Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-28
THE CONFLICT BETWEEN LABOR
AND CAPITAL.


AND CAPITAL.
One of the gravest questions that
American statesmen have to consider
and settle, if possible, is the growing
conflict between Labor and Capital
Few business men have time, taste and
attainments which favor the earnest
study of the respective rights, interests
and duties of these two great powers
in all communities; yet, without
thoughtful, impartial consideration,
they cannot be properly understood.
During the three years war with
Great Britain, from 1872 to 1916,
British ships blockaded all our sea.
ports, and the country suffered much
from the want of manufactured goods,
as well as from the failure of the
supply Of all other articles required of
foreign production. A tariff and
" American system" were developed to
encourage and protect" home
manufacturers, and home In
dustry of every kind. Every IN
telligent reader knows that industrial
and political dogmas favoring a pro-
tective tariff for the assumed benefit of
both labor and capital, form a promi-
nent feature in the creed of the Repub.
ican party. For sixteen years the
great manufacturing city of Philadel-
phia has had a distinguished repre-
sentative in Congress In the person of
the Hon. VIM. D. Kelley. In address
ing the masses at Youngstown, o., a
few days ago, he told them that eff the
times continue as they are, labor viii
take capital by the throat and the
scenes Of the French revolution will be
enacted"
For many years both labor and CAPT
tai have been, in theory at least, fos-
tered and protected by Congress,
and now one of the ablest
advocates of the system tells the
property holders of the nation that
eff tirues continue as they are" under
this wise and pure Republican ;Ad-
ministration, labor will take capital by
the throat and re-enact the scenes of
the most bloody revolution recorded
in history. The craftsmanship which
promises such scenes Ii the United
States is not likely to surrender the
Government without a desperate strug-
gle to perpetuate its power. Its best
ideas on labor, capital and finance have
been reduced to practice fifteen years,
and proved by experience to be both
false and injurious. To change the
''times" for the better, there must be
a change of policy from a system of
Unsuitable monopolies in currency,
manufactures, and IN every other
branches of business where capital and
credit may gain an undue advantage,
to the sound Democratic policy of
securing, if possible, "the greatest
good Of the greatest number"
The old aristocratic notion that gov
eminent should take care of the rich
and the rich take care of the poor, fails
TO give satisfaction, and should be
abandoned before the "scenes of the
French revolution are reached. Equal
and exact justice to all classes of So
ciety, and favors to no man or associa-
ton of men at thu expense of others,
Is a far better theory to promote the
general good of a nation, State or CON-
munity. In the economy of Nature,
truth and justice give satisfaction; but
the party supported by Mr.. Kelley,
which has used its political power every
where to make the times precisely what
they are, is founded on falsehood and
hence its signal failure to
meet the necessities Of the occasion.
1t appears that civilized man has yet
to learn that political error is not
truth, and cannot possibly perform the
functions Of truth; and that injustice
to labor is not Just, and must, In the
nature Of things, and in human ma
ture, provoke resistance, rebellion and
civil war IN its worst forms. Tens of
thousands have failed in business in
the last five years because they believed
that the policy Of a soldier President
and cTinging Congress was sufficient
ly sound to uphold itself and the pros
perity of the country. But the semi.
annual statement Of Messrs. Dun, Bar
low & Co., commercial authorities, of the
number of failures in this country,
with the total amount Of liabilities,
shows that from the LIST of January to
the 3Oth of June 1877 failures were
icpOIbcus Will d lOJal u udDlllIlCS OF
S74,940,S68. No detailed statistics for
the same period have been prepared in
previous years, but by taking one half
Of the numbers and amounts the fol-
lowing comparison is possible:
Six months Number Of Amount of
Of year. failures, liabilities.
lS72.............2,33 5 60.52S0O0 /
1873. sol 1l4,24S,O00 |
1874. -2,9l5 77,6I9,5OO |
1875. 74,94O, 500
In Bible times, man was told, Put |
not your trust in Princes" The inter.
est which labor has to pay on debts
that represent a dead horse is about |
1ne thousand million dollars a year.
Call one-fourth of our men, women |
md children laboring men, and this
never-ending tax on the |