The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-08-02

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: come Of men IN more favored pursuits.
i, farmer whose whole fortune equals the annus
: salary OF a Senator is considered fortunate
r Il seems therefore to be high duty resting o
! us to give them the relief asked for in thi
amendment To this it would be well to ad
a repeal OF all taxes on barbed wire fit 70
: fencing, and on the round wire out of which !
IS manufactured. This would be great bool
70 the farmers of the West and IN fact to th
whole country. since it would greatly cheaper
fences and put stop TO the enormous vast
of our forest in the draughts made on then
for timber suitable for fencing
Mr.. President, desire to say with emphasi
and with all the earnestness inspired by ,
profound sense of the wrongs inflicted on far
mers BY our taxing system, and the deepes
sympathy with that oyertaxed and neglected
portion of my countrymen, that there is n
measure Of relief which we can devise, nj
fostering, no aid which we can give to that in
| tefest which ought not to command at once oul
favorable action. | was born in that class
have never separated myself from it. My
ancestors to the remotest generations belonged
toiti the name | bear is significant of theil
calling; that is also the assured destiny of my
descendants; a majority of my constituents be
long to It majority of my countrymen are
| a part of it. So, sir, | am impelled not only
| by high considerations of public duty, but by
my sympathies as a man, by my associations
/ by the love OF those who are near and dear to
me, to urge upon the Senate the adoption of
condition of the Ggriculturists of the coun-
/ try.
| There is yet another provision in the amend
ment 10 which | desire to call the earnest at
tention of the Senate and to ask for it their
favorable action. 1t is repeal of all taxes on
| the tools used by mechanics in manual labor
| We hear great deal said about our duty to
protect American manufactures. I want to
protect and encourage American mechanics
the workers who create our manufactures
tEhp 5T.+a h,aC l.
protection given to manufactures goes to the
Iaborer who creates them. do not know that
l am capable OF doing SO. | do not know that
| can see through this Intricate and involved
subject and ind how or to what extent the
tax levied to protect the thing affects the man
who, for wages, creates that thing as the prop
erty of another. | do not know how much Of
the profit directly gained from protection by
the capitalist who owns the mill is allowed to
goincidentally to the laborer who works in it.
This is au intricate, not to say an unknown
subject: at least it is unknown TO me. Those
who are curious on this subject will find it
ably and fairly discussed in a speech made in
the other House son this subject on the Sd OF
May last, by Hon. S. S. Cox, aud to that day
| refer them. | learn this however from
The history of the times: That the protected
capitalist realizes enormous gains in some in
stances, as shown by the Senator from Della
ware Mr. Bayardl in his speech made in this
Chamber few days ago, much as II per
richer aud richer every day.
But how is it with the laborer who is said to
enjoy this protection Are they becoming in |
dependent? Are they elllodged well clothed, |
and well fed ? Do their children enjoy such |
advantages as are useful or necessary to ad- |
vance them in life Let the numerous strikes |
recently and even now prevailing over the |
country answer. These strikes are the solemn |
and earnest protest of those who know more |
OF this business than we do, against the un-
equal division between capital aud labor Of |
the gains arising from protection. Shall we |
assume that there is no just cause for this pro-
test? Shall we assume that labor out of an
aggressive and communistc spirit rebels |
against fair wages aud refuses 10 perform its
share in the creation of wealth that it elects
idleness aud and starvation in lieu of work
and plentYf
Large bodies of men never make complaints
without just cause. They never undertake to
right themselves in a way which puts at peril
heir daily support, their food and raimeut,
anless there be real grievance.
