The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-05-10
The Relations O & Capital and Labor
Letter from Gen. Butler.

General Butler has written letter in
which he describes the changes that
have taken place in few years in the
management of the great manutactur-
ing establishments of New England, and
in the character Of the operatives, and
expresses his views of the proper policy
to be pursued hereafter in the following
terms:
1t seems to me that the time has
come for the interference of the Legisla-
ture in the investigation at least of the
limit of the hours OF labor, and the
limit of the employment Of youth, to
determine now far it is best for the State
that its children shall be deprived Of an
opportunity for education and training
by the employment of its young life i'll
accommodating the gains of selfish parents
or adding to the profits of equally selfish
capitalists; also, what safeguards ought
to be placed around the lives and limbs
of the operatives engaged in managing
huge and powerful machines, where a
false step or false motion may cost the
the life or limb. On this very necessary
and important subject our statute books
are wholly silent, while thelawS of Eng
| land are dotted all over with penal en-
actments to preserve the persons of the
| laborers from accident.
Also, to inquire as to what may be
done to insure a far division of the re-
wards of labor as against the profits of
capital. In word, that the law may
intelligently do in this most important
relation of life and business what it
ought to do and does do, in almost
every other, step in and restrain the
strong from crushing the weak, ard
and protecting the needy against the
promptings of avarice or the cruelty of
selfshness.
Of course, to do this effectively and
Justly to both parties requires accurate
and careful observation OF the condi
tons and relations of the operative to
the employe, and of labor to capital, a
full examination and report upon the
abuses which require remedy, iull I'M
derstanding and comprehension OF all
the facts on the one side and on the
other which should guide legislation, to
the end that injustice may not be done
TO the employer, the citizen when en-
ployed snail not be without adequate
protection by the laws.
| was more than gratitied at the es-
adjustment of the Bureau of Statistics
and inquiry into the connection Of
labor with capital, and have exam
ined the report of that bureau with the
utmost interest and attention. | most
earnestly desire that this work may 90
on, and that the Legislature, with a
liberal hand, will afford all necessary
and proper assistance; and that the
objects of its investigation may take a
more extended range. In my judy
ment there are no statistics so vital TO
the future well-being of the Common
wealth as those which would be gath
cred by the bureau. a struggle is just
commencing here between capital and
labor. If the contest is pursued with
harshness, intensity and bitterness of
feeling, it will be because of want of
knowledge by both parties of the duties
of each to the other, and the rights of
either relative to the other Let the capt.
talist remember thatunlike England here
the vote of the laborer controls capital
in legislation, and that if capital desires
to preserve itself from unjust legislation
it must be because labor yields the bal
lot with intelligence. Let capital also
remember that abuses, if any exist, in
its relations with labor, cannot be hid
den, and may grow all the more mag
nificent in their proportions from being
partially unknown. A wrong under
stood only to be felt as fear, is always
the most terrible The voter unin-