The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-21

The two chief apostles of the new politi-
cal gospel are still active and jealous, But
Ter delivering speech last evening in New
Haven and Kearney repeating one Of his
harangues in Chicago. Kearney is retreat
ing westward. his mission in the East. from
which so much was expected. having proved
failure except in drawing public atten-
ton toward the new movement HIS
ribald style Of oratory is not suited to
latitude where the workingmen are self
respecting and intelligent and capable
of distinguishing between abuse and
argument. Butler is ashamed OF his
profane colleague and repudiates his
methods, dismissing him to the sand
lots which were the scene OF his TIL
umphs. In comparison with Kearney
Citizen Schwab is reasonable and respect
able, lacking Kearney's empty gift of CAB
and proiuse outpourings OF dirty roth, but
greatly excelling him in balance of character
and common sense. Butler is inferior to
both in sincerity, and is too shfewd and
practical to be the dupe of his own crotch
cts. He is playing game and has too lively
a sense Of humor not to be amused with his
own vagaries. He has long wished to be
Governor Of Massachusetts and would have
preferred to attain that honor as the regular
candidate of the republican party. Having
sought it's nomination many times without
success no is now making desperate at
tempt to pool all the issues of discomfort
and ride into Office on what he fancies to be
Al -. IA of ho lab
is probably conscious that If he does not
succeed this year the tide will recede and
leave him stranded.
The labor movement is one of those tram
sient uprisings which swell into notice and
subside with passing events. The long
period of business stagnation and distress
which has weighed upon all classes since
the disastrous collapse of 1878 has made
the laboring classes impatient and almost
desperate. and ready to swallow any nos
trum which promises relief. Ii this
protracted depression continues the labor
movement will grow; but general revival
of trade and industry would cause it to
subside. Full employment for labor, when
ever it shall come, will brighten the condi-
ton of all classes and diffuse social tram
guilty and content. We are already In
the dawn of renewed prosperity. The
farmers of the country are gathering the
most abundant and magnificent harvest
with which they have ever been blessed,
and the certainty of cheap food, as we'll as
cheap fabrics will give moderate wages MS
great command over the means of living
as was possessed by the higher wages
of flush times. Our currency is al
ready substantially at par with gold,
and consequently beyond danger of
further fuctuation. We are to have
formal resumption on the LIST Of January,
and our expectation of agricultural prod
ucts, including the great staple of cotton,
is likely to be 80 large as to remove all rea-
sonable doubt of our ability to maintain
the experiment. Assured resumption, by
removing all danger Of further deprecia-
ton Of property, will impart confidence and
encourage enterprise, and if 1879 should be
q good business year the labor movement
will disappear, leaving hardly ripple on the
surface of our politics. II General Butler
is to make anything of the new agi-
tation he must accomplish it during the
coming autumn or the opportunity will be
past.
The attempt to organize stable political
party founded on the rights of labor will
necessarily prove a failure, because bad
legislation Injuries oil classes of the COM
munity in about the same proportion. All
the instances cited by General Butler tend
TO upset his theory We concede the enor-
nous influence Of the great railroad corpo-
rations and will not dispute his assertion
that it is in the power of four men to levy
q tax in the shape of freight charges which
would increase the cost of food TO the work.
ing classes Of all our Eastern cities. This
power may be as monstrous and unrepubli-
can ms General Butler deems it; but the
rich equally with the poor lie at its mercy.
Do not the rich in our Eastern cities also
consume food? A family with n great
retinue of servants has to be fed with the
same agricultural products as the modest
household OF the laborer, and the grain and
hay for its carriage horses swell the tax
levied by the railroads. The laborer paws
only his fixed fve-cent fare in horse car,
but the rich company which owns the line
has to meet the railroad exactions on the
feed of its animals. 1t is the common in
forest of the rich and the poor to abate these
extortions, and therefore absurd to parade
them rs special grievance of the working
classes. Then it must be borne in mind
that there are two ends to great freight
route. The tax imposed by railroads falls
on the West as we'll rs the East, and in the
West it is felt chiefly by property-that
is, by the owners Of farms, whose
products are lessened in value by high
prices of ireights. We have all seen ac-
counts OF corn being burned for fuel be-