Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-09
MEMPHIS APPEAL
JUNE 8, 1875
LARnR AND POLITICS.

The broken-down, spawned political hacks
in search Of Office are laboring to create the
impression that the Democratic party has no
sympathy witn the laboring classes. 1t has
always been the boast of the Democratic
party that il was composed of the horny
handed laborer and the honest yeomanry of
the country. When the Wing party was in
the hey-day of its popularity the Wings al
ways had a majority when a vote was taken
among railroad and steamboat passenger.
But when the vote was taken on the gravel
train and among the fremen it was unani-
mously Democratic. In the northern States
the Republican party is composed of shoddy,
men who made fortunes as suffers and spec
ulators. The main strength of the Demo-
cratic party is found among the honest
masses and the laboring classes, who regard
the Democratic party as the party Of the
people, opposed 10 exclusive privileges and
corporations and tariffs, which enrich the
favored few at the expense of the poor labor
ing multitude. Toe Democratic party is
warning against the iniquitous Radical policy
which has entailed upon the laboring
classes misfortune and suffering. The
essence of the Workngmen's platform will
be found IN the st. LOUIS Democratic plat
form. The Democratic party is made up of
laborers. Il has been said that education
is the fulcrum that moves the world" This
is not true. 1t is labor. Lo okinR out upon
the whole face of the earth, we find that
whatever nature has not given free and in
common TO all, but yet is valued, is the result
of labor done. Anything artificial which has
value can be produced by labor. Anything
of that nature will buy labor in return. OF
all the numberless varieties. of things bought
and sold, all but an insignificant fraction are
the products of labor. All merchandise Is
labor. All products of the fields, the air, the
sea or mines, are labor. We cannot touch
an article of furniture in our houses, an item
OF food upon our tables, a garment on our
persons, or an article of merchandise IN our
stores, except what is produced by labor. The
cars in which we ride, the animals which
draw them, the rails on which they run, the
paved streets which they pursue, the walks
beside them and the buildings which over
look them, are all the results of labor
sweating, painting, patient, hopeful labor.
The bright flames which mock the sunlight,
and cheer our homes and streets at night,
are the labor of the miner, the ditcher and
the furnace man. We enter a library and
look on the heaped-up labor of ten thousand |
men. Our galleries of art are but mementoes |
Of labor. All the comforts and conveniences |
enjoyed by the rich are the products of work. |
Wealth Is the child OF work and knowledge. |
Money is only the wages of labor. 1t must |
always represent something which has been
done and paid for. He whose labor has Gre
ated value can exchange that value into
money, and with money so received he may
command other labor and the products of
labor. We cannot be far wrong, therefore,
in defining money as labor condensed, crys-
talized, certified, and made transferable.
In proportion as anything called money
deserves the name, it represents work
that has been done, or value that has
been produced by work. Such has
ever been the tribute paid to labor
by the Democratic party, whose chief pride
and boast have been that it Is composed of
laborors. From one end OF the Union to the
other the Democratic party Is organized and
marching to victory. If the workingmen
iDi4a-new organization the only thing that
they can possibly accomplish is to prolong
the rule of Radicalism, which Is the cause of
all our woes.