The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-15
Gremiltg state au,trnat.
TUESDAY EVENING. AUG. Is, 1871.
THE NATIONAL LABOR CONVENTION.


New Party OrQanized-Nominations 10 be
Made for President and Vice President-The
Platform.
81. Louis, NO., Aug. 10.-The declara-
ton of the principles with which the Ma
tional Labor party propose to go before the
country, next year, as a political party, is
as follows: PEI M
Referring to the call for National Con-
vention to nominate President and Vice
President, they say, in making this call,
and presuming to enter into competition
with existing parties, it is meet we should
give to the world our reasons, as well as
our proposed remedies for existing evils.
Government is founded on sovereignty
and the consent of the governed, and its
purpose is to protect property and enforce
national rights, and thus give to all an
equitable chance in the race of life. The
land, water, air, and all natural elements,
are common gifts |; governments are only
trustees to guard against their misapplica-
ton; and, as trustees, they have no right
to ALLEVIATE them without the consent of the
owner, freely given. All class legislation
whereby these original and common ele-
ments, or the proceeds of the same en-
HANGED by intelligent labor, are perverted
from their origieal design, and made to in
ure to the benefit of non-producers and in
jury of producers, is wrong, and subver-
sive of the purposes of good government.
All able-bodied, intelligent persons should
contribute to the common stock, by fruit
full industry, a sum or quantity equal to
their own support; and legislation should
tend, as far as possible, to the equitable
distribution of the surplus products. If
these propositions are true, our govern
ment is wholly perverted from its true de-
sign, and the sacred names of Democracy
and Republicanism are synonyms of des-
potism, and the parties represented there
by as now organized, are engines of oppres-
sion, crushing out the lives Of the people.
We need only to point to the facts, that
in this benelicient country of unlimited re-
sources, with the land annually groaning
beneath the products Of human effort, the
mass of the people have no supply beyond
their daily wants, and are compelled, from
unjust conditions, in sickness and misfor-
tune to become paupers and Migrants.
Pauperism and crime are the prevailing
questions of all modern craftsmanship, and
IL ID Will ttlcSc VIZ lltbfC, W ucttl. HOW
these evils are connected with the abuses
inflicted on labor, a superficial statesman
ship seems not to perceive. Chattle slavery
has been abolished, but the rights and rela-
tons of labor stand just where they did
before emancipation, in respect TO the divi-
sion of its products. The difference lies
only in the methods Of obstructing the re-
suits, and concentrating them in the few
capitalists, now the masters and dictators
of terms; and thus all labor is practically
placed in the same condition Of the slave
before his emancipation. In thus placing
it the interest of all labor becomes common,
and they must fight the battle in unity if
they would succeed. What, then, are the
instrumentalities by which these wrongs
are inflicted? .1rr..I4f5s frl..t
Fust-Banking and monied monopolies,
by which, through ruinous rates of interest,
the productions of human labor are con-
centrated in the hands of non-producers.
This is the great central source of these
wrongs, and through which all other mo-
nopolies exist and operate.
Second Consolidated railroad and other
transit monopolies, whereby all industries
are taxed to the last mill they will bear,
for the benefit of the stockholders and
STOCKHOLDERS. rs.5rF -ryt as..,,,
Thud-Manufacturing monopolies,
whereby small operators are crushed and
the price of labor and its products are de-
termined with mathematical certainty in
the interest of capitalists.
Foufh-Land monopolies, by which the
public domain is absorbed by few specu-
lators. H4Stsh nahA
FVM-Commercal and grain monopo-
lies, specializing and enriching their bloated
corporations on human necessities.
We propose to restore the government
to its original purpose, and, as far as possi-
Bile, to remedy these evils and remove their
results. ~ fs<i ss ~
FTsEBy establishing monetary sys-
tenn based on the facts and resources of the
nation, in harmony with the genius of the
government, and adapted to the exigencies
of legitimate commerce. To this end the
circulating notes Of the National and State
banks, as well as all currency that is not
full legal tender, should be Withdrawn from
circulation, and paper currency issued by
the government, which shall be legal tender
in the payment of all debts, public and pri-
vate, dues on imports included, and declared
the lawful money of the United States.
This currency or money to be interchangea-
BILE at the pleasure Of the holders of gov
eminent bonds bearing per cent. interest;
the government creditors to have the privi-
lege of taking the money or the bonds at
their election, reserving to Congress the
right to regulate the rate of interest on the
bonds and the value of the currency, so as
to effect the equitable distribution of the
products of labor between money or nom
nraduninO oapitol auJ pro1uo t;va IN d,,ctrxy