New-York tribune., 1879-01-02
LABOR AND MONEY.
, rrrrp FROM GEORGE II. YEAMAN.


,o,bned him with profound and tender IN almost
,o;nful. sympathy, for every human being engaged
- ,bc fated struggle for existence, would like
short rlain talk with those whose fnan-
-;o1 and political opinions he regards rs errors
Diousble and seductive errors TO some: TO him
,r.psrareut fallaces There arc no SUBJECTS at once
.o mnch discussed and so little understood as
fnance the relations of paper money to metallic
coin the relations of labor to capital, and the rights
Of property-Or, moro accurately, the right oil each
man 10 hold and enjoy what ho can honestly acquire.
Some men who are powerful aud successful party
leaders-lnen who really know something OF the
science of government. distinguished from poll
tics in its narrower and mcaner sensc-lnen WHO un-
derStand the structure and constitutional operation
of onr system of government-some men who are
snccessful in commerce or in banking-some who
are good farmers-others good artisans and mechan-
ics-men who are honest who are not unwilling to
xorl-men who do not wish to rob other people-can-
mot nossibly understand that government by issuing
few tons of greenbacks tomorrow, would not Gre
ate their aggregate face in value; would not add
that much to the real wealth of the country.
and would not add to the general and permanent
prosperity of the industrial interests.
OF course, among these good people do not eul-
brace the professional tramp, the red-fag FOOLS and
the red-handed assassins These are not to be rea-
are the wilfu enemies Of society, and society has
the right to treat them as such. When they aban-
don the ballot society has the right resort TO bull
lets-that is if society aud law at all worhpre-
serving-a question that is always presented IN
sharp outlines by the presence and the conduct OF
such classes.
Nor is any offence intended by addressing Green
hackers Workngnen and Communists IN one aTgu-
ment. They are not the same. The Greenbackers
may believe in paper money, without DeheVlng that
Government ought to regulate the hours or the
price of labor or to furnish labor, or TO regulate III
minnie. cast-iron details, the relations between
labor and capital, between employer and en-
Moved. And the Workingman may believe in all
these things without being Communist at least,
II is supposed he can. But the Communist believes
all This and far more. Just what he does believe,
md lust what he wants, it would he hard TO state.
But he would feel offended if not thought to be far
more radical than either the Greenbacker or the
WOrkmgman.
FUNDAMENTAL ERRORS.
All these errors while different in degree. different
in the subjects to which regulations and remedies
more or less radical would be applied, are the same
in kind the same fundamental mistakes are made
by the Greenbacker, the Worhngman and tie Com
nnnis as TO the real nature and office OF money, and
the relations of good government to money, to capi-
tai TO labor and to property. They all equally fall
TO grasp the situation 10 anayze the elements, 10
discover the original factors that enter into ana
produce the complex problem in hand. They all
overlook facts. Let me ask them n few questions.
Did il ever to any of you that the contention
YOU make is of deeper meaningand significance than
YOU proclaimi That some of the principles you
urge are protest. not only against society, govern
ment, law as now organized, but also
AGAINST the plan and maker of the universe
Al -l,atl ifa iS W.
having7 Whether it is not a crime TO be parent
Whether God was not either hard and cruel in max
ing us and the world as he did, was unequal TO
the task of making better world, and making for
us an easier LOTT Or. if you reject the idea OF SUI
meme intelligence and power, and attribute all
things phvscal TO accident, physical law. or mex
orable law that then you are contendlng with des-
tiny itsef7 l am not going into theology. there
is too much theology in the world, though not
enough religion. But have been induced to ask
these 0uestions by remembering what once saw in
some book-whethcr Adam Smith, OF Mill or Nal
thus, or neither of them, cannot now remember
the remark that the difficulty of living easily is
caused by the "niggardhness of nature"
Assuming that YOU do not really intend to 60
into the matters and distractions indicated by
these questions: that you simply mean TO Try 10
better your condition in a practical way; ana as
suming as | safely may, that population will con-
tinue TO multiply, that nature will continue TO DC
stuCv that men will continue to hud 1t difficult TO
make living, and that want, much of IL hard and
sore will forever continue to exist, come to the
real point.
I lido not address those who are versed in the So
called science of political economy. Political
( economists-like doctors-diller; and the little
we have to say that might look like an essay
nj political economy, will all be regarded by those
who are familiar with the literature OF that sub
iect as being either trie truths, Or-expoded errors
WHAT NATURE CANNOT DO.
Then commencing with the "nggardliness OF
naturcD il is apparent that if we could imagine a
country blessed with soil and climate when
abundantly and spontaneously produced all our
necessary food without the labor of tllllng the
soil We have imagined n home where men might
feed themselves with only the labor of pucklng and
eating.
But it, for any cause, this community wished for
more than food-say clothing-we arc scarcely bold
enough OF ingenious enough to imagine nature DO
ing for us our spinning, weaving cutting, lifting,
and sewing. ETon the wild animal must be hunted
and slain and the skin dressed to obtain the earliest
Now since the soil and climate described by the
imagination do not exist, and since we mlst make
our own implements, and do our OVID plouehlhe,
sowing and reaping and house-buldlng; aud as
nature is not combined spinning, weaving ana
sewing machine, nor mines our metals nor DakeS
Our bricks dresses the lumber, we are by INC
fiat and order of nature at once ana forever remit
ted TO labor as the condition of existence to labor
as the only thing, power, or agency, that creates
value" here leave entirely out OF view any os-
cusson of the theory of the innate value OF inc raw
materials produced by natureas ores, tlmOer etc-
because in their natural state they are not ayalia
lie and f. the purposes of this discussion. and IN
eycrv practical sense il only labor that creates
value. ,.n. f,.
The value thus created assumes different forms,
some permanent some heetng-cOnsumed III the
usngIbut its principal form, and the ultimate re-
sIf of all it's forms is something to feed, or clothe
or shelter the human body. Value saved OF accu-