Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-02


out 100000 bales or more.
THE LABOR PROBLEM.
Under the above heading, the Awgus-
ia rGa.J CoastitMionGliSt has commu-
nication from ga Workman" which
contains facts and suggestions of great |
Importance at the crisis in the adjust
ments between labor and capital IN the
South. Advocating the doubtful policy
of inviting the poor laboring people OF
New York and other States, when
thrown out of employment, to come
South and find work and plenty, the
Chronicle and Sentinel provoked the
following statement IN opposition:
There is no person who has better
opportunity of forming an opinion as
to the state Of the labor and employ
ment market than he who Is himself
hunting for something to do. Hap
pening to be one of the many hum
dreds In Augusta who at present come
uuderthis head, / deem 1t nay duty to
attempt to correct the impression
which NAV be created by the Chronicle
and SentineI article. Among this class
arescarpenters, machinists, engineers,
clerks, book keepers, ETC., men who have
always been earning wages ranging
from So TO S. per day, and who IN very
many cases are willing to take labor-
ing lob at laborers' wages. Besides
these there are of laboring men,
proper. both white and colored, more
than | care to mention, and who are
willing and anxious to work for suth-
cient to buy the necessary food to keep
soul and body together. For every va
cant situation of any kind l ind al
WAYS a score or two of applicants, IN
MANY cases more, and the position Is
getting worse every day. Workshops
and contractors are dlschargIng hands
every week, either for want OF work,
or for want of money to carry on the
work
Statesmen, publicists and editors
should ponder the above named con-
dition of things In one of the Oldest
and richest manufacturing and trading
cities, for its population in the South
ern States. The simple truth Is that
we have vastly more labor, both ed
ucated and uneducated, than available
capital to give it full employment at
fair wages. This is also the trouble IN
the Northern, Middle and Western
States, only IN less degree. Paper
promises to pay high protective tariff
and extravagant living look ike great
wealth and prosperity, but, when ana
lyzed, they are found to be neither
money nor solid capital IN any other
form.
Real capital has been consumed
partly by very expensive war, but
still more by high living which has
prompted Congress to give the Presi-
dent a salary of fifty thousand dollars
year, double the pay of Its members,
and at the same time, collect INTO the
Federal treasury sum of money equal
to a personal tax of over eight dollars a
head on every man, woman and child,
year. The plain truth of this state
ment will not be denied. Large as
production is, fungal growth of con-
sumption has greatly exceeded 1t, and
paper bank notes, Federal, State, city,
county, railway, and other corporate
and private bonds are issued to balance
Al Ao,I- ooooun+
Business men and laboring wOrkmen
alike deceive themselves when they re
gard Government bonds or debts of any
kind, as capital. Small bits of paper
represent these enormous and multitu-
dinous promises to pay, on which no
farmer can feed his mules and field
hands while making a crop; nor can
men working in mines or factories sub
sist on such unnatural food. Our
chronic labor disease gets worse every
year. because the people do not under
stand it, and fail to discoverwhat treat
ment is needed Reputation Is the
pauacea Of quacks; but reputation is
not a cure, nor reform, nor payment. |
The people are the dupes of specula-
tors, and not the masters of great tinan- |
cial and industrial problems. Some |
forty years ago the Federal Govern |
ment WIS honestly administered at an
annual expense of about one dollar
head to It's citizens, and surplus of |
forty million dollars was distributed |
among the States, for there was no
public debt to pay. Listening to the |
teachings Of Radical demagogues, the |
people repudiated the tried and sound |
Democratic policy of economy, with all |
productive industry by which real cap
ital is accumulated, and all debts, in
terest and high taxes avoided.
Radicalism is based on the bright |
idea that an American citizen may eat |
his cake and keep it too. Those who |
hold two thousand million dollars of |
Government bonds have that amount |
invested, not in any industry which |
gives employment to steady, honest, |
productive labor, but the cake which |
has been eaten. In Connecticut. a |
gentleman built palace which cost |
one million dollars. Now he wants
some one to be so silly as to pay $780,
600 for the property, which takes
$1,000 to keep in repair from year to
year, while the annual taxes will be as
much more. Capital thus consumed |
never employs labor but once. 1t |
lacks the vital element of reproduction. |
Laborers will not only be thrown out |
of employment, but starve, unless they |
learn to keep and use capital wisely, as
well as work and call it into existence.
1t is a mistake to surrender to others
the care and management OF our prop
erty. our industry, and our whole gov
eminent. This is not self-government,
but self-destructiOn, from sheer neglect
of public and private duty.