New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-04-18
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
A IABoRER's THOUGHTS ON LABOR
a a 4 r.


capital. II what see around us every day 10 any
proof Il certainly does not take t26oo0 10000 70
begin the manufacture OF anything for which there Is
public demand On the contrary OF the s 70 % business
men IN the village in which live VINO are successfully
manufacturing hinery boots and Shoes combs ear
riages, houses and other articles for which there 10
constantly growing demand, think not one started to
business with capital Of 800. and two or them
who are nov worth 10000 100000 each, began
the manufacture Of boots and shoes on capital OF Soo
each which they bad earned above their expenses after
they 20 yeaBs old. This shows coneiu1vey TO my
mind that any young man beginning at II, win
thorough knowledge Of good trade tand almost any
trade In good, including that OF farmer) Win rair
capacity for business, can. If he will, have caplta
enough to 90 into almost any business he chooses
he is known 10 have integrity 70 with bis money
He cannot do this he spends his money in useless or
vicious tastes and habits like tobacco drink. rides
dancing fine dress and the thousand little things that
are constant dram the earnings without any real
benefit To my mind the greatest cause Of dssatisfac
ton among workingmen, aud Of stfes and STRIKES,
want of knowledge OF the harmony Of interests on
both sdee the tendency the side Of capital
TO oppress labor That there hard, grinding, mean
employers am willing to admit. That there are IDLE
careless thrftless workDgmen, who are always Wiling
to take full days pay half an honest days work
do know Labor ia az well paid to-day as n ever wac
and think better and q laboring man has Jnst as
good chance improve his condition, and can compete
inst successfully with large capitalists, as ne ever
could. So far my knowledge the smaller bust
doing better IN proportion to the cap
ita invested than the large ones Sne-tenths OF the
capitalists in this country started In life IA aoorng men,
with no capital but their industry, and see no
reason why viii be the in the future know
that IL takes large capital to start sewing machine
factory the scale that this business conducted By
few companies at the present time, but we know
that all these large had very small
of great enterprises greater to-day than they
ever we're before Mr. Bray says the only way to recon
Gle labor with capital divide the profits after pay
ing wages interest, and tear, &c. Does he rem@m-
the capital invested in manufacturing ia tnir
country up 1850, and probably since II have not
the statistics 1901 has an average PAID
far interest. and that capital thus invested has been
greater benefit the mechanic and farmer than 10 te
capitalist We around US the successful business
that accommodating fortunes but we lose sight OF
the men who have embarked their all in some bushess
enterprise only 20 lose every dollar AZ laDorlng man,
don't believe in this division Of profit TO get my pay
but would rather sell my labor ~ fair market price and
have that the end Of it, Neither see that have
any claim 20 such division. Suppose my employer TO
be nearly my own age when he started IN business
we had about an equal amount Of capital that had
every facility that he had 20 do business suppose hat
chose risk his capital and began manufacturing
and that chose not risk and went 10 work for
him At the end OF years he IL wealthy and his Ousi
ness is constantly increasing am still at work at fair
living salary and have laid By something for rainy
day Have any right 10 complain because he has ac-
cumulated capital while 1 have mott can't
see that have simply matter Of CHOICE 80
with all. II We don't choose 20 make the most OF
our advantages II is our fault Suppose my neighbor
spends large part OF MS time IN deness and MS seanty
earnings useless habits sends his children TO WORK III
the factory instead Of sending them TO school, has not
10 l. there any social or moral obligation by
which my duty TO divide nv earnings with him He
be- what he L. to deprive his children Of eduea
ton the advant which are free TO all 70 drag
along from hand To mouth and finally die III the
gutter or Poorhouse This division that is advocated
bv some OF our Reformers amounts tn nothing The man
that starts life with sound mind and body and doesn't
prove his condition. chooses not TO improve IT, and has
no claim on any Jaw 10 regulate the employment
of children in factories and Orkshops may De neces
-ary but as a laDoring man don't want any law 70
regulate my hours Of work my pay, nor any assist
anee from Trades Unions, or combinations TO help me
TO get more pay in the profits Of my employer
Ny labor is article that have TO SELL just like yard
OF cloth or barrel Of -four and Ike the cloth and -four
n IL il good will always bring fair price. law to TX
the price of just necessary IN one case AS lii the
other and law establish the number OF hours as
DAYS work il more necessary than law 70 nI the
number OF months farmer shall be in raising oushel
So long AZ our labor IL protected against the pauper
be great consumers Of manufactured goods ana tnere
will a growing demand In no other country do the
Iaboring classes tlthe OF what they do here
because these classes are nowhere else 80 able 70
buv. Notwithstanding what We hear sad about
clothed than our fathers were, and have far more lux
uries Mr. Bray says. "Why must man who goes TO
%[S IN caS rSeve anv paw IL s only the man
who begins to the trst of the month IN new
place who has wait six weeks for his pay, and II ne
understands this II is a perfectly falr arrangement
can't what this has TO do with the credit system
which is A curse to every aborng In the country
My Of the wants OF aborng men can be stated IN
few words First, we don't want any specia laws IN re
titled 1t Ia assumed that protective tdrn u speeal
legislation in favor OF capaitsts gu. hSonng GA %
that can get along best without tarln Protectlon
helps classes much az farmers ana me- names, oy
giving higher price for Ills produce and the othsr
higher price his labor and really there no CONFLICT
~ what IA FOR the interest OF my employer
IN the long my interest, and II we could see the
matter Is should hear no more ABOUT the antag
onm between capital ana aDor dhen eu ~ so 20 sd
not on law and combinations 10 heip Us, Always
eter DoitIea social literary or financial that Is not
attanabe by the poorest lahoring man. $780,, .s.
interests Then get and read such books Careys
Principles OF Social SCIENCE oareys :" MiscellaneSls
authorities If there any equally good on these SUD
jects, and carefully study them Let US examine
statistics and savings banks that we may
know what years iabOring men have been the most
prosperous and whether they have done the best under
tariff and free trade or when our industry
has protected Let US examine the prices current
OF produce far back can get AZ them that we
NAV know in years farmers hav been most sue
cessu Let study the statistics Of labor OF our own
and other countries learning IN what countries free
trade Is the policy OF the nauon and when are OF .he
opposite policy and which countries have made the
most advancement in manufacturer. agriculture ana
education OF the masses. AL this will cost us some
effort IL will pay the knowledge thus obtained VIII
be thousand times better authority on when u decide
the labor problem and other questions OF the day.
than the political dema gogues and Labor Re
formers no would make believe we are cheated ana
ground and taxed almost death and only allowed 10
live may help somebody else In every town and
village where there ten Or more worklnginen ana
women let rs have q where meet as often as
once week 70 talk questions relating % our vel
lila cial and lnral I<ff he