National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-19
T1pop 1ND CAPJTAE.


his inventive genius applied steam TO ma
chinery and utilized its force in the multi
plication of the results of labor. Thus, in
ventive genius and skilled labor have ad-
vanced step by step in the civilized world,
utilizing the forces of nature and rendering
them subservient TO the will of man as aux
iliaries in the production of wealth, until
ignorant and unintelligent human labor is
at a great discount. This is especially true
of labor in the United States. To such
an extent has machinery entered
into the industrial field with us, that
generally speaking it has become ne
ccssarv that Iaborers must he more or less
conversant with its management in order
to secure good wages. This fact makes our
free system of education necessity. A
certain degree Of culture and training is
absolutely imperative to the successful
manipulation and direction of machinery.
| That this country has so rapidly advanced
in wealth and power according to its popu-
lation, distancing in this respect all con-
temporaneous nations, is and has been FOR
many years a problem of difficult solu-
ton. We owe it first to our system Of free
schools, and second TO a free press begot-
| ten of our educational system, for the diff
fusion of general intelligence so cheaply as
| TO he within the reach of all, and third,
to our enormous multiplication of labor
through our almost universal introduction
and application Of labor-SaTing machinery.
Tho foregoing facts are self-evidcnt and
| need no elaboration here.
But the next question which recurs to
the mind of the political economist is that
of che concentration of the products of
| labor into comparatively few hands. And
frequently into the hands of those who
neither labor themselves nor furnish the
means for the employment Of labor-capi-
tal-the middlemen, spectators, and
brokers who are constantly giving nothing
for large share of something. In bee
hives they are called ''drones." They insist
upon eating of the products of others while
they refuse to work. The bees kill them
and drag their bodies forth without the
walls of their houses of industry. In CON-
mercial and financial circles these drones
are called operators, " or ''stock brokers'
or when combined for certain purposes
they are denOminated rings" Insporting
circles they are called gamblers" and
''blacklegs."
Capital and labor have mutual interests.
They can have none other. They are
each essential TO the WE'LL being of the
other, and if let alone would divide fairly
the profits Of their combined efforts. But
ii is necessary to aggregate numerous small
capitals to effect large enterprises. The
popular method Of this aggregation is joint
stock associations. These are managed by
boards of direction which elect officers to
execute their purposes. But among them
ALL from stockholders to presidents, the
personal or individual responsibility which
attaches is so trifing that in the hands of
dishonest and designing men they have
become machines for swindling the body
polite. They may make contracts with
fast freight lines, if they are railway asso-
Citations, by which the lions share of those
profits, that should inure to the stockhold
ers, is transferred to the fast-freIght ',ring,"
while the railway company does all the
work. They mey let a contract for con-
struction to "ring' of irresponsible par
ties, who have neither capital nor character,
but who are next friends TO the directors,
at enormous prices, TO be sub-let TO bona
tide contractors at fair rates, and the profits
thus filched from the stockholders be d.
vided among the members of the ring.
The result is that when a road is COM
pleted it has cost the stockholders two or
three prices, and they are obliged to exact
high rates Of fare and transportation in
order to realize dividends upon their stock
investments But it is just here that the
fast freight rings step in and once more
fitch from the stockholders the cream of
their earnings TO divide up among the
favored "do-nothIngs, the drones.
These high rates of freight are simply
tax upon the poor laborer's bread and pro-
visions. He must pay them exactly in
proportion that he consumes of the staff of
life. And this is the whole of this ques-
ton Of cheap transportation in a nutshell
1t is not properly oppression OF labor by
capital. 1t has been shown that the capt.
talist does not reap the benefit of the high
prices of freight. But it is the theft of the
"drOne" through the connivance of the
managers TO whom the capitalists cntrust
the direction of their property.
Is there no remedy for this condition of
affairs? From whom do these joint stock
associations receive their corporate powers
which they prostitute to such nefarious
purposes! Clearly from the people in
their collective capacity; from the Gov.
eminent instituted by the people for their
own protection and benefit. They "farm
OFT" these powers to associate for good
ends and find them transformed into
agencies of evil. They must recall them
or restrain, modify, and control them. 1t
must be obvious to every intelligent mind
with ordinary reasoning powers that they
have the right TO do this. But beyond
this, may they not 60 further in their
efforts Of emancipation from the effects
of these despotic monOpolies which have
combined, with al least one honorable eX
ceptiOn, TO Cypress them? May they not
in their collective capacity as a Govern
ment do for their own benefit what they
duAIOllLCNl lLGoG dssOSlullOus ~ uO lllClll.
May they not devote a portion of their
own aggregated capital to the construc-
ton of roads and canals, artificial chan
nels for purposes Of cheap transportation
of the products of labor!
Congress has power TO levy war and to
regulate commerce. Our people have
taxed themselves and pledged their faith
to the extent of one hundred dollars per
capita or more, TO carry on a war to pre-
serve the Government. In the prosecu-
ton of this war they constructed and
equipped railways, steamers and canals,
and transported munitions and supplies
with the utmost dispatch. The fact was
fully demonstrated that the engineers and
quartermasteTs' departments of the army
are fully competent to the accomplishment
Of grand commercial enterprises with due
regard to economy. If we could in time
of war entrust them with the expenditure |
nf ono 4I,o,,-orI g ,,.,I.1.o