Daily Republican., 1878-03-25
The Labor Question.

There was large audience at the
Old Foundry on Saturday evening, to
hear George M. butcher lecture on
the "Labor Question" The speaker
was introduced by Geo. w. Wells.
Mr.. d. speaking of Labor said he had
some experience in that line. He had
worked on railroads and on canals; had
plowed the soil and narrowed it, and he
was not. ashamed to own it. If the peo-
pie should labor more it would be bet
ter for them.
In the first place the speaker desired
to establish the supremacy of labor,
which was honorable. No individual
can rise without labor; he can only rise
by toll. Nations also rise like men by
toll; everything is developed by toll,
everything comes by mother earth. 1t
was labor that put the noble ship to.
gether; it was labor that built our rail-
roads; it was labor that laid the tracks;
it was labor that made our fine cars, and
1t was labor that caused them to move.
Who is fighting the battle for free
dom and humanity p! 1t is the poor la
boring man that shoulders his musket
In defence of his country.
Who was Putnam and many others
Who was Ethan Allen of Ticonderoga
fame but laboring man? We are in
debted more to the laboring men for
the educational advantages and supre-
macy, than to any other source un-
der the heavens.
The houses that shelter us, the car
riages we ride IN, and the harness upon
the horses; all these we owe to the poor
laboring man.
Along with labor must come faults.
While one labors with his hands, he
should also labor with his brain. A
man should use his bra II and rise step
by step until he can hold prominent
position in the business in which he is
engaged. Mr.. Howe, the sewing ma
chine man, was very poor. He moved
his family to Charlestown, Mass, and
invented machine, wonderful in its con-
struction, wonderful in its simplicity. 1t
is because thought was developed, power
was developed, and with it came wealth
and mechanism.
You may take two laboring men in
the same vocation. One will use his
hands and the other his brain also.
The one who uses the muscle without
brain, you will find him still digging
in the ground. The other who uses
brain with his muscle, you will find
him developing brain; superintendent
of mill and then proprietor. He be-
comes powerful, man of influence first
because lie prefers to use brain as well
as hands. ID
Capital and labor can't quarrel to-
gether because the minute they do they
cannot develop. Capital cannot do
without labor, or labor without capital.
They are evenly divided.
In this country instead, of buying
our own domestic goods here, the rich
want to b aristocratic and sand to Eu-
rope and get their goods from foreign
countries. He spoke of person who
paid $4,000 for lacein foreign coun
try. How much better it would have
been to have spent that money in this
country. He was in favor OF domestic
manufacture; he believed in charity at
home lirst.then we can send to England,
France and Germany afterwards.
An idle brain is DEVILS workshop, and
we are filling up with idle men. They
have no money, they all say there's no
work, nothing to do. What's the rea-
SOM Because we buy our goods from
foreign countries. 4
Some men do not look ahead of them,
If they have little bread to-day the |
morrow can take care of itself. In New
York year ago, there were $4,000 beg.
gars and 10000 children beggars.-
Blackwells Island was filed to over
flowing, because they did not develop
that which God gave them.
Something must be done and that
speedily. Let congress appropriate
money and take these laboring men in
to the western country. Colonies them,
sell them land, give them five years
without interest to pay, take care of
them twelve months, and by SO doing
this country will be benefited by mil
lions Uf dollars. Let these colonies be
made up Of carpenters, blackslniths,
tailors, masons, and all classes OF trades