New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-08-16

sent TO seek tnat employment "ihNh II w ""
kinds The most scautily paid III proportion 10
the toll required, and the most unaitIactVe 10
the many who desire Che society ana the CON
veniences OF town life The one thinS when
has made agricultural labor possible Is the
strong desire of men who labor to become
their own masters, to own and transmit TO
children their own land "a a secure support
and to enjoy the indvidualism and freedom
from control which that occupation gives.
Take away that desire, and half the farm
workers in this country will bctake Themselves
rs soon as possible to other occupations, which,
as it happens, are already evercrowded. AS
matters stand, there is, in agriculture room, es-
cape, and chance of Independence, at least 1Or
all superfluous labor in other employments IN
America; but this broad avenue OF rehet the
Communist proposes to close up forever. foou
will become more costly. as iarm-laborers be-
come scarce, and other .workmen, more over
crowded than ever must pay the difference.
But the factories and mills, the mines and
furnaces, the railways and telegraphs are to
be seized by the Government and controlled
by fee cooperative unions. Either Govern
mcnt will direct the application of capital and
labor more wisely than we do now, or 1t VIII
not. All these occupations are overcrowded
already, both as to labor and as to capital.
There are too many mines for present con-
sumption of ore, coal, silver and other mate
rails too many furnaces for present consump-
ton of iron and other metals; too many lac
tories for present consumption OF cotton
woollen and leather goods too many railways
for present need in transportation. If Gov
eminent does more wisely than we do now,
il will shut up some of the mines, furnaces,
mills and railways, leaving the labor 10 look
somewhere else, and destroying the capital IN
vested. But the labor will not go to agricni-
ture without hope of final independence, because
It does not now with that nope. III VIII
emigrate or starve. The one thing which has
made possible the investment of capital III the
onening of mines furnaces, mills and railways
not now needed, and consequently the employ
ment of thousands of men in such occupations,
has been the hope of capitalists that by pa
tence endurance of some years or losS ana
anxious application of their own labor to bust
ness. they might ultimately become pOssessors OF
large properties. All this is to be changed by our
reformers. Capital is to have no such hope,
and therefore will take no such risks. Indus
trial establishments will be created only as
fast as there Is IOunu W III an ap'''''N ''A
sure demand for their products Superilnous
establishments will be closed. SuperiinouS
workmen will be discharged, and may go to
Europe and starve. Such is the heaven Tor
which the American Communist continually
signs and prays.
We say nothing, at this moment, of the war
upon property already realized by many years
of toll Let all that go. Suppose that 1t was
wrongfully acquired, and should be seized by
the State and managed by labor unions The
inevitable result must be discharge non-em-
ployment and migration or starvation for at
least a million of labOrcrs, unless they see lit
to embrace the tolls and Inconvenience OF the
farmers life, without the only stimulus which
now keeps agriculture alive among us. The
plain truth, which it is time to teach every
workman who is infested with Communicate
notions, is that in this land agriculture Is the
basis of all industry. Yet 1t has been reIa-
lively declining for some years because by
means of trades unions and other devices,
workinen in other occupations have secured "a
higher range OF wages than agricultural labor
can obtain. As q necessary result, those occu-
nations have become Over-crowded, md work
men therein are unhappy, while not one in
thousand of them is willing TO accept the Ia
bors of the farm even with the hope of ulti
mate independence and self-mastery That
hope, finally, Communism would absolutely de-
stroy. And yet, so insane are its adherents,
they think this remedy for the Oyer-crowd-
ing of labor in other occupations!
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