Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-07-31
CanitaI and Labor.

Capital and Labor.
We extract the following from the
speech of Congressman Taylor, before q
picnic of miners ut Cambridge, on the
10th inst. 1t contains the kernel of the
whole labor question:
There should be no trouble between
capital and labor. Each is necessary Il
the other and both are essential to the
life of society. If you have no capital
you cIn build no railroads, dig no canals
open up no great mines, carry on no vast
Enterprise; and without labor, without
strong arms and brave hearts to carry on
the work, your capital, as my friend said,
will die in the mines. 1t is want of
proper appreciation one of another that
has caused these discussions, and brought
about these troubles. The statistics
show that nowhere else in the world does
the workingman achieve so much as in
the United States. In Britain, France,
Spain and Germany men toll early and
late and unsparingly, yet the products Of
theil labor are far less than the products
of American labor that is not so op-
pressed. Our labOring men are more in
telllgent and better paid. This is because
they are educated, because they live
better, are clothed and fed better. They
come from good homes, strong in bone
and sinew, brave of heart, ready and
willing to carry on the enterprises that
| capital shall propose. If all that be true,
| and. the figures show that it is. it follows
that If man wants good work be must
pay good wages. He must pay his n.en
well, so that they will have money to pay
the teacher, the preacher, and the butch
er, to buy books to read and to make
home happy. Operators who do not or
will not see this are blind to their own
interests. know mill where for forty
years they have employed I20 men and
for forty years the same superintendent
has been In charge and yet there has
never been strike nor 4 word of differ
ence. This mill has been running all
these forty years continuously, save on
Sunday, the 4th of July, and maybe a
few other holidays. All the mills around
about, within tive, three aud four miles
have been stopped at one time or another
by reason of strikes. Most any time
professions of striking employees might
be seen. This was because of the bad
management or the intolerance of the
employers. This one mill was more
successful than any for 20 miles around.
because they paid good wages and trr ated
their men well. Good wages, liberal
wages, make money for you and for your
employer. In Battle Greek, Michigan,
there Is certain corporation which paws
It's employees from 10 to 20 per cent.
higher wages than any like corporation |
in the State. Care is taken, of course, |
to employ good, reliable workingmen.
But the result is that they get about the |
same per cent. better work, and if there
is something special requiring an hours
oyerwork the men do it ckeerfully and |
freely, and the best of feeling between |
employed and employers prevails. l cite
these Cases as instances of the benefits |
that always accrue to the capitalists as
well as the laborer 10y paying good
wages.
"It is the labOring men who have mowni
down the forests. who have builded the
railroads, bought these clothes and made
your homes happy. And any man NAV
we'll be proud to be called a son of toll.
1t has been said that | was one of youri
number. 1t is true that once opened
a coal bank with what little Knowledge
L possessed of such matters and I didn't
know much then. l had never opened a L
coal mine and they didn't think could.
They laughed at me, but opened that
bank. l and another man who worked
at so cents day. We dug the hole in
the hill, rooted and propped it, and got
out our coal. We had no cars in those
days, only a wheeiharrow with two
wheels behind and one in front. We used
to bring out six and seven bushels on it.
We had no miners in those days either;
they were all coal diggersl have done
a namber of things since then. | taught
school for several years along with Mr..
Gooderl, here. He and l were profess
sionals then en-pedagOgues. But | have
never been able to see any difference in
work, whether 1t was building fence,
digging coal, teaching school or practic-
ing law. | used to practice law more
than | do now, and parent would come
now and then TO me and say. I'D like to
have my son study law; he didn't take
to hard work, anyhow l always told
him to keep his son away from the law,
if he had no liking for work. The law :
is as hard work AS farming or digging
coal if you work hard at it. Is
~Dui, my iiiohuo, w uOI Wdng 10 Qo>
tain you. Get your rights by all means.
but get them peaceably, not forcibly.
There are enough miners in Ohio to
control the whole State in matters af s
fecting their interests. | am not talking
politics, but l tell you this is the way,
here lies your remedy for every wrong.
On the stump, through the press, by your
and your councils, you can {
your rights"