Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-08-04


'clOsses-employer, and employed ev-
4er since civilization began. Moth
ang has been done without labor
nothing has been done without CAPT
tai. 1t is self evident that labor and
capital will respectively be at the dis
posal of different men. The larger
part of the community, has been and
always will be those who have labor
to sell, without money or material to
invest IN the products Of their own
industry. There are organizing, con-
trolling, directing mind which would
manage at once to ruin capital, and
employ Of the industry Of others.
Distribute the capital Of the world
equally among men, today AMI how
quickly it would return again to its
old channels, because men are so
male, and the wisdom of nature has
ordered it. We have then capital,
and labor as the two great forces that
move the world. And the greatest
good, and prosperity comes to both,
when, in entire harmony. Capital has
consolidated to make power. Labor
has organized and consolidated for
the same purpose. There are cor
porations without souls, which have
no more consideration for the mus
,cles and skill which they employ in
their mills, and shops than for the
horses out side, Men who would
gladly make slaves of their laborers,
and retluce their wages to starvation
point. 1t is perfectly natural for la
Dor to organize against such corpora
lions, for whom the employed can
have no respect, and have no care
for their interests. But the great
iniquity Of labor combinations, and
trade unions and strikes Is, that they
make no distinction between good and
bad employers and aoorse breed uni
versal discomfort and decentralization.
They have lived high, Jared sumpt-
uously in tue past years-and do not
properly consider the deep and wide
distress among capitalists, in these
days of shranken vaiues, and business
stagnation. Doubtless there are wrongs
that have occasioned the terrible
strikes for the last two weeks. But
no candid man will justify the strikes.
These causes destroys our social
compact, and the principle Oh which
it is founded, conversal liberty.
There is no law, but that of de-
1mand and supply control men in these
matters. Those strikes were not
compelled to take any stipulated
price daily, it was at their option to
take the wages offered, or step right
off where they could command their
price And if their places could be
filled at reduced figures, it would
show one or two things, their de-
.mand was too light, or else there are
to many men in that line Of business,
and they had better seek some other
employment. The strikers, in pur-
chasing their flour, butter, and pro
visions do not attempt to dictate
prices TO their grocers, but buy where
they can the cheapest. Why not
grant the same right to r. r. capita
to purchase labor where they can the
cheapest. But they let loose The
worst elements and enemies of moral
special and temporal prosperity, forces
antagonistic to all decency and order
in our land. That element that year
ly is costing us more, and more il
dollars and perplexity. This ele
ment is largely foreign, composed o
the lazy, drunken, shiltless, TRAMP
population in our cities, and extend
ing even to country towns and vii
lagos. They are like the communis
element in the days of the Frencl
resolution, ever ready to murder sucI
and destroy. And it is notorlou
that in every instance in the reccn
troubles, these roughs joined hand
with the strikers.
What are the remedies for this 'gigan
Tic strife between labor and capital
1t is evident the strikers will fail i
the end, because they have STABBED a
the heart of the law, and even socia
compact. We cannot see how think
ing men, can expect to see our oil
common law rule, that has Away
been a governing one between ii
dividuals ignored, unless we thro,
away our whole system ofgovernmen
as being II failnre. Therefore thes
men must expect that laws will b
enacted that shall preserve prosperit
and order in society, as the LegislG
ture Of Massachusetts,, did last winter
which was occasioned by the strik