New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-08

anybody likely to lend them any, especially after
this frank avowaI of their moral hostility to repay
ment People who assert the enormous injustice
of interest on money" are rot apt to get much OF
other peoples cash, except during "a bloody up
heava" which some of the anti-usury prophets
predicted and after the police authorities nave Deeh
hung to the lamp-pOsts, or knocked on the neau.
Unfortunately those who are born to set the worid
right have way of disagreeing with each other.
This promotes cheerful and animated debate, but IL
does not help to reduce theory to practice. For
instance. the rather miscellaneous Greenback-
Labor Convention, which meets to-day in
Philadelphia is expected TO vote that Govern
ment ought to lend $500 to each head and
5000 to each child of a family actually
settling on the public lands. This seems to be
substantially the plan Of our amiable friend,
Mr.. Elihu Burritt, recently promulgated by
him through the columns of HE TRIBUNE
and redounding much more to the credit
of his heart than to that of his head. POSI-
bly, the Philadelphia Convention will go still fur
ther and resolve that the Government should give
to every actual settler suit of clothes, years
ratlons and pair of mules to be paid for some time
in the dim hereafter
But if Congress passes this most beautifully be-
nevoent of bills it should not be without clause
exemptng from its benefits these Illuminated sages
who do not believe IN paying debts principal or IN
terest and who consider it immoral to lend, what
ever may be their opinion of borrowing. To be
sure they would not be likely to settle upon the
public lands, as they prefer talking to till
ing, and that sweat of the brow which
comes of loud and long speech-making In
hot weather. We only refer to them to lndl-
cate into what maze OF contradictory opinions the
new lights of the day have managed to wriggle
themselves Here is one set OF them sobblng over
d" the present enormous volume of money" Here is
another calling passionately for more greenbacks"
Here is an eloquent person who thinks that nobody
should work more than fifteen minutes day"
Here is another who wants Congress to pass an
cight-hour law. Here IS a man who is for abollsh-
ing all forms of Government whatever and here an
other who wishes Government to NEEDLE with all
conceivable matters of human interest-tO furnish,
cook carve meat for the people, and then to put it
into their mouths. Verify, matters are becoming
mixed and interesting. Somebody is bound to go to
Congress, or to be elected Governor, if it takes
cart-load OF resolutions to do it,
The philadelphia Convention which meets to-day,
can. If it peases, do the worbingman real service
by affirming, in PLAIN and simple language, two or
three uDdeniabe truths One of these is that there
Are two sides to every controversy and that the en-
plovcr has rights as we'll rs the employed. Anothes
is that the man who steadily sticks to his work is
quite as worthy Of honor land Of going to Congress-
as another who travels around the country attend
ing conventions, and only talks about working. A
third is, that only despotic governments meddie
with the private business of citizens and
regulate the prices Of labor by law.
fourth is. that commerce and manufactures
and production are governed by certain fixed
laws, and not by the resolutions Of eXtemporzed
party caucuses. 4 convention Of laborers, made up
mostly Of oilice-seekers, is sight so aggrayatmg
that the Ant-Interes Convention seems respectable
contrasted with it. Who the Labor, ETC., COnven-
lion will nominate for Governor, Lleutenant-Goy-
crnor or Judge, We do not know; but we venture to
predict that when the ticket is announced, there
will not be q man on it whose hands are horny with
actual toll