Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-07-14

city without crossing the ocean, he will
find it in Chihuahua.
A Minister on the Wrongs of Labor.
Rev. George w. Gallagher has
preached a sermon in the Fourth Uni
tartan church in New York on the foes
to capital and labor. We extract the
following:
The great wrongs of labor now ex-
ist as In the days when the ancient
guilds were necessary. The cry of the
iaoorer still goes up to the ears of the
LORD OF Sabaoth as when James said,
woe unto you rich men, The phil
anthroplst of capital and labor has not
yet arisen. Who can adequately and
satisfactorily adjust their differences
Franklin, Priestly, Adam Smith, had
they known of the wonderful produc-
ton of goods through steam and labor
saving machinery, of tools being made
like magic, of hats manufactured 700
dozen day in one factory, of cloth be-
ing woven by the nimble fingers of one
girl faster than the brawny arms of one
hundred English weavers could produce
it, would have rejoiced and said, 'Ah,
the good time is coming, the year of
jubilee is at hand! No longer will
there be want among mankind, no
longer need of goods, of money, of
homes, for the facilities of supplying all
that human beings require have been
supplied abundantly.' No government,
whether it be protective or free in trade,
whether it be a manufacturing or an
agricultural country, whether it he a
despOtism like Russia, monarchy like
England or republic like the United
States, has thus far escaped from wrong
ing the laborer, from the burden of pow
erty, or from danger to capital. Such be-
ing the state of the world what cause can
we allege for existing evils and what
remedy would we propose?
THE cause is manifold, probably we
had better say causes are manifold.
Let us from general standpoint treat
the subject. 1t seems to me that the
difficulties existing between capital and
labor are moral rather than material
L know that many political economists
explain that constant strife between
capital and labor by various theories
one says the cause is over-production
another too great supply of labor, an
other too little investment of capital
another that ownership of land is the
difficulty, still others that there is di
rect and irreconcilable difference be
tween capital and labor. 1t seems t.
us that the antagonism exists first from
the side of capital. A mans foes, says
the scripture, are they of his own house
hold, and a common proverb asserts
that every man is his own worst enemy
l consider capital to be its foe. BY
capital l mean the money employed in
productive industries. Did capital dc
it's duty labor would perform its obliga-
tons.
''Of the foes which injure capital ]
shall mention only five. First-Intense
selfishness No interest but mine,
says capital. Is an elevated road to be
built in the city, capital says, Il have g
right to the highway. 1t matters not il
do obstruct the real estate of property
owners. 1 am seeking my own interest
therefore shall make them no recon-,
pense. What do care for the laborer
so long as make money The work
ingmen have seen and felt this selfish
ness and oppose it, and capital suffers
because of its own great cold-hearted
first principle. Second inordinate greed
1t has no respect for the amenities OF
life, for the welfare of communities OF
for the happiness of others. Let a rail
road like the Central Pacific pass
through a country, and instead OF
being axious to develop the towns
along the line of the road it will con.
centrate all its energies on its great
depot of trade, San Francisco. Now
this greed of capitol has lowered wage:
time and again, even when there wa:
no necessity, and the memory of mar
is so strong that it cannot forget tha
which has wronged it. Third-Specu
lation. 1t seems to me that the wors
foe to capital is speculation in things
: outside of its own sphere. More money
is lost, more misery created, more baC
blood made and more hostility from
labor engendered by capitalists specu
lations in illegitimate spheres than BY
; any other means. Notwithstanding
This is very prolific breeder of enmit,
, to capital. Merchants cheat each othe
: by pretending that they are competen
to carry $1,000,000 on a capital o
100000; witness the recent failure o
the Buffalo national bank. This swind
l ling system reacts upon the laborer an'
on the consumer; upon the laborer il
decreased wages, in loss of work; upol
2 the consumer in the high price of good
7 he has to pay. Fifth (and last I'm
: humanity. AS rule capital looks Oh
the labOrers as so many machine
: wound up to run ten hours day. Al
these foes are weakning the great am
2 splendid power of capital"
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