Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-03-31
FIRST EDITION.
900 p. M.
THE LABOR QUESTION.


ing on the subject, " Who are the Working
men?"
Impressing his audience with the vastness ant
Importance of his subject, and practically illus
trating the value OF education, as well as th,
truth of the inscription which was written over
the entrance to very ancient heather temple,
/ :" Know Thyelf," Mr.. Hoffecker entered at once
into an investigation Of the Labor question, tC
show that capital and labor are not inimical but
| necessary and harmonious concomitants the one
| with the other. The evils from which laborers
are suffering. are, he said, like the evils of
women, tangible but most persons wko attempt
| to deal with them manifest strong disposition
| to avoid the natural, which Is usually the most
troublesome, mode, and adopt some shorter cut
to reach conclusion. Just as in matters of
health people avoid diet, exercise and temper
ance to obtain this boon In quack medicines,
because they are believed to be quicker and more
easy. 30 some people are disposed to acquire
capital through compulsory issue of more
paper money or forcing the banks to lend at
lower rate OF interest, through the lowest rate of
wages or the greatest duration Of the working
day.
Now there arc certain fixed, unchangable
laws Of the physical universe and of nature
which we all must obey. These may be extreme
~ disagreeable, may cause us great unhappiness
bat we must either accommodate ourselves to
circumstances or prepare ourselves for some-
thing better. Can workingman eat his cake
and have 1t, too eau he, more than any other
man, spend all he earns and yet have some things
fer rainy day ? II not, why should he. more
than than any other man, be saved from the
consequence OF his own improvidence
Some propose satisfactory solution of this
problem in the establishment Of a rate OF wages
but what is proper rate Is it that which will
provide man and his family with acomfortabIe
subsistence or is it that which is regulated by
the law OF supply and demand The greater
the demand and the smaller the supply. the
Ia rInnNN N1Na sNF a-Nsa I
it is in the case Of labor-the boss bricklayer
gets more wages than the journeynian, the
journeyman more than the hod-carrier. The
rule is universal in its application, professional
or mechanical and the reason that some sue
coed over others is because of their ability to
seize upon and use the golden opportunity.
Mr.. Hofecker then spoke OF the miners
strikes of 1868 censuring both the capitalist
and the workinsman as equally responsible for
their precipitancy. He strongly objected to
trades unions in their assumption to remove the
control OF business out Of the hands of the capt.
talists, and to arrogate to Themselves the ex-
elusive right to fix and determine not only the
manner in which such business shall be con-
Quoted but the rate Of wages which shall be
paid. The whole principle, he said is wrong,
because it attempts to solve by force the most
difficult and delicate problem OF the age.
Capitalists, Mr.. Hoffecker said, are none the
less workingmen becauae, in common parlance,
they are rich. Capital is only the product of |
past labor, saved and put away-the result of |
doing more work than was actually |
necessary for his support and denying himself the
pleasure of consuming all he has produced. Is |
there anything to which a man shoald have
better title than his savings2 and yet it is not
unusual to find in discussion OF the Labor |
Question, that this saving man is looked upon |
IA an enemy, who ought to be compelled to |
share his savings with other men, though unde- |
serving. The so-called rich man gets nothing /
more after all than his board and clothes and /
spending money. They put their money back in |
business rs-invest it, and thus give opportuni. |
by to the workiugman to obtain livelihood for /
himself and family.
1t may be laid down as an effective rule in |
the government Of the commercial world that |
money finds its way, by natural course, into /
the hands of those members of society whose /
talents and industry fit them to discover what /
the strongest wants of the community arc, and /
by what process OF manufacture and develop L
ment they may the most economically be met i
Else why do men who have tried and failed go
10 the successful investor and loan him their
money 1t is true that capitalists often abuse
the power which money gives them, but the abu-
ses are by far more than counterbalanced by
the advantages they bring, by making progress
possible and success Rttainable. The capitalist |
is real workngman. He, too, works for 9TH
9rs-not 80 many hours per day or week, but
continually. As his commercial relations widen.
his responsibilities increase until the burden
would, in many Instances, crush any but a man
Who, has grown up under it.
The resultant effect OF strikes will be that here
after masters and men will treat each other. in
some degree, at least, as equal parties to a bar
gain-what political economy and common sense
told us some time ago. But il force is substi-
tuted for inquiry into the wishes of each party
there is an end at once to anything like mutual
bargain.
We cannot follow the lecturer further in his
argument to show the mutual dependence of
abor upon capital, but must turn our attention
% a report of his views upon the eight hour sys-
-em OF labor. Whether the shortening OF the
hours Of days labor is = benefit depends partly |
In the means by which that shortening is pro- |
,ured, but chiefly on the character Of the man
himself. II can be received as an axiom that
'est which man gets for nothing is if not pos
lively hurtful, OF little benefit to him. Inherit
I'd leisure is generally curse which only strong
characters can escape. If obtained in = victory
won over greedy bosses, with loud hurrahs, it
IAN do little lasting gool. To suppose that the
Aboring, or any other class, can make real
moral and mental progress, il it looks
me OF social functions and it's contribution
% the general civilization, but as a Hort
If exaction inflicted by another hostile and self
sh class which IL ia lawful to evade as one
yould the demands Of robber, or Shareholder, |
. to suppose something for which nothing in
human nature affords any warrant. Repose, as
t is called-that ID, the rest earned by hard
work, or taken as the vacation of most brain
workers, simply as a means of qualifying ones
'elf to work more efficiently thereafter-is, in
Iced, the only repose by which the race has
,ained anything II the advocates of the eight
lour system seeheisure for these reasons, and in
his spirit, society would undoubtedly gain by
t. IL for instance, carpenters were as deeply
Interested in carpentering, or masons in mason
y, &C actors in their acting, or orators in their
peaking, or doctors in medicine and lOnged to
,xcel in it and perfect themselves, it would not
20 possible to lengthen their evenings and
horten their days work without increasing
heir power for good.
Thief sentiments expressed by the lecturer,
While in direct antagonism to the opinions OF a
majority of wOrkingmen, were well re-
eived, and an earnest vote of thanks given him
It its conclusion. They were honest opinions,
Earnestly and boldly expressed, and unless we
mistake the metal Of our Workingmen in Will
nington, they were accepted in the same spirit
IN which they were given. Mr.. Hoflecker had
hought over his subject solemnly and seriously,
md the opinions given above were the honest
,onyotions Of his heart. He is young man, and
his effortI his debut, but candor compels US to |
onfess that there lis depth in his reasoning
which all must admire, even if they cannot con-
,ur in what he says. We have reported his lee
ure thus closely not because of cur approval Of
lis remarks, but because they pertain to q sub
ect which ia now uppermost with laboring men,
Wash. Jackson is putting up q number Of new
for the expected circuses.
Anton HnIunaa a wife untrd arar af AZ T,ouia |