The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-06-04


THE delegation of Printers, now holding
their sessions at the State Capitol, is GER
tainly most respectable one, not only in
point of numbers, but in intelligence, gen.
eral appearance, and manifest worth. The
organization is one of the oldest of its kind
instituted in this country, and is very cx-
tensive in its ramifications, delegates being
present from all parts of the United States,
aud, as we understand, from the Canadas.
We have every sympathy in their move
ments for lettering the condition of the
craft" and for giving it higher and
more commanding influence, professionally,
than it could possibly reach without such
an organization. All movements for ame-
liorating and elevating the condition of any
class of laborers have our approval, and
will have our hearty cooperation and sup
port in all proper and healthful measures
for their advancement upward and onward.
But it must solve problems with larger
comprehension of truth than that display
ed in approving the "eight hour SYSTEM"
so called, or it will never hit the clue to
the labyrinthine windings from which it
seeks eXtricaton. 1t must build on prin-
ciple, and thread the mazes with more
palpablc line of truth than that which
looks to one interest only, and blindly ig-
nores everything else. " Labor at war
With capital" is as insane piece of folly
as can well bel committed. It is suicidal
from the first blow it strikes, to the end of
the entire chapter in the conflict, whatever
it may be, or however it may be provoked.
1t is the old fable of the warning of the hui
man members, where the hands refused to
obey the brain in its commands to work
for the belly. The attempt to extort ten
hours pay for eight hours work is
nothing more nor less than the
trick of laboring shyster, which seeks a
pecuniary advantage without any equiya-
lent in return. There is no principle in
which it differs at all from the trick of the
thimble-rigger, who goes " for the con.
tents of your purse as solution to the in.
equalitics of distribution in the wealth and
material advantages of socitey. ..a
Besides, it is madly striking at the rounds
in the very ladder-the only ladder, in fact
by which Labor is to make its way up from
the lowest to the highest reach of industrial
ambition ito the only point, in fact, where
Labor can legitimately command Capital
where it has and always will command it
1t is at this point that Labor asserts its
kingly prerogative over Capital, and all the
subjects of the latter yield willing ant
| implicit obedience to the former. This
BLADDER of captaP' enables the poor man o
to-day to become the rich man of to-mor
row, and all attempts to throw it down, OF
cut the rounds by which the poor mans
ascent is made, are of that species of folly
which would prick out human eyes, be
cause the Almighty did not make tele
scopes to poke from every mans nose.
These "eight hour strikes" are, in GU
judgment, the insanest streaks of madnes
that ever entered mems brains, to addl
their wits or send them off into tangents O
human folly. Only the other day, a thou
sand or more of these STRIKERS" appeared
before the Steinway Piano manufacturin,
establishment in New York, and demanded
that the men should throw up their work
Thus inundated, they were forced to d.
it. The card of the Steinways shows wha
every man Of brains should have seem
that to comply with the demands
of the 'strikers" would necesitat,
the close of every piano establish
ment in the country. The large amoun
of capital invested would no
admit of their lying idle one-ffth of thu
time, or one day and one-sixth in the weel
exclusive of Sunday, without Knocking of
the entire margin of American profit il
the manufacture of pianos. They say, "oul
six hundred dollar pianos we should hav,
to sell at seven or eight hundred, and W,
could compete with no European establish
ment at these prices" The demand tina
their capital should lie thus idle one-iifth O
the time, and that they should pay six days
wages for four days. and five sixths of
days work, would sink in very shor
time every dollar they might invest in theil
business. And yet we have intelligent
men, and men who ought to bestow some
rational thought on this subject, clamorin,
| for this folly and madness on the part O
laboling men. Strike at some principle
gentemen-hit at some tangible truth-a
something that admits Of exploitation and de
liverance from the "Cretan labyrinth, +" o
"dry up" on the subject you are not pre-
pared to discuss. a.e. ..r. ..r