Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-02-27
fer the AvANT COURIER.
CAPITAL W. LABOR.


: CAPITAL W. LABOR.
: Much has been said and written upo
t the battle between capital and labor, an
. much more will be said and written upo
| tile subject. 1t is one of those question
. aaat will permit of considerable talkin
; pro and con, without it being definitel
settled which side has the better of the al
| gument. 1t is a question that has engage
the serious attention of our pCofOundes
thinkers and ablest writer's tor many year
gone by. and yet it is no nearer a practice
solution than if it had never beer preached
Why it is that some men persistently an,
violently insist that there is 4 natural strif
between capital and labor is to man,
minds inconceivable. It cannot be com
pretended why two elements of success o
prosperity, SO essentially necessary one t.
the other as are capital and labor, have
natural antipathy; nor can we believe tina
there exists such a state of things, bu
rather attribute, what troubles there may
be between these two essentials, as due tt
| cDtIFtlt cNtfIIleOuS Ihd!lerS.
In this connection it is pertinent to con
slider from whence coneth capital. 1t i;
not the product of any one particular laN
of nature. 1t does not grow. 1t is the
result of combination Of nature AMI art
1t is produced by labor. It is dug from
the ground. 1t is gathered into the gran.
aries in the shape OF good crops. It is
turned ont from the loom, the lathe and
the carpenters bench. 1t is procured by
the '.sweat of the face" In every in
stance it is. priority. obtained as the fruits
of honest labor. And as wealth or capital
is produced by labor. 40 is labor cOmpen-
stated by capital. so that it is as absolutely
necessary to have labor to produce capital
a. it is to have capital to remunerate labor.
And in this way it will he seen that there
is no natural strife, but that directly con-
trary condition of affairs exists. When
capital is gathered and boarded and kept
from its proper sphere. then begins the
trouble that is charged to war between
capital and labor; when greedy corpora
tons get control of capital, then is it made
antagonistic to labor; when it is used 20
bride the legislatures. debauch the judici-
airy and corrupt the jury box, then does it
war upon labor. 1t is then made the me
dunn through which the interests and
rights Of the laborer are trampled upon.
In modern times its persuasive influence
has been used with such telling efforts to
tighten its own burdens at the expense of
labor that it is not ut all surprising that
labor should revolt at the monstrous out
RACES that are put upon it,
Taxing the laboring man to the utmost
farthing. while huge. sOulless corporations
ire exempt from taxation for number of
years, is prcjudicial to the welfare Of a
people. And in many instances the laws
Of interpretations are so loosely. carelessly
md iTperfectly drawn. and purposely, too.
hat the payment Of taxes is evadcd even
after the limit of exemption expires. so
hat it is matter of surprise that labor has
70 long remained quiescent under the gross
determination. Subsidy or exemption
rom taxation are both evils of alarming
prevalence at the present day. They are
special privileges" forbidden by our Con-
titution, and the granting Of either is a
agrnt violation. not only of the spirit
mt of the letter of that instrument. the
of our national fabric 1t pro- I
ides tor the accumulation of capital with |
ut risk or outlay. while it compels the !
lborer to pay for the necessaries OF life ut q
rate prOpOrtiOnate to the flvOrs granted e
Operations.
Combined capital in building a railroad p
investing in what will accrue 10 itself. j
advantages may be offered to Others t;
trough its instrumentality but the direct II
, ana profits its, Of hf snterPFse 70 t to
ould they be exempt from paying to the n
pport of their protection! What makes 0
pital invested in that manner more de- le
lving of favors than the capital put into II
arm, Or mine, or stock? They all tend u
The public interest, and the law that II
IS the one investment shall pay for the 9
irilege Of being so invested and the other p
ill be exempt from such payment. is I'M
It, Ubiquitous and unfair. 1t is discrim- CT
lting in favor Of accumulated capital III
ainst labor. 1t matters not whether TIE as
lount involved can be represented in dol o'
S or cents. the principle is present. and p'
corrupt in its tendencies and subyersiye eo
good government.
We can readily see that there is a natural
iprocal courtesy between capital and ~
or and would SO remain if it were not III
those who control capital. Manufac- nc
ers, dealers and agents combine against ca
or. forcing it down, to the lowest point, a.
Ill it is compelled to sting back. though ar
doing so it may wound its own friend. 81
Dur tariff system is another protection ef
capital that operates against labor. by uO
bling manufacturers. while not paying Ii
wages, to monopolize the -
rket and regulate prices to their own oe
erests. ih
We had time we could 60 on enumer- q
lg instances in which the strong arm of ar
law is evoked in behalf of capital as ul
inst labor, and it is these facts, and La
sc alone. that produces the disquietude u
trade whic! is wrongly characterized as III
''irrepressible'' conflict between capital 81
labor. Wherever you find commun- sn
in which no distinction is made in favor w
either the one or other, there you will Nj
] peace and prosperity. GU
VERITAS. We
tic
Wagish Legislators. th