Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-07-05

sOlltlOn, VIZ: "lhe equitable relations
of capital and labor" 1t is the riddl,
that the sphinx of fate puts to every
civilization, not TO answer which is tC
bo destroyed. 1t is the riddle now put
to our own nation, and which must be
answered ere long in some way, how.
ever imperfeCtly, on we will soon add
another to the dismal wrecks of civiiza.
ton that have gone before Its reason.
ably certain that no nondiYidual will ever
furnish II perfect abstract solution, and
n perfect concrete one can only come
through the ovolutionS of generations
unborn. All that the best of us can do
is to contribute our little mite toward
that far of COnsummatiOm. My con.
tribution tonight may be u very tritlc,
but as one whose lot has been east
with the tOiling millions it may not be
altogether Improbable to test the cur
rency of speculation from our stand
point of observation.
When men say there is no conflict be-
tween capital and labor, they state what
is obviously false. All that we can
truthfully say is, there should be none.
They are like the two blades of pair
of scissors, both needed for the accom-
plishmcnt of the desired object. Both
perform useful part. Both deserve
rccompcnsc. But owing TO the curse
of conditions, wealth, aS power, has
the leverage Of position, and fOrCbly
takes its own, all the product, save
what the labOrcr can live in misery
way upon. "a thing is worth only
what it will bring, and all that it will
bring" is the current maxim of trade.
The law of supply and demand deter
mines values, we are necessarily told.
That law inStruCts us that tho biz fish
eat up the little ones. Freedom of
labor is proclaimed as the cnfran.
chiscmcnt of the people, but what
does it practically lead to-tho
slavery of the masses. We are living
under liberty of contract, but he who
advances the whcrcwithin to labor, i.
C., land and capital can, in Il country
where land is monopolized, dictate his
own terms. We, in this country Of
vast resources, and easy access to land,
have enjoyed an immunity up to late,
from the opprcssiveness of capital in
selfish hands, but that day is forever
past, unless we can find some means Of
curbing the giant strength of aggrega-
ted wealth. 1t now rides into position
by taking necessity as IN ally and the
poor MS victims, Its argus eyes from
the lofty outlook its position commands
scans the movements of the social body
and manipulates by strategic traps the
incXorablo law of supply and demand
forever in its own interests. Allied
cunning and wealth direct and COM
mand the product of every working
mans labor. They show systematic
watchfulncsS over the currents of trade,
and push their demands up to the last
point labOrcrS can endure, and the de-
gree of their necessities are as accu-
ratcly noted as the pulsatons of the
victims of torture when the physician
stands watch in hand, ready TO report
how much they can suffer and live.
Tho wrcCkcrs on the coast of Norway |
sink great rocks in the channel in order |
to wreck vessels, and then demand of |
the crew the greater part of their car
goes for saving their lives. Analogous
to this are half the methods of capital.
Advantage is taken of the working
mans ignorance of legality and Justice
to shipwreck him on the rock of pov-
erty, and then buy his labor at the
price starvation imposes. The GOulds
end Vanderbilts, who have been made
enormously rich by railroad spccu!a-
ton, always deprecated by false re-
ports through tho newspapers and by
business henchmen the stocks they
sought to purchase. The wreckers
know that they are robbers, but these
men and the public generally are so
benighted that they call it Legitimate
business" and feel that they are all,
all honorable men,"
John NJ. Soaring during the war was
called as 4 witness in 4 case on trial by
the United States government wherein
q party was arraigned for extortion
against ITSELF and when questioned
about prices said: "If | thought the
government wanted the property and
must have it and could not possibly do
without it, if had given only S15 for
it would ask S250,0 or as much
more as | thought | could get. would
take advantage of the necessities of the
government just the same rs | would
Of private individual in any business
That is the current
ethics of trade now slightly disguised,
and blind is the man who cannot sec ,,
is inherent iniquity. Competition, un-
Ter the natural law of supply and de-
nand has its uses, and is itself q factor
ending to equalize conditions within
certain limits, but beyond these limits /,
/ is n ranking curse. Friction, TO /,
certain point, will toughen and
strengthen the tissues of living body, !.
,ut carried beyond that point it tears
he flesh and works ruin to the system. :
L should be the province of govern +,
nent to hold the more powerful and !
Wealthy members of society, when
lnited in largo corporations, to some !
where near = natural equitable OK
,hange in their transactions. These
men, when so united, can and do die
ate terms to tho unfortunate poor.
The cause for the almost universally
ow wages is not that the capitalist can
lot give more, but that ho is under no
necessity to give more. The customary !.
BUSINESS language in reference to the =
mpossibility of paying higher wages I,
Ilways means consistently with cer-
ain high rate of profit. This profit is
lot necessity, however, but de- Q
nand that rests on nothing and no. O
'ody but those who make Il, To talk d