The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-09-02
COMPULSORY INDUSTRY.

in the Chicago Times practIced his
leaden pen, in late issue of that paper,
on the subject of compulsory indus
try" Had industry in the common
schools been compulsory when this wri-
ter was a school boy the readers of the
\ Times would have been saved from a
column of boSh, twaddle and driveling.
We have no right to ask + expect
anything in the way Of reason orsargu-
ment from a newspaper which has taken
upon itself to write down the labor
movement but his new zeal of the
Times makes it forget that an appear
ance of honesty, at lie lst, is a necessary
condition of influence with the people.
If the Times had been anxious to know
what the Labor party mean by 'useful
industry" it would not have identified
it with manual labor only" Useful
industry, as defined in all the standards
Of the Labor party, comprehends all
Il Dor which benefits man, whether in
the field, mine, workshop, laboratory,
studio or library, all production and its
distribution, all intellectual and art
effort and its publication A doctors
calling is useful, even in compounding
pill for the Times editor, and lawyer
engaged in defending the Times in a
SANDER suit, or policeman protecting
Story from ''the blondes" might be ex
amples OFFS useless industry" yet the
platform Of the Labor party would say
the laborer was worthy of his h:re-big
hire even in these cases
The Labor party insist that labor, in
the broad sense indicated, is tie sole
source of wealth to the nation as to the
individual, and therefore each liable
bodied individual, IN the line Of his
profession, calling or occupation, should
. ~ontrihnte something to the common
stock. The property of every man
should represent valuable services rem
dered 70 society. 1t is Just here that
labor reform meets the anger of such
papers as the Times What would be-
come Of the gigantic fortunes which
have been heaped up by fraud and
wrong, by gambling, stock iobbing,
grain specializing and stealing generally?
The Labor party does not propose to
undo these wrongs in the past. III.
gotten gains can he kept, the millions
stolen from the public treasury, the
millions forced from the people by class
Legislation will be respected the Labor
party will allow the vested wrong to
become q vested right but they say
/ that hereafter all this must cease. In
I dustry, not theft, must be the basis of
property arl fortune.
The Labor party is fully aware of
the nature of the chit it has entered
upon. 1t knows it must encounter the
whole gambling pack with every journal
that they consider worth purchasing.
The Chicago Times can fatter itself
that it has lad this much consideration.
But there is compulsory indus
try to which the Labor party Is OBJ
posed Farmers shall no LONGER he
compelled 70 raise grain and give all
above the cost of production to the
railroad companies which carry it to
market. The people shall no longer
be compelled to pay the exorbitant
rates Of interest, against which thew
labor il vain, and in the end find their
farms and homesteads swept away.
They shall no longer be compelled to
pay gold for bonds when they stipulat>
ed treasury notes, nor will they fasteu a
debt in perpetmly upon them, payable
in gold, when it was contracted on
currency basis Of two hundred per
cent. depreciation, and payable BY
solemn contract in that currency.
They will not compel their industry,
nor that Of their children, 10 bear 50
iniquitous burden. They will not
much longer be compelled to give
twenty millions Of dollars to The ma
tional bankers for the privilege Of il.
dOrsing their promises to pay. Com
pulsory industry by the working classe
to pay the taxes which the exemption
Of capital from this obligation super
adds to their burdens, the Labor party
is opposed to. In short, il is
opposed wholly to the compulsory in
dustry forced upon tn eople by the
whole swlndlng schemes and fraudu-
lent deviccs4of recent federal legisla
ton, to create a bonded aristocracv,
to favor wealth and Cypress labor. \
But, while opposed to all this sort
Of compulsory industry, it fayors
compelling usurers, shyIocks, gamblers,
the thieves who steal in office, who
corrupt legislators, who secure, by un-
due influences, unjust grants Of prop
erty and privilege-the Labor party
favors compelling the whole vicious
crew to earn an honest living. If this /
can not be done outside Of the peniten-
tiary, it favors compulsory industry
inside. There is therefore a compul-
sorry industry which the Labor party
opposes, and q compulsory industry
which it favor.