The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-11-08

LABOR REFORM Mr.. TRAVELLER, President
OF the National Reform Union. delivered an
address upon the subject of Labor Reform be-
lore an audience of about twenty persons, at
the Library Room OF the Maine Charitable
Mechanic Association, last evening John
b. ThorGdike presided. The main theme OF
his address was concentration of capital, which
he characterized as leading inevitably to mon
| acchy; while diffusion means republlcanlsm
and Democracy. He made the startling state
| ment that IS per cent of the wealth OF the
| country was held by per cent. OF the popula-
| ton, and this is the cause of the increase of
| paupersm and crime. He disclaimed all par
| tizanship, but discussed tbs trade relations be-
tween the East and West, and labored to show
that the decline of shipping is due primarily to
the high demands of Interest in America, the
rate being per cent. to per cent. demanded
in England From his collation. o. figures he
deduced the fact that the production of labor
in this country over the consumption of the
laborer is Upper cent, while We are paying
at least Q per cent. for capital, and the differ
ence is bankruptcy. Our indebtedness, ma
tional and individual 81 900 900 900, to pay the
interest of which, at per cent. requires $780,
DOC, 600 of tde earnings of the laboring classes
Government has never had any definite fnan-
cial policy. The value of a dollar has varied
from 2 per cent to 20 per cent. discount; he ice
periodical panics and disorder Under our
want of system we pay 500, 100000 more for
the use of capital than the people of Great
Britain, and this. enables the latter to do the
carrying trade of the, world. John Brigh: says
it costs rs cents to run spindle in Great Brit
ain. 1t costs the American 80 % to do the
same, and custom passes away from us because
the insurer demands his high rate of interest.
While we have coal and iron in abundance we
buy rails in Europe because the capitalist asks
from 10 to % per cent. to establish and operate
rolling mills. The poor 60 hungry ard cold
and barefoot, not because the predictions of
the country are insufficient, but because capital
combines against labor, and they cannot get |
the dollar to buy the necessities of life If the |
labor of theocountry adds only 1.3 per cent. |
to the wealth of the country. and capital de-
mands 9 per cent, it takes 500 900 600 IRON |
the producers and Turns it to the pollution of
legislation. 1t doesn't matter who occupies
the places of power5so, long as the capitalist
possesses the power to sweep the surplus of
labor into the cofferso of the few. Every dol |
lars worth of surplus that has been sent to Eu-
rope in the last four years cas- gone to pay the |
interest on our debt, and every dollar imported |
adds to the debt of the nation. II proposition |
was made to change the form of cur govern
ment to a monarchy we would violently resist |
it; but let concentration continue and the |
change is imperceptibly made. The working |
men are charged with the want of intelligence. |
We ask where is the intelligence of the polti- |
clans when they suffer our shipping to be pros |
trated and all our industries paralyzed. We |
demand a reform or we will bury these people |
30 low that the trump of the archangel will |
never resurrect them. We must diagnosis the |
disease and apply the remedy. t,1is ,a. I'D
The speaker then went on to compare the |
national and,local system of banking in favor
of the latter, but charged the government with |
negecting the provisions of the Constitution,
which empowers it to coin money and declare |
the value of it; but even the specie coinage
when it gets out from under the flag where it |
is made becomes mere bullion, and is an arti- |
Gle of commerce.; it has q Commercial but no |
legal value. He went on to discuss the ques-
tion of finance, and after he got through La |
Dor Reform League was formed.
Mr.. Trevelick is an orator of the Sam Gary |
in words, with an abundance Of |
figures at command, and rather sensational |
orator. rlau -