissatisfaction is the precur
sor OF inquiry of thought and OF action
And in the steadiness with which the work
ing classes, the wide world over, strive tc
elevate themselves to plane OF superior
prosperity we recognize, not only sense
of the necessity of advancement, but also 8
consciousness that the power is possessed
to obtain, sooner or later, all that is SC
eagerly and anxiously desired.
The working classes, as those are dis
tinctively called who earn their daily bread
by manual labor, must be in the majority in
every community. Under any social organ.
ization the lot o. the many must be one o.
privatien, hardship and toll. To make that
toll as easy as may be, to secr-e to the
worker all the fruits Of his labor, to reduce
as far as possible the necessary pains O.
these who obey
-''the original ordinance that man
''Must sweat for his poor pittance;'
these are the aims Of the enlightened states
men and economists Of the age. And much
has already been accomplished While the
working classes Of Europe are still knock
ing at the gates, the workingmen of Amer
lea stand within the citadel Here there are
no laws which prevent the workingmen from
regulating their own affairs ip their ewn
way. Although protective tariffs, and leg
islation for the benefit of the monopolist,
blot the statute books, there is no enactment
which embarrasses the workingmen in their
endeavors to increase the benefits and exalt
the dignity of labor. The ballot gives them
power; the schoolmaSter, the lecturer and
the journalist will teach them how to use it
Alright; and there are not wanting staid and
thoughtful men who believe that, in less
than ten years, the working classes of the
United States will control every popular
election.
Slavery, which prevented white immigra-
ton, and made competitive free labor i'm
possible, allowed the atmosphere of the
South to remain undisturbed, and perhaps
unpurifed, by the currents OF economic agi-
tation. The cooperative store, the indus
trial partnership the combination of en-
ployers against the employed, or of the en-
ployed against the employers, was unknown
in the Southern States. When the war
closed, the freedmen held aloof, and the
white workingmen were eager for employ
ment. There was no immediate talk Of
making the position of the willing worker
more pleasant and secure. This, indeed,
appeared to be impracticable. But, now,
circumstances are declared to have changed,
the wave of agitation breaks on our quiet
shores, and the white w6fkingmen, assem-
bled together, give expression to the opin-
ion that they must be up and doing, to OBJ
tain better wages and to guard themselves
well from oppression and from wrong.
OF the attempt which is making to use the
workingmen as means ofgiTing notoriety
to political adventurers, an uf imparting
new life to moribund poltl, party, we
have nothing now to say What we have
to deal with is the fact that our white work
ingmen are determined to obtain, if posi-
BILE, o better price for their labor; not by
threat or intimidation, but by peaceful COM
binatiOn and concerted unity of action.
This is matter which touches each and
every one of us. The price of labor, in the
absence Of combinations, is fair gauge of
the prosperity OF community. Where the
price is low, the supply of labor outstrips
the demand, or else the demand for labor
has decreased while the supply has remained
stationary Either horn of the dilemma is
bad enough. In neither case is wealth
accumulating nor are the people growing
rich. We are, therefore, deeply interested
in ascertaining the reasons why labor in this
community is poorly paid, and in determin
ing whether this unfortunate result comes
from natural and temporary causes, or from
the absence in South Carolina of the pro-
tective Trade Unions which exist, we be-
ieve, in every Northern and Western State.
If there has been any overt combination
among the employers to keep down the
wages Of the workingman, we know ii not.
If there has been any desire among the cap
italists, few as they are, to oppress and de-
grade the artisan and laborer, it has not
come to our ears. But we feel that every
man is entitled to ga fair days wages for a
'fair days work." and, when body of
hardy workingmen desire to make known
their grievance and explain their pressing
wants, we, at least, cannot throw cold water
on their toing. On the contrary, we shall
aid them to the best of our ability in acting
with prudence, temperance and justice in
the grand work now seriously begun.
COMPLAINT is made that the watchmen did
not promptly ring the alarm when the fire
broke out in Calhoun street on Sunday
morning. AT the fire in East Bay last week,
and at the recent fire at the Citadel, the
alarm was not rung until at least twenty
minutes after the flames were plainly viSi-
a e Il.