Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-05-08
SPEECH OF
HON. G. Il. ALEXANDER.

The first bill in order was Senate bill
No. 40, entitled An act to secure to OPP
eratives and laborers engaged in and
about coal mines and manufactures OF
iron and steel, the payment of their
wages at regular intervals and in lawful
money of the United States.
The PRESIDENT. The question is on
the final passage of the bill.
Mr.. ALEXANDER. Mr.. President, tho
two great moving forces that have made
this country all that il is are capital and
labor. Under our beneticent form of
free government these two forces have
been working together for the general
Improvement and development ot the
wonderful natural resources with which
nature has so bountifully endowed this
great country. For many years they
worked harmoniously together. side 10y
side, and shoulder to shoulder. accom-.
plshing results that have astonishcd
the world in the development oi the
capabilities of our people. One portion
of our people have, by tact and good
management, accumulated property,
which we are taught 20 call capital.
Another portion of our people, les
fortunate, have struggled, and are sttll
struggling, to earn their bread by the
sweat of their brow, which We are
taught to call labor. Each and every
man, originally, is supposed to have
started in life with the same endowment
of nature, to wit, the right to earn his
bread by labor, which was his original
1 capital.
In the organization of our govern
mcnt our torefathers, recognizing tie
right of all men to tair start in the
race of life, declared that all men are
created equal, and endowed 10y their
Creator with certain inalienable rights,
that among these are life, liberty aud
the pursuit of happiness. That to Sc
cure these rights governments are in-
stituted among men, deriving their just
powers from the consent of the govern.
ed. SO far, therefore, "a the fundamental
law of the land is concerned, the whole
people have had fair chance in the
race for that fortune which so raany
erroneously conceive to be the acme Of
happiness. Many have Jagged behind
in this race. Some have far outstripped
their fellows. We still find them strug.
Cling along all the way from the starting
point to the end of the journey. Some
are clothed in rags, others in purple and
fine linen. Some live, as it were, upon
husks, others upon milk and honey.
Some toll from the rising of the sun
until the going down thereof, and gain
but poor subsistence others toll not,
and yet live in luxury, with all the good
things of the world at their command.
This order OF things is so established, IN
the economy of the world, by the fiat OF
:, the Almighty. and no human power can
change il. All men cannot be rich. All
men cannot be equally powerful; and
if, by legislation, it were possible to
make an equal division of accumulated
wealth among all our people, the equal.
ity could not be maintained for n day
some will be frugal-some will be thrift
less. Those who are frugal will accum.
ulate wealth those who are thriitless
will spend it.
The common desire of all men is to
live in ease with all the comforts Of life
at their command. Human nature Is
never satisfied, and the comforts OF life
are insufficient to satisfy our longing,
craving nature. We must have more,
) and on we go. struggling for more and
more, never satisfied until death-the
inevitable lot of all men-commands
halt, and then what good2 What worth
the efforts-the struggles of mind and
body -sleepless nights and toll by day
what the value of accumulated wealth
An undertaker's wagon, a coffin. mourn.
ing friends, a coneourse of people, a
hole in the ground, and you are buried
from sight at once, and in few days
from memory; and the world goes on
...I. all t.yh V1tI
had never existed. Why then the strug.
gle of life for wealth? Nature Wills it
40 and we cannot help it this state of
things has ever been so, and so 1t will
continue.
All men are engaged in the same
struggle Of life--each one striving for
more, and in the eagerness with which
they pursue the phantom wealth they
often elbow asd gouge and trip up each
other. They jockey each other on the
track. Their neighbors say they cheat.
Some people say they are dishonest.
Those who fall behind and are beaten
in the race say that the race was unfair,
and the second best claims the stakes.
Will il ever be otherwise Can leeisla.
ton prevent it? | claim TO understand
somewhat of the condition Of the labor
ing man, and can sympathize with him
in his struggles of life, and will do for
him all can to help him on in nis jour
ney. II there is any load upon his
shoulders that he ought not 10 bear, !
will lift it off IL can. Can ] do 1t by
voting for this bill as II stands, without
emy amendment Capital and labor are
not in conflict with each other, as is 81
frequently alleged by the politician and
the demagogue--capital Ia essential to
labor, and labor is essential to capital.
The one cannot get along without the
other. Why, because labor is capital
and capital Is the fruit of labor. Labor
ia the tree, capital Is the ripened fruit.
The fruit cannot exist without the
stalk, and the stalk, in the nature of
things, must produce the fruit (unless
IL be a barren stalk of which 1t Is said,
it shall be cut down and cast into the