The sun., 1882-08-20

ers the managers Of the railroads are acting
from a ,grasping. and oppressive spirit and
ness question hotter and more Justly than il
can be managed by the proper trustees OF the
property II you believe that an advance OF
motives connected with the spirit and practice
OF stock gambling, strike at the root OF the
eydl; eEl That root is In Wall street, or wherever
ls not in the brains or the hearts OF men who.
acting as trustees Of the property OF others.
principles. and in the strictness Of a ilduciary
trust 70 make decisions, that they would gladly
avoid @ II they could, and that no one ,wh9 has
too how is 1t that the aborers OF any class.
possessing any appreciabo degree OF skill.
man who has muscle. brains. accumulated ex-
perience. and acquired skill and nothing else.
Is poor only in the sense that he has no
money capital. AS the owner of u capital
which Will produce an income. he is not poor.
That capital is his capacity to labor; and he
sells labor as the owner OF any commodity
sells what he has to sell where lie can find
purchaser and can agree upon the price. His
isa capita that is never exhausted or lost until
health and strength fail, and it IL never seri-
ously inured less the owner injuries it him
self. Its use Is always in demand. unless the
owner chooses to take it out of the market. II
is II sheer misnomer to call such man Door"
which his labor capital is, contrasted with the
money capital OF some other man; and in that
sense. the man who owns Just rs much money
capIta Ishdt a. as viii produce an income equal to
Is as I,oor and as rich as the laborer. no more
And howis it in regard to the people ?" 1t is
the tendency of all advocates of particular
causes or movements to assume that they
represent the people. This Is especially tho
upon the railroads. 1t seems to be forgotten
anxious always 70 do what ls right. and gen. gen.
erally doing II with more than generous con-
sideration OF the welfare Of the lnboring classes.
whose interests are from time to time in ques-
comprehended thousands. nay. millions. who
have no direct concern in the questions be-
tween the railroads and their customers or be-
who will not be likely to consent that invested
money capital shall be wrested out OF the hands
of It's owners, any more than, they will consent
shall be wrenched from his own control. To an
Impartial spectator 1t would seem that u
the name Of the people, would facilitate access
to the eur q the tribunal thar is in the last re;
matters of public policy, TO the end that the
true relations between that kind of capital that
exists IN the form Of invested money and that
kind Of capital that exists in the form OF labor
may be properly understood and practically
adjusted upon sound principles, it Is essential
while the owner OF the labor capital has an alb
soute right to deal with what is his own he
has no right to dictate how another owner Of
the same KIND OF capital shall deal with his
own: secondly. that tho owner of money cap
ital invested in business enterprise has both
eho iEHt anu tlit SOle DructlcaDIe pow
er TO determine safely what wages the bust
ness can afford to pay. With all the pro-
verbal soullessness of corporations, | do
not believe that the managers OF our rail-
roads are Justly chargeable with disposition
To grind the faces of the poor. Some of them
kn0w to be wise and beneflcent managers or
helpers in INSTITUTIONS organized within the
service for the benefit of their employees: in
stitutions. rules and systems which have been
voluntarily established. and which no one could
assert to be duty upon any other principle
than that it is both duty and policy to do
good. c &. I. G.