Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1877-08-15
CAUSES or THE LABOR WAR.

well written article under the caption
of .sThe Labor War and its Causes"
We extract the following paragraphs;
Though the strike may he consid-
cred as ended, the causes which en-
dangered the entire industry of the
country still exist, and 1t behooves
prudent, thoughtful men to investi-
gate them. What are these causesY
Doubtless they are numerous and
have many separate sources, but :here
Is one that in its prominence, uliiver-
salty, and the immunity Which it has
from public reprobation overshado~s
all others. This hideous source OF
our misfortuncs is dishonesty. Po-
liticul, corporate, and individual dis
honesty has long filed the country
with a deadly shadow, which prs
aged just such storms as that through
which we have now pass d. Riches
easily and suddenly acquired are al
ways denoralizing, and, no doubt
much of our dishonesty is the out.
growth of the civil war, when the
countless wealth expended by the
Government was considered as
kind of puulic plunder which it was
considered no disgrace to acquire by
means that, if exercised IN transac-
lions between individuals, would have
been looked upon as dishonorable in
the highest degree.
Our Legislatures have been filled
with corrupt men, and the great
wealth OF the country has for many
wears formed hDnapza which thes..
legislators and their friends have ex-
plotted with such vigor that not 'nlv
the whole country, as represented by
the general G ,vernmeht, but every
State, county, city, borough, town
ship, and villa e in the land is loaded
down With debt, incurred in great
part to pay the dishonest transactions
of the '.rings." To such an extent
has this gone that tn. industry of our
people and the marvellous natural re-
sources of our country no longer
suffice to pay the load of taxes and
extravaganza expenditures imposed
upon us. Even under the regime Of
honesty the earnings OF people but
little more than supply tie modest
means of living. Yet our people
were deluded into the belief tina the
abundance of the borrower was per-
manent prosperity, wnil", in fact, we
were merely spending lavishly the
money raised by discounting at ruin
Gus rates the future products OF our
labor.
The whole country was seized with
the borrowing mania, aud when mon
ey could he acquired so easily, not to
say dishonesty, by simply issuing
bonds, there was little attention pal
to its honest and economical expen-
diture. Corruption anil dishonesty
entered into every department. The
general government had its whisky
rings, custom-house, Indian, naval,
and countless other Rugs, which
prospered, and whose dishonest mem
bers stood in the highest places, and
were the highly esteemed in the land.
The States were governed by rings.
Our counties, cities ard townships
were managed in the interests of
rings. The members of these were
honored aud esteemed in proportion
to the amount of their ill-g ,tten
gains. The pu'lic, and with 1t the
private standard Of integrity, WAS
lowered, and dishonesty was encour-
aged by the favor it met with. Tue
political rings kept themselves in
power Ly controlling elections with
the very money extracted from the
people who endeayored to displace
them. The whole business OF the
country has been stagnated by taxa.
ton.
With corrupt Legislative bodies and
the fruits. of dishonesty bignly es-
teemed, it is scarcely to be wondered
at that corporations, railroad, mining,
coal, gas, iron, and doubtless all other
kinds Of companies should have been
exploited in every conceivable way
As fruitful placers by sable fiaanciers"
and "smart managers Companies
were organized on capitaliz .tion
many times the value of their prop
critics. Bonds were issued with the
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