The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-08-26
Tho Proposed Labor Party.

1no PROPOSED LABOR PAFtys
Hon he Hei0 York Sun.
That The members Of the Labor Con-
yenton, just held In Philadelphia;
acted wisely Ia declining 10 Aaupt the
proposition OF Mr.. Helper, 70 form q
political party based dlsllucIIyely on
the interests oil worklngmen and on.
posed TO those Of capitalists admItg. We
think, OF little doubt. Nothing bat he
EXTREMIST necessity, such ~ would iuR.
lily q revolution, should induce the
taking Of such q step, In a country
IKE luis, especially where Gil the ave.
nues 10 wealth and honor stand open 10
every one alike, II is as unwlse as II Ia
wicked TO attempt TO foment diBsensIonH
and dlHcord between employers and the
employed. Their political Interests are
NOT antBRonlatiC, but Identical, and
whichever class seeks TO legiBlate
against the other, by that very course
Injuries ITSELF We trust that the day ia
lar distant when the Worklngmen oil
the United States will need 10 band to.
gether In political array In order 10 OBJ.
tain the rights TO which they are Justly
entitled, and we are quite sure that they
Will not undertake the task for any
meaner object.
The assumption Ia constantly made
In the discussion OF questions connect.
cd with the subject OF labor, and too
Often yielded by the friends Of the
Wofkingmen and even the WORKING
men themselves, that they do In fact
occupy an inferior position In society.
There 10 q widespread notIon-the lega.
oy. OF bygone ages OF ignorance and
mistake-that all labor 10 q curse, and
that kind OF labor most 30 Of all which
deals with material substances, In
spite OF our democratictalk, nIne.tenths
OF our people are lxed In the belief
that TO live In ldleness and have some
body else do the necessary work Of the
world is better than 10 work ones self,
Every man, almost, Ia anxious 10 accu.
molAIe money enough 10 live on the In.
come OF it-w hlCh means that other
people shall take and use the property
that he Will not and cannot use himself,
and pay him enough for bis expenses
and even his luxuries, besides returns
Ing TO him or bis children 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 10 handle q me-
chanic's tools or the implements Of hus.
bandry, 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 q great deal too much OF the
slavlsh idea OF work.
This false assumption the working
men must themselves aid In overthrow.
Ing by their own efforts. They must
not admit, or allow any one 10 admit
on their behalf, that they deserve sym.
pathy or 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 Gs an equal,
and neither envied nor hated because
be does not himself put his hand to the
tasks they are engaged In. That they
do not ASSOCIATE with him and his fami.
~ when their work Is done, ID no proof
OF social, much less Of political IneQua.
lily. Every man has right 10 choose
his own company, and II Is proper for
the mechanic TO take It for granted
that his employer keeps aIoof from him
as much from sense OF inferiorlty or
W. "OAkHAAH09I 40 IVA hA9 COntGuII Iehs
son. The time is rapidly ap.
preaching when there will be no
ground for even q suspicion OF
contempt on either side on this account
and when the question will not be ask.
ed In social circles whether a man
makes goods or sells them, or whether
his work deals with bricks and wood
and metal, or with pen and Ink and
paper; whether he comes from the
workshop, the counting room, the stu.
do, the sick room, or the court house.
But the advent Of that time would be
greatly retarded II workldg men were
to array themselves In hostile attl-
tude to the rest ofthe body polite, and
oppenly proclaim that they we're q
caste by themselves. Their true course
Is 10 break down and obliterate as
much as possible the distinction be-
tween themselves and other men, and
not make It permanent. Let Them
show the nobility Of soul which they
really possess by their industry, their
virtue and their patriotism, and they
need not trouble themselves with the
fear that they may be trodden under
foot because they cannot make and uu
make the fortunes OF political cnudi.
dates.