The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-08-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. {. Aug. A, 1877.

WASHINGTON, ID. {. Aug. A, 1871.
Correspondence Of the somerst Press.
The war Of the strikers, riots, mobs and
the like, has formed the subject Of our
thought, conversation and correspondence
for the last fortnight, and although other
matters Of great political and national i'm
portance are now pressing upon the public |
for attention, il is hard to turn from the
great evil that has fallen upon us, to the
contemplation Of other things. 1t is NOR
.ifying as il is lamentable, that sufficient
number Of men should exist in our land
Of vaunted freedom and enlightenment TO
be able to raise such a turmoil !; for we
must agree that the riots that have accom-
plished such disastrous results within the
last two weeks have been led and instigated
by idle, vicious, and ignorant characters,
such as are not expected to understand the
great principles that regulate the prices of
labor. say il ia grievous fault Of the
higher classes that so low class should
have existed and become 80 large in our
land. We have boasted that American
lhDOreE6 arc lhtcihkCuk nAo AtoeOh@SA~t SNS
recent experiences show that large num-
Der Of them have yet TO learn the simple
lesson that the price Of labor Is ever reg
ulated by the laws Of demand and supply,
and that that law is 40 fixed and unalter-
able as the law of gravitation itself. II
this were understood, the futility Of at
tempting to control wages by force would
be seen at once, and il would be no easy
matter 10 incite to acts of violence those
who comprehend that the consequences
would injure themselves more than any one
else. The three millions Of dollars worth
Of property destroyed in Pittsburg in one
day, can but paralyse business for months
in that important manufacturing centre
commerce will suffer, and men who have
accumulated capital will only feel the loss
indirectly, while the working men there
will suffer indescribably from being out OF
employment for long period. And all
from their own rash and unreasonable acts
/ remember, when q child, hearing my
father say, in contemplating dire suffering
"That person is paying debt" thought
him rather harsh and unfeeling then, but
sec his meaning now, and ! shudder as
think Of the debt our laboring class hal
recently incurred. Dreadful will be th'
misery that must be endured before it cal
be expatiated.
No great trouble ever comes without thei
accompanying lessons which are alway
useful and valuable. Among those to b
learned from the late disturbances we hav
experienced, are two or three very promi
nent ones. Who can now deny that on
regular army is but half as large as
should be? Troops would surely hay
been ordered sooner and quiet more speed
lily restored had they been available. Stat
militia has also been shown as incompeten
The Southern Pacific Railroad is no long
er considered Of doubtful expediency, wor
ployed laborers, even If they have to FRA,
el out and knit oyer" The next Congre
will be replete with independent EXPIRE
sions and action. So we may, even ami
the darkness and depression of the presel
hour, see the silver lining Of this dal
cloud, in that il cannot fail to bring und'
considerations questions and matters tn
Congress ought long ago to have attend'
to. The late troubles have effectual
ripened 90 many projects, that must 500
if not gathered, have fallen to the grour
and spoiled for want of care. The lab
question is closely connected with that
the tariff-one protects the other. The
relations are too intimate to be consider
separately, and they will undoubtedly {
cupy much of the attention of the ne
Conpress