The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-02-26
FROM NEW YORK.
AsToR1A, Feb. IS, 1870

! A1AOhAAS reO. lbs lcIO-
TO she EdtOr OTths wOnKIusSAs's ADvooAFu;
: The sole end and aim of all the labor
movements which have convdlsed and
are convulsing the civilized world, ori
ginally was, and now Is, 20 secure
70 the creators Of wealth their hir
share of the produce Of their tolls.
Surely, if any man has a right TO the
means Of existence, that man il the agri.
cultural labOrer; yet we know that he
generally retains less of the fruit of his
labors than even the mechanic manages
to secure; in turn, the mechanic who
builds our cities is to- often unable to
earn, by life of toll, a shelter for bis
family; and the wife of the silk weaver
is probably the last person to obtain
the article for which the world Il in.
debted to the labors of her husband.
In spite of the platitudes of political
economists, il is patent to the common.
sense Of mankind that the distribution
of wealth is manifestly unjust, and il i
to remedy such injustice that labor or
CARNATIONS have latterly been 90 nG
merously formed. Social science phil
osOphers who admire the present systen
are generally not produce = Of food,
shelter, or clothing. They i've on the
other side of the line, and have no OBJ
lection TO their neighbors working for
them gratis. 1t is plain, and getting
every day more plain, that workingmen
and working women are of different
opinion. Holding such opinion, it Is
only natural that they should mSke
land are making) efforts 10 exhibit and
remedy their wrongs
1t was at first believed by many that
the task of obtaining Justice would moi
be very difficult. Were the Judges IN
biased, it would not But the working
class soon found tn u IL was useless 70
appeal to rulers interested in keeping
things as they are. The "Old Man Of
the Sea" had no desire to cease riding
on the back Of the Sinbad" of labor.
The distributors did not complain; It
was not the Stuarts but the Weaver
(whOse labors create them) were as
grieved. The sad economy which re-
wards lawyers and spectators with
hundred or two dollars, and quarry
men and miners with one or two. was
not distasteful to the former. PoIltF
clans and money gamblers much pre-
ferred their present methods az Obtain
ing liberal existence, to grubbing ouI
a scanty livelihood by working o.
benches, tunneling mountains, or even
as is now proposed by way of change
burrowing like rats underground com
and railroads througn
cities.
Such being the case, it is no wonder
that labor's first appeals for justice were
by the above mentioned 49,
terested parties with disdain ard derr
sion. Afterwards, however, they con
descended to inform working men
" that they should study the Lacs Of Po"no~
IN the knoWLedye Of OhIch "g
IOcTc 01"cEsSuOy ueJCCtcW Osu~
Of the same i0o,GId prors to tSeN
that WorEingmen lCere dependent on CcR
itdlists, and had better not qNd'Ta VI
heir bread" This balderdash PreVsDS1
with some worklngmen for time, M
It was quoted over and over again y
our unions although President Llncom
had answered it BY asserting that Az,
was the mother of capital, ana ~
Mormons, in building their city IN sOi
desert without its aid. had fairly prove
hat the noble old lady had suficie"
vitality to produce it again. .o,
But the advice above given WSs III
without its effect. It caused mSu
workingmen to study the su6lecs uoJ
political economy. They soon -
hat this present condition was lesb
nate consequence OF q system win yum
We had inherited from Great brl'