Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-09-15

welfare of the laboring Glasses has not
KEEP. pace with the enormous increase OF
the fortunes of the rich. The iaborers
believe that the employers have had more
| than their Just aud fair share OF the Joint
profits Of labor aud capital. Hence the
bitterness that has accumulated in their
hearts. Hence the two and half millions
of members of the Z" IaternGtlOndte " every
day increasing. Hence the second siege
/ of Paris, the strikes, the trade-unions, the
CO operative societies, &C.. everywhere,
all of which are but vari"ns forms OF pro-
test against the existing relations of cap
| ital and labor. And observe that the In
ternationale, although to a great degree
identified with the Commune. and conse-
quently vanquished with it, is more defiant
than ever, and more bold and outspoken
since the late laws adopted against it.
| Now, an association counting nearly
| three millions of men, the bone aud slneV
Of the land, cannot we'll he put down by
force or by repressive laws in any country.
1t has it's thousands of adherents in France,
| England. Germany. Spain. Italy and In
this country too. IL has exhibited
strength, determination which
prove that it will rot easily be diverted
from its purposes and what is more,
though some Of its purposes are the
offspring of error and prejudice. others
are noble and good; such, for example, as
the abolition of standing armies. those
enormous vampires which suck the life
blood of the European nations, and as q
consequence, the cessation of those dynas-
tic or ambitious wars undertaken without
the consent and against the interest of the
people.
The manifestations of the International
are very formidable in Spain end Italy !;
and quite recently the English republicans
have Published their platform demand
ing the abolition Of privileges, monopolivs
aud standing armies ;-compulsory edu-
cation !; the supply OF work by the State
for all those who ara able to work and
sustenance for those who are not-the
naturalization of land, &o. But it is in
Germany that the organic alton is most
powerful and threatening. Quite recently
q convention of workingmen at Dresden
openly flung a revolutionary challenge of
defiance in the face of all the European
governments
The movement is general. To attempt
to crush it by force m involve the risk
of destroying the social fabric in Europe,
and the standing armies taken from the
same class as the working men can hardly
be depended upon for such task, perva-
ded as they are with the same ideas.
The cable announces that the chief lead
ers of German industry, including the
principal capitalists of the country, are to
meet at Leipzig in November 10 order to
against the aggressions resulting from
trade-unions. strikes, &C., and ''to estab-
lish better understanding between CAPT
tai and labor in all the districts and pro-
vinces of Germany"
This movement on the part Of the Ger
man capitalists is of extreme Importance,
for it's effect will be to reduce matters to
practical issue. The theory and prac-
tice of wages in Europe have been that
where the laborers are so numerous as to
underbid each other for employment,
they have no right 10 expect more than
just enough to live and to bring up an
equal number of laborers to take their
places when they ole. Hence the laborer
in Europe never &C cumulates property,
always lives from hand to mouth and is
always dependent. On the other hand,
the laborers now say: We produce the
national wealth, which, without Us, could
not exist. We support your armies with
our money, our sons, our blood. We Gre
ate for our employers those immense for
tunes while we grovel in misery. The di-
vision of profits is unjust. We have a
right to more than a mere precarious iv-
Jig. We have right to some chance of
lettering our conditions, of acquiring
property and of rising in the Woodland
this right we will have or we will destroy
your Ubiquitous form OF society.
Such, then, is the issue. fraught with ire
mendous consequences. 1t is useless for
statesmen to close their eyes to it. It
must be met. and speedily. 1t must be
met in broad, Christian and philan-
thropic spirit. Germany has covered her
self with all the laurels that war can win.
If she who gave to the world the press and
the Reformation can give now peaceful
and felicitous solution of what is GER
tainly the most momentous issue of our
day, she will secure greater and juster
fame than could be acquired by the con-
quest of half of Europe.
"The FOrg1vtng Flag"
We copy the following from the New
Vork