, 1877-03-18

! the wild Speculntl0n which prevailed pfeceu
ing 1873 The fortunate class, whether cap
italist or workman, is that which before ths
wreck had lived frugally, Ind labored indus
riously, had avoided wastefu1 and e1trnVa
| CANT habits. To these the change was no'
so sudden; they had neither to give up drink:
ing and dissipation, nor extravaganza IN 1000
or dressing. Even those who lived upon H.
comes from investments shared the general
destruction of means. Labor and capital
must both wait until the tide changes. II
labor is unemployed, capital is unproductave;
if the workman gets small or no "ages, Inc
capitalist gets small or no income. both
suffer, and suffer alike and from the same
cause. The revival of the one will be simul~
raneous with That Of the other. When cap
it'll eau be employed With profit to hire labor,
it will promptly be put to that use. 10 DE-
stroy capital is to prevent the employment
of labor. While the Communistic gentry
represent that taxes nre reducing whole COM
munities to pauperism, they are demanding
that taxes be increased to raise money to hire
labor. This inconsistency, however, is but III
keeping with the whole theory by which
these people reason, if it can bo said That
they reason at al. Taxation necessarily falls
directly on capital, whether that capital be
the small lot and cabin or the large business
block. This capital is now heavily taxed to|
support those unable to maintain themselves.I
There are, no doubt, 5000 families supplied
with food, fuel, and perhaps other items, |
ut the public expense Ample provision
is made for the sick and in6rm,
while organized charities for the relief
or support Of hospitals, for the homeless,
for free lodgings, for orphan asylums, and !
other objects, are maintained by the Eolun-
tary donations Of those who have means. !
There is hardly day that any fan,ily able to
maintain house is not called on to furnish
meals to from one to half dozen outside !;
persons more or less in actual want. There i
is large class of persons engaged in labor i
who are destitute Of thrift, who, when en- Z
ployment is active and liberal, act as if they 4
are under moral obligation to spend all !
they earn as fast as they get ii, and who for]
this purpose e1pend largely for alcoholic bev-|
erages, which in themselves are injurious
to health, and bodily comfort, besides being
enormously expensive. # the amount OF
money expended annually by the wages pop
1lation for drink was economical they would |
discover how heavily their labor is volun- |
;arily taxed to purchase Of moral and physic-
Il poison. More capith-tlat is, the wages |
# daily labor-is destroyed in saloons than |
s required to make capitalists of thousands |
vho now live from day to day, half the time
n destitution and half. the time in wastefu1 |
expenditure, and all the time railing against |
apital.
Do these people comprehend the meaning
# the destruction Of capital? Capital, |
7hether large or small, is accumulated saw
ngs Of earnings The man who spends .less||
han he earns is always acapitalist. He Who'll
pends all he earns, and runs in debt besides,
annot change his lot without change of
abits To destroy capital is to destroy all
avings, all surplus,-to destroy the means
Y which one man can pay wages for the
.bor of another man, by which one man
III build house for other persons to live
l., by which man con purchase food,
othing, aud fuel to exchange for the labor
others. Suppose capital destroyed, what
len? All will be reduced nike to poverty
:, however, production should be renewed,
nd each man by his labor should produce;
omething, it would not be ten days before Il
,e sober, Intelligent, and thrifty, spendingl
SIS than they earn, would be capitalists, aud
le improvident be as dependent as now.'
o destroy capital is to annihilate the meausj
? which society exists. t