Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-05-08

! branches of industry complain that
they are insufliciently paid--both sides
are telling the truth-neither capital or
| labor are receiving the returns they did
| during what we call "flush times
What shall we dor II labor demands
more Of capital, and capital grants IL,
then capital will suffer. II capital de.
mands that the price of labor shall be
less, then labor will suffer. If labor de.
mands 30 much Of capital that it can
not stand it, then capital will shut itself
up aud refuse to employ labof-then
whatp Capital cannot be compelled to
employ labor, and labor can have moth.
| ing TO do without capital. Thus we see
that one is dependent upon the other,
and both must live and thrive together,
/ or both must suffer. 1t is said by some
that capital oppresscs labor, and that
labor must be protected by law.
Others say that labor oppresses capi-
| tai and demands of it more than IL can
/ pay. That both allegations are some
! times true, have no doubt. Capital
| lists invest their money in industrial
| pursuits expecting to make profit on
| their investment. They do not invest
I it in business simply for the sake of Civ.
I ing employment to labor-they expect
return in the shape of profit in their
/ investment for their labor and the
/ risk of their capital--whose capital Is
[ his muscles and training in his art, ex.
poets profit and a return for tits
/ value depending upon its being well
directed by an intelligent understand
| ing, the more skilled labor commanding
the higher price. That the capitalist
often takes advantage of the laborer Is
/ doubtless true--that the laborers some
| times takes advantage of their employ
ers is equally true. Is it possible by
| legislation TO prevent either one from
/ imposing upon the othcr2 This is not
pretended, but it is alleged on the part
| Of labor that in some localities and in
some industrial pursuits a system of
| paying the wages of labor in orders on a
store or stores has been introduced, and
that the merchants are in the habit Of
| charging exorbitant prices for their
! goods and that in this way the laboring
man is deprived of a portion OF his hard
| earned wages this is no doubt true in
many cases and is an evil. IL ia not
! confined to company stores or stores
owned by the employers OF labor-but
most all stores, upon whom orders are
drawn, charge more for goods sold upon
orders than they do for cash. Why ?
| because an order ia not money, it Is
| letter of credi. and the merchant who
receives il parts with his goods, which
cost him money, and is compelled TO
wait months for his pay.
Our toiling farmers, as a general rule,
| have no money from spring to fall; (;
they employ labor at lower figures than
any other branch OF industry, and are
compelled to pay their hired men with
an order on country store, at least TO
| furnish him with his necessaries in this
way. The merchant must charge more
| for his goods sold in this way than il
sold for cash. or he would fail in bust.
ness. II the farmer was by law com.
pelled at all times to pay cash for his
labor, he could not do it, and would be
| compelled to leave all work he could
not do himself, undone. The farm la.
borers would have no work and would
have to stArve or be supported by pub
| lie charity. The production OF the nee.
I essarics Of life would be dimished and
| the cost to the consumer necessarily in
creased, which would operate severely
upon laborers engaged in other pursuits.
| But it is said that the proposed Law of the
| Senator from Fayette does not apply
| TO any industry except the manufacture
| Of iron and steel and the mining of coal.
! This is true, but why should 1t be so
! Why single out these three industrial
pursuits from among the hundreds OF
othersl Why not include the farmer,
/ the founder, the machine-shop man,
/ the miller the lumbermau. the axe
maker, the factory man, the grocer, the
| baker the lime burners, the merchants
themselves, who pay their store boys and
clerks with store goods. Why not in.
clude all branches of industry in which
labor is employedf If labor must be
protected against capital, let all labor
| and all capital be treated alike. Is it
because the manufacture of iron and
steel and the mining of coal are more
| profitable than other branches of in.
| dustryf This cannot be pretended
too many Of our furnaces are standing
idle for this to be asserted, and every
person who knows anything about the
manufacture OF iron knows that no
branch Of industry is at this time more
depressed. 1t is asserted by parties in
my district, engaged in the manufacture
Of charcoal iron, whom | know TO be
| honorable and truthful men. that If ii
| were not for their stores and the order
| system, "a adopted and in use by them,
that they would be compelled to stop
their works and thus throw out of EN-.
| ployment all of the men employed.
Valentine 4 Co., engaged in the man.
ufacture Of charcoal iron, near Belle.
fonte. for more than twenty years prior
TO 1876 had no store. but paid their men
in cash at the end Of every week. At
the end of that year the footing Of their
accounts showed an actual loss. They
we're not disposed TO run their works at
a loss, and there was but one of three
things 10 do: First, to stop their works
and leave all their men to shift for
themselves or, second, to reduce their
wages and thus bring the cost of the
production within the market value.
| Thia they did not like In do as the