Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-08-08
TIE RIGHTS Q? TEE STRIKERS.

OF !hb0ntcrs, capitalists, ana Iahu ONheTs con
tribute thcr quota to The production Of wealth
in that proportion have hey clearly al cqnit
able title to show 1t. Extract from P0tlcr's
Political Economy.
The truth Of the above extract
cannot reasonably be doubted. The
theory Of government which is based
upon the idea that first Of all man
as an individual with inherent and
I therefore iualicnable rights shall be
regarded, is with us universally es-
teelued as correct. It follows, then,
that beyond an infcrential limit, the
rights Of an individual cannot be
sunk in pursuance of any fanciful
theory respecting the interest Of So
ciety. In fact organized society
govcrnment--eXists simply, prima-
rily, only for the purpose of main
tanning the rights of the individual
Governments, then, have no right to
trespass upon those rights; and
certainly 40 moneyed corporation
has right superior to that of a
government. Might does not con-
stitute right A railroad company
might by reason of the existence of
certain conditions be able to force
its workmen to work for that which
would be but barely sufficient to
maintain life, whilst at the same
time it would be accommodating untold
wealth. To say that the company
might lightfully do so, is to say that
laboring men have no rights which
capitalists are bound to respect.
Here are two sets of producers, each
the complement Of the other. Is
one to take all and leave the other
practically nothing! Certainly not.
Here are three, four, or more rail
roads. No one Of the companies
has the right to strip its workmen
Of their wages-that is of their share
of the gross earnings of the road,
and consequently has 10 right to
do that which will practically bring
about such a result; nor have the
three acting together any such
rights. Can the directors Of the
various companies rightiully, through
rivally or eagerness Of competition,
they representing bat lhc capitalists,
SO reduce charges on the road owned
10y them that the wages of the work
men must be reduced to below what
Is necessary for them to live on in
order to operate the roads Ger
tainly not. The product Of civilian
ton, railroads are among the most
desirable institutions for commit
nifty. Indeed, they must exist in
civilized countries. They are de-
sirable, and must exist, upon the
theory that the interest of the whole
people is advanced by them. Acting
upon this theory, the representatives
of the sovereigns Of the common
wealth, laborer5 as well as capital
lists, encourage their building. Now
the encouragement thus given pre-
supposcS as necessary to the opera
ton Of the railroad capital and la
Dor, 1t must then have proceeded
from the theory Of the harmonious
conjunction Of the two. It was not
given with the intention that capital
should crush labor. or else rcraa.
Hence that complement of arailroad
which is formed 10y laborers, is en-
atlcd to hearing.
The ;acta respecting the amount
paid railroad employees in Peunsyl-
yauia show the wages to have been
TOO low. 1t is probably true that
low prices were prevailing for trans
portatiou, accounted for 10y the com
petition which has existed between