St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-04-05

many workingmen say when they talk
about capital. It's the man, not the
mere money, that makes the capitalist
and to get the money into his hands he
runs it through ours. Look now at
BrasSey, the great railway contractor.
who died little while back, leaving
three millions and a half in cash, besides
large landed estates. When people
were talking about his immense wealth,
many workingmen said: "Ah, he
made that ont of our class : and spoke
as though he had merely been il luck Y
idler who had stood by while the mon
ey was earned for him, and an enemy
of the working classes instead of one of
the greatest friends they ever had.
Just think what millions and millions
of wages he must have circulated III
making that fortune for himself. He
began on his own account with Il ten
miles sub-cOmtract, and scarcely any
thing in the way of mere money capi-
tai. and he lived to make tens of thou
sands of miles of railway in all parts OF
the world, and to have aS many as fifty
thousand workmen i'll his employ at one
time. Thos, who like may talk of
Moltke. or any other great fighting gen
eral. but to my thinking Brasscy is the
sort of commander and general that il
country-and especially the working
classes of fought to he most proud of
and grateful to. | think that his ca
reer shows that capitalist-employers are
really the friends of the wolking-class-
es, and not the enemies that many
worlingmcn will insist upon thinking
them"
Jim Barnes felt that he was being
driven from his position, but he was
loath to acknowledge himself beaten III
the argument, and seeing that johnson
waited for him to speak, he said:
"Well, of course he must have paid
away Il heap i'll wages i'll his time: hut
still he was only one man.
That is rather a poor get out, Jim,
said johnson, with slight smile "true,
he was only one man, and an eXcep-
tional one as regards the extent of his
transactions. but the rules that applied
to him as an employer are general ones,
and extend to other and smaller en-
plovcrs. just take your own knoWl-
edge of our trade haven't the best halt
of the firms III ii been made by men
who have started aS wolkmcn There
| IL bul wv u uldHttl, l'l lH~N'il''. llt " siS
IL wurkingman' son, and worked as Il
journeymam himself for some Years. Ii,
started on his own account i'll Il little
wooden shed. that he run up with his
own hands. and now see he has got !;
tirSt-ratr establishment. and employs {;
couple of thousand of us.
''lo and "" are max in 4 his fortune.
well. we are helping him t" make
il; but as on the other hand he helps
two thousand of us to make our living
don't see that we have any the worst
of that arrangement. In fact, as | was
saving when We came i'll, the notion
that masters are the enemies OF th'
working GLASSES is altogether wrong.
If they are not our enemies. | woult
like to know who are" said Barnes.
We'll. Jim. | am sorry to think tha
our worst enemies are some of our
selves"
Who do YOU mean ?" asked Barne.
. sharply.
II mean, Jim, the drinkers and drunk
ards. of whom there are unfortunately
80 many among lis. People speak &"
them lightly, and say, oh. poor fellows
they are nohody's enemies hut thcil
/ own They bring disgrace upon ON
class. and 10y losing time and spending
money 'on the spree, they give masters
grounds for say ing To- men VIII" ask fol
rise of wages. some of You don
seem /" have time enough tn spent
what Nou are earning"
well. of course cant stand up Ia
the 'Sprccing set" said Barnes: the,
do make things bad for others as wei
aS themselves: hut after all. rs .jo,
n>"'. >''''' III M " III w. ~ '.'''
i""''l' inc W., hi''E 'i',>rs H'' '''' IVA
creators o' an '''' Mtti'' "i 'n' '"'''
w an" He' we I'' '"' '''' oi''''' y
It, .. a., ,,.
Wy ii'' - '.''' We ~ w. '''' -
s,i'.t vi i'' ""iN ''i''r I'll; i',''"
.h'' =. "'' w w ~ 'i' ''''' ''''' l''
'l"l's' ,,.. H.,
an nt,' WY en';''.'" Wv ',' ,'
enough %, II 10 ''' up '"'o i"iEr pc,
lions "hat '""i" 'h' '"Pi''''S'S "
, without us -,
And what cn'lid we ii" "ith"u' TN
capitalists why e'hcr '"niu IL" Yer.
little without me other: ana that. JIM
brings me I" the point most par'icu
larry WISH l" come TO- ins'tau "l pe
ing 'he ait"sethrl "pp'sl'e 'hllisS tii'; ;
.'I .i'i'"I PI"t PI,t'',. ",,, So ~ .n...I' ,n,fI
'"i an" l"''' ~ '' " 'P'", ~
phl's pl sinS't th '''"oi,iIt I; II ',Ii,', vi'ir
was ''hcn "W"H' 'nI ',''' IL, nm. '''''''ii
"T!k' "n" 1t "ouii "' it'l" !" -"
! Wilich par, was VI '.'e ''i'S' li.il'i'anI' ~,
= us something llke 'he "iu S'"IN vi I'll
1eet grumpiillS anou' having l" car vaI'
the stomach ana heiiu ap"u'; ny
y ! they asked Sil1'liu 'heN VINO pore III
= nuIueil vi "ii 'ne ies.' nc sn"' up :