Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-04-10
For the Fayetteville Observer
The Times T!

iSIdctOfy dHoNcI. 1HSAS 10 hO
a parallel period in the worlds
written history from the nomad.
ic age down to the present time
There is no period in history
when knowledge, as it is called.
was so universal as to-day. Nc
period before when commerce
was so universal and extensive.
Communication Of one part Of
Ithc world to the other is now
fleetcr than time. Th re never
was a period before that a ma
jority of all the people of all
1.-THE governments were dissatis-
fled with the administration Of
all forms of governments There
never was time before that
default, deception and dishon-
esty were rules and honesty an
exception. There never was a
time when religious teachers or
leaders had so little influence as
now, and made more demands
upon their followers for support,
and as q general thing a great
disposition OF their part TO a.
void manual effort to secure the
ordinary wants of life. Why is
this universal unrest, this want
of confidence, this boiling, NUT
tering, this conflict, this jeal-
ousy +? 1t is struggle that is
terrible, it affects everything
that is humane or inhumane in
the shape Of man. Is the wrong
lin the constitution of man or
THE constitution of governments,
or is it something else ? is 1t
the result of the conflict OF the
principles Of truth with error !?
is it the struggle for personal
freedom and happiness against
organized and consolidated, un-
productive capital ? Is there
such a power as this in the
world that is q combination OF
unproductive wealth with the
aristocracy Of the world, to de-
feat universal freedom and en-
slave manual and mental labor?
/ answer in the affirmative.
There is an organization in the
world of unproductiye wealth or
capitol which consists of bonds
and money lenders and the ar
istocracy. The organization is
stronger than any government,
or than all governments; and
there is not a government to-
day, | care not how absolute,
but what is secondary to this
power. They all pay tribute TO
lit. There is an unnatural or un-
holy conflict to-day between
non productive and productive
wealth or capital. The non-pro-
productive wealth or capital is
that class invested in bonds or
any other obligation interest
bearing. Money, notes an d
bonds are non-productive; they
have no natural growth or in
crease; and this class Of capitol
is combined in all civilized
countries against the productive
capitol, that is labor, and 1t has
all the labor of the world to-day
trudging under its chains of sill
yer and gold, except in France.
There labor pays less tribute to
non-productive capital than any
other country in the civilized
world.
From the earliest period OF
my life | have been impressed
with the idea that governments
were established for the good of
the governed--lile, Liberty, the
pursuit Of happiness, the COM
mon Inheritance Of man. But
go where you may i'll this land
OF ours, the boastcd home of the
free and brave, and you find no.
thing bat gloom and almost de-
spair; everywhere except the
coupon-clipper or usury-gathe-
rer-tbese classes arc cheerful
and happy. They are we'll fed
tand clothed, for they neithcr
spin nor weave. ] know it is
urged by the non-productive side
of this question, that the labor
side is communism. Such asscr-
tions arc false and unjust. l was
at Pitt sburgh at the time Of her
boiling over in 1877. They call
that communism. If the prin-
ciplcs for which those laborcrs
contendcd be communism, l am
communistic. These laborers
had been promised the winter
: before, when their wages were
cut, that as soon as new crop
came In and business was III
: creased OH the road, they wonld
: increase wages. Did they do
ii? Mol Why? Because Tom
Scott and others had promised
, stockholders that they would
. declare a dividend of z per cent.
the following September. II
, was found that the net earnings
, would not justify such declara-
, ton. When the business of the
road increased, the laborincreas-
|. ed. but the laborers' wages must
, be cut ten per cent, TO pay sew
en- TO the man that works none.