The daily gazette., 1880-01-01

PAYING FOR WORK WITH STORE
ORDERS. system of paying ope-
ratives for work with orders upon stores is
Yankee invention, and one of the most
Objectionable modes of doing business.
II we believe the Republican newspapers,
this system has now been introduced in
the South, and the managers of planta-
tions are paying their hands with orders
upon country stores. 1t matters not
where this is done, an advantage is too
easily taken through it, to charge higher
price for the goods than they could be had
Tor cash. There is, 1T is true, very great
reason for overlooking this practice in
the south during the past ten years, for
the people have been too poor to pay In
any other way; and the manumitted
slaves knew how poor their former mas
ters were, and were anxious to get their
wages In anything that would support
life. They knew this before they con
tracted to work and the former master
had to suffer from having to seek credit
from the storekeeper as well as his work
men. This thing is done all over the
country. There is not State In the
Union where 1t is not DONE And the
owners of farms are made to pay higher
prices for the goods they buy on credit as
well as the work men. 1t Is a consequence
of the credit system; and the credit sys-
tenn cannot be got rid OF. 1t is necessary
to the trade OF the country; If it were not
fIr this the best of business young men
would be excluded from business. II is
one OF the consequences of being poor.
But poverty should not always be held
up as thing to be dreaded. Poverty is
not without accompanying blessings.
Poverty leads to diligent labor and to
economical habits; aud the diligent la
borer VINO Is frugal and economical. is the
man upon whom the weight of the coun.
try Is to rest. From such az he springs
the wealth of the nation in the succee d.
ing generations. From this class. in this
country we look for such men as Frank
lin, Jackson, Fulton and Edi >on to rise.
1t is the labor OF the poor that makes The
country's aggregate wealth to which we
are now enabled to point with so much
pride. The poverty of the South the last
ten years Will no doubt In the end, prove
great blessing to Its people-humiliation
works wonderful changes, and Its infiu-
ence Is not always injurious. 1t is often
the parent of happiness and yields an
abundant harvest in contentment fro n
which ulteriOr substantial comforts may
be also reaped in the ripper age of heaIthful
manhood In many succeeding genera
tions.
But the system of giving orders on
stores is not necessity with the New
England manufacturing compa MES; and
yet 1t had been conducted there for years
as a means OF taking from the laborer
higher prices than he would have to pay
had he been paid his wages in cash and
the stores belonged to the companie
The system might have mad its origin In
good intentions and been subsequently,
made to serve a contrary interest. The
State of New Jersey has passed a law
prohibiting the payment of wages In or.
ders. But this Is a doubtful experiment
1t Is better for q man to have the liberty
to work for living even if he has &c
take orders to get the neeessaries Of life
for what he does. than that he shou be
shut out from labor. In hard times the
cases are innumerable where the factory
would stop If cash was required or the
tradesman would have to close his shot
II he could not give an order on a ST ore
keeper for what he built; or, the farmel
have TO discharge his best hand, If ht
was not allowed to give an order on q
corner store that had bought his produc.
TO be paid In goods. Too many right,
have been taken from men under pre-
tense OF serving the interests of the poor
All the great establishments In the coun.
try have been required to seek credit in
some shape or other at various times.
and one Of the very reasons why oul
country has been so prosperous is that
its active and energetic sons have moi
been 80 restrained by law from venturlpe
into the various industrial projects that
have grown to their present magnitude
making the progress of the country the
wonder Of the Old World.