National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-09-25
THELABOR QUESTION.

THE LABOR QUESTION.
Trade, commerce, politics and religion are
all more or less infested with demsgogues,
noisy drones, who do all the talking and
little of the work; but no question has,
among its votaries, more of that class than
the one which relates to labor and its re-
wards. Time was when this country was
comparatively free from unions, combina-
tons or associations, organized for the pur-
pose of forcing business out ofits legitimate
tation and control. Then, labor, like every
article of trade, manufacture or commerce,
had its market value, and that was dependent
upon the questions Of demand and supply.
Employment and its rewards were then
matter Of negotiation and accommodation
between the employer and the employed.
Unity of interest and feeling under that
regime existed universally between labor
and capital. The employer paid such wages
as his interests would justify, and those
employed yielded with becoming grace to
the necessities Of the hour, under feeling
Of confidence that the employer was
prompted in the relation that existed by
high sense Of justice and right.
But times have changed. The employer
is no longer permitted to exercise his own
judgment as to what reward he can afford
to bestow upon the labor demanded by his
business interests. The laboring classes Of
the country have been seized by dema-
gogues, whose highest ambition is to
foment distrust, discomfort and dissension.
These agrarians, who teach the doctrine
that the wealth of the country is unequally
divided, and that capital is the enemy in
stead of the friend Of labor, have played
upon the prejudices, if not upon the credu-
lily, of the laborer until antagonisms have
been engendered and unions and asso-
Citations have been formed, under which
labor seeks to control, embarrass and, if
possible, ruin the business interests upon
which individual and national prosperity
depend. Mutual confidence and good feel
ing have been destroyed, and the era of
fraternity and peace between all classes in
volved. which had remained unbroken, has,
under the leadership and influence of de-
signing men, given place to arrangement,
disorder and discomfort
The worst feature of this condition of
things is the fact that the labor unions that
have been formed no longer consider the
vicissitudes of business, and accept the sit
uation in reflective, kind and fraternal
spirit, but on the contrary, an arbitrary
tariff Of prices is established, which must
be accepted by employers, no matter if
yielding to them involves absolute ruin.
Under this line of policy good feeling is
necessarily crushed out Business must
suspend OF an arbitrary demand must be
submitted to, which no longer divides pro-
fits between capital and labor, but entails
certain ruin upon those who are engaged
in the prosecution of business. The evil is
the demanding Of prices in the way of re-
wards, which forces absolute suspension
or continuance with little OF no return to
capital. There is no more negotiation Of
prices, or accommodation under existing
necessity. The demand for fixed wages,
no matter whether business can afford to
pay them or not, has brought upon the
country general stagnation, which is likely
to eventuate in general ruin.
The demagogues who lhave brought this
great affiiction upon the country have little
or nothing to lose by this misguided policy
and unfortunate state of affairs. They
never had the ability or enterprise to enter
business pursuits with success. II they ever
had capital it has been dissipated by faulty
judgments or habits, or both, and now they
seek to mend their broken fortunes by aid
ing in bringing general embarrassment
disorder, and; perhaps. rum upon those
engaged in manufactures brother pursuits.
The leyeling down, instead of the building
up, policy has been adopted until most of
the ills that beset the business interests Of
this people are known to have originated
in this misguided course, and resulted in
the present unfortunate condition Of things.
Until this spirit Of agrarianism gives way
to common sense and good fellowship, and
labor and capital become friends again, the
business condition Of the country will not
and cannot improve. Capital may be
driven to the wall in the contest, but that
only aggrsyates the ills and misfortunes of
labor. Capital may be forced to retire
from the field, and that must inevitably
send labor into the streets begging bread.
This would prove not only an individual,
but national calamity. As the people be-
came poor the nation itself must suffer.
The relation is SO intimate that the one can
not 90 into affiiction without bearing the
other with it.
The time has come when reason, CON-
mon sense and common interest counsel
change in this misguided policy. The
demagogues who have helped to cast these
ills upon country of illimitable national
resources should be Stunned by the work
ing classes These resources cannot be
properly developed withoutIa unity OF pur-
pose and action between the employer and
the employed. "BY industry we thrive"
and when the worker makes war upon CAP
ital he paralyzes its energies, business de-
clines, and prosperity no longer crowns
human effort. A little calm reflection al
lied to reason will lead to remedy, but
the way of the demagogues must be
avoided before that end Gamble reached.