The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-25
THE PROPOSED LABOR PARTY.

That the members of the Labor Conven-
ton Just held in Philadelphia, acted wisely
in declining to adopt the proposition of Mr..
Helper to form a political party based dis
tinctively on the interests of wokingmen
and opposed to those of capitalists admits, |
we think, of little doubt. Nothing but the |
EXTREMIST necessity such as would justify a |
revolution, should induce the taking of such |
a step. In a country like this, especially |
where all the avenues to wealth and honor |
stand open to every one alike, it is as unwise |
as it is wicked to attempt to foment dissen- |
sions and discord between employers and the |
employed. Their political interests are not |
antagonistic, but identical, and whichever |
class seeks to legisate against the other, by
that very course Injuries itself. We trust that
the day is far distant when the workingmen
of the United States will need to band to-
gether in political array in order to obtain
the rights to which they are Justly entitled,
and we are quite sure that they will not un-
dertake the task for any meaner object.
The assumption is constantly made in the
discussion of questions connected with the
subject of labor, and too often yielded by the
friends Of the workingmen, and even by the
worBingmen themselves, that they do, in fact
occupy aninferior position in society. There
is a widespread notion-the legacy of bygone
ages of ignorance and mistalie-that all labor
is a curse and that kind of labor most 50 of
all which deals with material substances. In
spite of our democratic talk. nine-tenths of
our people are fixed in the belief that to live
in idleness and have somebody else do the
necessary work of the world is better than
to work oneself. Every man almost is
anxious to accumulate money enough to live
on the income of it-which means that other
people shall take and use the property that he
| will not and cannot use himself, and pay him
enough for his expenses and even his luXu-
| ;1,, 10, Obi
| dren the property itself intact This idea
developed itself most fully in the Southern
! States in negro slavery. White men there
were too proud and too lazy to handle a me-
chanic's tools OF the implements ofhu husbandry,
but left all that sort of thing to their bond
slaves. Here at the North we had no slaves,
but we had and still have a great deal too
much Of the slavish idea of work.
This false assumption the worllingmen
must themselves aid in overthrowing by their
own efforts They must not admit, or allow
any one to admit on their behalf, that they
deserve sympathy OF compassion, or are in
any way objects Of pity, because they earn
their living by the sweat of their brows The
capitalist who employs them should in no
manner be dealt with or spoken of otherwise
than as an equal, and neither envied nor
hated because he does not himself put his
hand to the tasks they are engaged in. That
, they do not associate with him and his family
, when their work is done is no proof of social
much less of political inequality. Every
man has a right to choose his own company
and it is proper for the mechanic
to take it for granted that his employer keeps
aloof from him as much from a sense of in
feriority or unworthiness, as for the contrary
reason. The time is rapidly approaching
when there will be no ground for even a sus-
5 picion Of contempt on either side on this ac-
3 count, and when the question will not be
asked in social circles whether a man makes
goods or sells them, or whether his work deals
with bricks and wood and metal, OF with pen
and ink and paper whether he comes
from the workshop, the counting-room, the
studio, the sick room, or the court house.
; But the advent of that time would be greatly
retarded if worldngmen were to array them
selves in hostile attitude to the rest of the
= body polite, and openly proclaim that they
. were caste by themselves Their true course
= is to break down and obliterate as much as
possible the distinction between themselves
- and other men, and not make it permanent.
. Let them show the nobility of soul which
. they really possess by their industry, THEN
% virtue, and their patriotism, and they need
q not trouble themselves with the fear that
y they may be trodden under foot because they
" cannot make and unmake the fortunes OF
q political candidates