The Labor enquirer., 1883-04-21
Real WorKingmcI.

To the Editor OF The LABOR enquirer.
II DENVER, April I17.-Sir: want to make
few INQUIRIES about the ''Workingmen."
Did they assume this appelation them
selves, or was it given tothem by others
as they also gave them such titles as the
| following: "The lower orders" the
great unWashed," and the like. There
are many who are called, and even pride
themselves as workingmen who do not
help to make anything out OF when
wealth can grow. A man may work and II
work hard and not produce anything
that can be turned into money, or used
for the benefit of the community who
neither grow; dig out Of the earth or
manufacture anything that can be used
for the service of man. In a word they
are non-producerS; they may gather
wealth and hoard the same, but not pro-
duce either the raw material or the
manufactured article; they do not add
tn the worlds wealth so that the man
who produces something ought to lie
called or known as "the Worklngman.
ct us then take this as our standpoint
while we pursue the inquiry as towhO is
not a workingman; and they are very
numerous class, and We include therein
all professional tramps,| men who sCOrn
to work, and who have resolved never to
accept it. even if they have to ask for it;
men who say they will come out ahead
of the men who work to the years end ;
aDd,lt is true that they live and thrive
like all human parasites who prey upon
their fellows and among these may be
classed all those persons who profess to
live by their wits; such as gamblers,
and black-Iegs, ,sleight Of hand men, ,quack
doctors, astrologers, mediums, etc. Then
we have real estate and book agents,
fire and life agencies, and many others
far too numerous, which may be very
we'll spared, as they are producers
gathering up the wealth Of the world and
adding nothing to the common stock ;
then there is the salOOniSt and beer
sellers, and all kindred institutions who
produce nothing but misery and add
nothing to the worlds wealth; these all, ,
like SO many hungry leeches fasten
themselves around the poor producers
throat, and each as he cries, "Gve give :"
sucks away at his life blood, draining
away from him the fruit Of his labor,
which should 90 to feed and Clothe him
self, his wife and his children; as neither
of the classes mentioned is a producer
in any shape or form, they too live and
thrive from the produce of other mems
labor. Is it not high time that the peO-
pie turn their attention and try to solve
the problem for themselves And the
sooner they begin the better. Then
again. there is another very large class,
much too large for either the wealth or
health Of the producing class; | mean
LAWYERS and doctors, and the more they
SO much the worse for the peO-
pie; they are nOn-prOduCers in the
largest sense of the term for by the aid
of the one our laws are being made more
and more complicated every year, and
less easy to be understood; there is
scarcely a law on the statute book that
any man of good common sense can un-
derstand; being made by a. lawyer, it
requires lawyer to read it, and a whole
host Of them to interpret it; as witness,
our law courts, and our new city charter.
As that great jurist, Lord BrOugham,
once said "There was no law or act uf
parliament made but what he could
drive a coach and six through" and are
we more fortunate here in Denver.
What does the lawyer produce that adds
to the worlds wealth but as Tmay have
to refer to these limbs Of tie law again
we will now turn to the medical frater-
nifty, surely we shall get on better with
them, they are more humane men, they
will take pity on US in our Affections
when we are laid upon the bed of Suf-
fering and death they will bind up our
wounds and pour in oil and wine they
will consider our poverty when we are
laid aside from work and restore us to
health as speedily as possible. No. no
the doctors are not more humane; they
do not take pity; they will not consider
your poverty; they have purges and
pills III abundance; moIossus and black
draughts, plenty; but little oil and wine;
they too are non-prOducers.