That the relations between capital and labor,
between the master and the workman, are un-
satisfactory l believe is admitted. II will
aver be so, till the large mass of workmen can
secure the means of labor and support indie !
pendent of the will of the master. When there
Ire no other means of living for large numbers, !
here must be conflict and auta yonism. Labor &
must be as free to decline employment at in i
utheient wages, as the master is to refuse to t
lire it at what he deems excessive prices. In t
10 other way can they treat on equal terms
Japital idle and unemployed, it is true, gains /
lothing 1t may even lose; but the absence of s
ain or the actual loss bring no want, press 0
ng and emergent circumstances to the capi- t.
aIist He may wait and watch, secure against I
uch loss as threatens either his comfort or e
is fortune, and secure also in the assurance n
hat in the end he will be victor. v
Unemployed labor means in no short 2
eriod, hunger and pauperism. Thus circum t
tanced, the parties are not on equal terms, r
ven when labor can (as it rarely, or never t
oes) combine as one man to enforee its de- '
lands. t.
know of no better alienation of this evil, t.
. better way Of equalizing these antagonistic a
oroes, than to encourage and foster such I
leans as will enable labor to work, if even f
disadvantage, independently, combining
4 some degree the characters and functions i
f capital and labor. 1t aids in this direction 3
hat the laborer should be the owner of the e
1ols by which he can ply his trade. p
Sir, l look with alarm at the modern ten G
ency Of affairs TO destroy these Independent Il
lborers carrying on business for themselves G.
nd the absorption of all such in large work Is
hops under master. | fear this tendency [
annots snoW be successfully resisted The per- n
action of the many curious and useful inyen
ons to save human labor, the substitution of q
ne steam-eugine Ind machinery for hnman Ia
luscle and human intelligence, the greater e.
hciency Of labor coming from its subdivision g
Iechanical work under the control of large d
apitalists and in great shops. b
1t Will however, aid in making labor less a.
ependent if the laborers, large part of il
lem. may escape the thralldom, and even e
loUgh but for a short season live on their IN Il
ependeat resources. Whatever will help this di
Mould receive our sanction. Grave as the So ell
al and economic questions are to which | n
ave alluded as connected with this subject, tt
lere are yet other considerations which de- 81
Il l. Ii
7ery mechanic in this broad land to be the OF
gner of the tools with which he works m
There are scattered all over our country al
lndreds of thousands of mechanics who do &C
OF work in these large shops, and ho are inde az
sndent Of bosses and masters toremployment. th
hey are blGcksmiths, carpenters, wheel OF
ghts, plasterers, painters, saddlers, shoemak te
rs, ginwrights makers and repairers of furni- hs
ire, and many others. They are useful mem
srs Of society. They add to the wealth of fr
lie nation by their toll Each of these, when ia
2 has the means to purchase the instruments W
7 which he labors, may be an Independent p'
,ntractor or manufacturer or at all events 81
: has the power to resort to that as pr0tec- m
on against the demands and exactions Of his lii
nployeF. "
Ia behalf Of this large aRd meritorious class NJ
is amendment appeals with great force. The is
llargement of this class will be well for the II
epublic the power to go into it at will is a tu
eat conservative force, tending to nearer sc
HdAlty III me CoHuiktOAh tdU0E auu capital | OF
their mutual relations. al
Tho first effect, as / have shown, of the dl
any inventions of this age has been to create
rye shops, in which there are many laborers | en-
lder one master But we have just hegun H
e great WORK of the conquest by man Of the vi
Wers and fogGes Of nature and the subjuga an
IN of them to his own use. believe further si
ogress viii lead in the opposite direction
ID that at last the end will be attained when pr
Is subjugation viii be so complete, when W
ese forces win be so tanned and trained to obe- in
ence to man, that they will be male to aid in tn
man work in that way, in which each worker th
~ have their full, free, and benefeent effect, tn
-her by his own individual exertion or by a be
luntary cooperation with others which no an
onomie OF financial laws can prevent on
Sir, this may be Utopian dream, or it may wi
prophecy. But whether one or the other is eh
r the determination of the future. 1t is Ger. Ioi
In, however, that the conditions of the pres 20
t are in an opposite direction 1t is our tic
ty to deal with the present and its hard and
Ibborn and uncomforting facts This oppo- af
e tendency cannot be wholly destroyed by do
sislation. We are in that era in the worlds tn
ogress in which great capital employing ab
rye numbers Of leborers is the rule. But, pr
e all other ills, it may be ameliorated, bu