New-York tribune., 1878-06-29

which they ask logically tend to an oyerturn-
ing of the present system of society, Its free-
dom of individuals, its rights of property, ana ltS
incentives to personal effort and improvements
The book recently published by Mr.. Osborne
Ward affords a singularly good test. Inc
great difficulty has been that the 'aEuo
dissatisfaction with things as they are WnicI WI
prompts labor organizations anu Poiisi'"i
movements in the name of labor, rarely mus
expression in clear and definite torln' 30 li'",
known aims can he followed to their IosiI'l "a,
results Hence the wOrlIingmen are cons'"'.J
misunderstood by others, and as oICeh hl,'-
understand the tendency OF thelr own uo-
mands Mr.. Ward is a self-educated lnachih-
ist and urges with great zeal the views oL
4" tho Labor party." but he is also clear and
strong in logic, and pushes to their necessary
results the ideas which many others vaguely
accent. His little book is map OF the ROAD
which many begin to travel, not KNOWING
whittier it leads
The essence of this book, as of the move
mont which il advocates, is that the entire
oor,no+;tive system. upon which all modern
civ,lizotion and existing laws are founded, Is
radically unjust to labor. II capital Is per-
mittcd TO employ labor at the market price,
il is reasoned that the pay OF labor can never
rise far or long above what IS aosoluteIy
necessary for its support. Profits VIII Oe
divided by traders, who charge the laDorerS
unreasonably, it is thought, for distribution
of their products; by landowners VINO MAKE
wrongful charge for the rent OF land or DuiId-
inps and CAPITALISTS, who wrOngfully exact IN
terest for the use of money. In the society
toward which the Labor movement tends' as MI
Ward shows, all labor must be employed; the
mddlcmen and spectators must De aDOF
ished; and all the capital used in the support
of labor or in the instruments OF production
transportation and exchange, must belong 10
the public, and be employed wholly for the
pubic and not for private advantage. In sup
port of these views it is urged that work can
fins be given to all at good wages; that the
cost of instruments, land and capital, when
now goes to individuals, can be divided among
the laborers III increase of wages or reduction
of hours of work; that this is essentially CO.
opcration on q broad scale, and that, whereas
nine-tcnths of individual enterprises tall, nlne-
tcnths of Government enterprises succeed, the
most Office, common school, water supply ana
fire department being given as illustrations
In other articles il is intended to examine
these ideas more in detail but Is 1t not pam
ot the outset that Mr. Ward is right IN claim
inc that the Labor movement makes war uPon
the whole competitive system OF society, us
towards for accumulation5 of capital, ITS Tree
dom of capital and labor to negotiate as each
NAV please. and its encouragement to the
thrifty and intelligent laborcr to rise from the
wagc-carnlng into the capitalist class Is not
this the very essence Of tradcs-uuionism Is
il not the Obvious meaning Of every form of
attack upon invested capital, and every effort
10 cut down the rewards of that seli-denlal by
which capital il slowly accumulated Down
{" with the banks cry ono set OF agltdtorS,
" for they represent robbery of labor 10y
"usurous interest on money! But banks
embody the savings of labor, ana reward
the economy which has saved. "Down with
q" the bondholders," cry others; they get
erich while others sleep or toll But the
bonds are savings of labor in the past, and
the interest is a reward Tor past toll ana
economy. "Down with the right Of workmen
"to work more than eight hours II they
Choose" say others. But the plain result Is
10 prohibit those who may wish TO earn more
money than their fellows from attaining better
wages and improving their condition. Can
single one bc named of the demands now
made by labor organizations or trades unions,
which does not point directly to that warfare
against the whole competitive system, against
all freedom Of labor to better its condition by
individual effort, and against all reward of
labor for sclf-dcnial and saving of capital,
which it is the declared purpose Of Mr.. Wards
book and Of Socialists aud Communists to COM
mcnce and TO wage
OF the nature of that contest, the right and
wrong of it., and the effect of desired changes
upon the future of labor it is the more easy
To speak fairly in the light of the arguments
which Mr. Ward presents. But in the consid-
Grafton of each branch of his argument 1t will
clearly appear that the Labor agitators of this
country are pressing forward, often mcon-
sciouslv. toward the same revolutionary ends
which France tried to reach in the Reign OF
Terror, and again in the reign Of the Com
mune.
COMING OUT At THE LITTLE END or THE
HORN.
ri. n,,,ocr,tic harm flares the wrong Way,