The Labor enquirer., 1882-12-16
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
Their True Relations and Why and
How They Should Be
Maintained.
To the Editorof The Lapor Enquirer.

-- as-ss y 5 & #s Il
To the Editor of The Lar9ar Enquirer.
With many other #sgeworkers, | am
much pleased that yea have started al
paper to advocate the interests of labor,
and, in common with the majority q
beleve) Of working men. shall be glad
If from the very start 81 your journalistic
career you keep before your readers the
true relations Of capital and labor One
of the most serious mistakes many capi-
taiists make when embarking, in a bust
ness enterprise requiring the employ
ment of large numbers of workingmen
land the mistake, of all others, which
has given rise to the ill-feeling subsisting
between employers and employes) is that
in making their calculations on the pos
sible profits of their venture they always
figure on obtaining their labor at the
lowest possible pricess many of them
indeed, so narrow and contracted in
their views that they really believe (or
act as if they did all a working man is
entitled to is SutIilient wages to barely
furnish him subsistence from day to day,
and never taking into consideration the
fact that many 'rlllngmen-a heavy
prOpOrtiOn-haVr rga families, to edu-
cate, in addition ~ furnishing their
daily subsistence at 1T frequently is
the case that Worl men have musical
and literary tast hiGh they would.
like to crafty, ana 'uld crafty within
reasonable bound justified by their
wages; that If wa4. were kept at a just
figure 1t would be horter for all lines Of
business, as it STAN, % reason that if a
workingman's wag are lower than they
should be he mus o necessity econo-
mize in all of his enditures, and in
such cases his economy not only touches
what are termed thr IuxFlries of life, but
oftentimes is>carr;, Ssf1e extent Iof
stint with reference 10 many of the ne
cessities. Is such a state of affairs in any
community conducive to the prosperity
of dealers in groceries, dry goods and
other commodities? Against such a
spirit Of downright meanness and un-
fairness workingmen should combine
everywhere and fight it to the bitter end
A spirit which is just as reprehensible
has sometimes been noticed among
workingmeR,M when they have taken ad-
vantage of the fact that labor in some
particular branch was scarce, and de-
manded wages beyond all bounds Of
reason. Workingmen must learn in
their organizations to steadfastly frown
down such an inclination, because it is
as unjust as the spirit manifested by sor-
did capitalists who persist in maintaining
wages at lowest possible figures. These
two Irregularities in the relations of labor
and capital without doubt constitute the
| fruitful source of nine-tenths of the
strikes that occur in various branches of
industry, and to their early correction
the best judgment of both employers and
employees should be directed. The CAPT.
talists who persist in the mean spirit al
luded to in dealing with their employees,
must learn sooner or later that the
workingmen can and will eliminate it
from the labor-capital problem by per-
fectly legitimate means, and to this end
wagewerkers in every community should
be SO thoroughly organized, and so
thoroughly alive to the best methods of
protecting themselves, that at every elec-
ton, if occasion requires, they can make
themselves heard and respected at the
polls. The ballot is the one weapon of
ofense and defense which the working
man can always WELD with telling effect,
and there is no good reason why he
should hesitate to do so-even if he is
obliged to ignore party prejudices when
good point can be made for the interests
of himself and fellow workingmen. And
why should not workingmen take an
active part in politics? What class has a
better right? They constitute the ma
jority of the population of the country,
fought the battles of the union for its
perpetuation, and who shall dare to gain
say their rights in the matter? And
right here I may be permitted to saw
~ ~ o.. .uas as.eA$ rue spirit u
..s.. a. .,.-... - 8 .@cle r3:' ..4@-
&C.. .cj .,r during Ae