Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-10-03
Chat with Workingmen.

er TO protect themselves against capl-
tai are making a serious mistake
Capital, as any prime of political econ
omy will tell you, is accumulated
labor. There never can be any rea
hostility between the two, because
what helps the one helps the other
and what hurts the one hurts the other
Without labor capital is pOWerless;
without capital labor is reduced to it
elementary form of grubbing the soil
with wooden spade or hunting the
beasts of the forest. Every tool, imple
ment, vehicle, house and garment il
the combined result OF the energies of
capital and labor. Every man who
possesses anything beside hi! two
hands is to u certain extent a capitalist.
The whole fabric of civilization with
which the welfare of all classes, high
and low, is indissolubly bound up, de-
pends upon the security of .accurnulat-
ed earnings, whether they are in the
form of the poor mans cottage and
little savings bank deposit or tne ricn
mans bonds and mortgages. The
broad distinction between savage and
civilized society lies \ the sanctity of
property, and all assaults upon the
right of every man to keep what he has
earned Or Inherited tend directly to-
ward barbarism'
But you will say that ii is the Vast
accumuIations of capital In few hands
that you are aiming at. You would
make Vanderbilts ami Stewards and
Astors ahd Tom Scots impossible in
the future by taxing their wealth into
the public treasury. Yet you will see
py moments reflection that in the
present condition of the world it is nec-
eSsary that d few men should control
large amounts OF money in order to
carry on the huge enterprises that de-
velOp the cOuatry, employ labor aid
advance civilization. How could rail-
roads be- built, steamships run, mines
opened ami great factories operated il
there were DO rich men? You need the
railroads, the cheap -four produced in
mammoth mills by costly machinery,
the cheap clothing and shoes from the
factories, thecheap fuel from the mines,
and you need the employment which
the great manufacturing, mining, and
transportation enterprise give. Ifyou
strike at the capital which carries them
on your blows will rebound upon your
selves with redOubied force. The cap
italist will save enough from the wreck
to support himself, but The lnboring
man will fiud himself without en-
ployment and without bread. This is
not an age of indiv 'dudlisrn. Only by
united effort, aided by the nccumula-
tions of past generations which are the
capital OF ;his Can society be kept from
retrograding. The capitalist is often
selfish and oppressive, but the forces
welded by his class are essential to the
well being Of the race, aud especially
to the well-being Of those who work for
Wages.
Probably time will come when
great uccuDulatiOnS OF capital will
have played their part in the worlds
hi6tory and accomplished all the wOi k
they are capable of doing for the benr-
fit of mankind. Then natural laws
will develop leveling process, aud
there will be more equal distribution
of wealth. No political agitation OF
violent action on the Part OF the work.
ing classes will bring this about, how
ever. Gods laws are better reliance
than mems passions and discontents.
Is there, then, nothing we Can do,
you will ask, to lessen our hardship5,
lift from our shoulders the heavy
burden of poverty and secure for our
selves larger share OF comfort and the
good things Of life? Yes, a great deal,
but it is rather in a social and indus
trial than in a political way. You
should keep close watch of the action
of Congress and the Legislature, and
promptly protest against anything in
the way of legislation likely to injure
the working classes. You have the
votes, and be .assureul your proetst
will he resi- &C Ell. Politicians will
always be eager 10 serve you. But
your chief efforts to better your condi-
tion must, it seems to Us, be outside of
politics il they are to be effective. Here
we come to wide field which cannot
be explored in Ii single article. We
may say, however, that there is no
surer way of getting on in the world
than to try TO do better and better
whatever work you hav3 to do. A
conscientious, industrious work.
man, Proud of his calling
and aiming at the highest skill,
nearly fails of success. One thing.
more. Insist on the dignity OF honest
labor and resist with all your might
the evil tendency OF the age to concede
honors and superiority to mere wealth
without regard to brsins or morals.
There must be no castles in a republic,
and no sristocracy of money must be
allowed to grow up il we would pre-
serve the freedom and purity of our in
stitutions.- II the idle rich man, in the
foolish pride of luxury and selfindul-
gence, scornS the honest poor man be-
cause he works TOR his living with
hands or brain, let the poor man show
a lofty contempt in return, conscious OF
the fact that as one ,of the worlds
workers he is filling by far the nObler
place of the two.-Cleveland Herald.
The currency in circulation in 1878
will purchase $l55, l55 582 more in ev'
cry commodity than the currency in
circulation in 1865 would purchase.
That is the way we are suffering by
contraction. :
THE hard times wave struck US in
1873, the RESUMPTION act was not pass'