The Labor enquirer., 1884-08-09
J DENVER, COLORADO SATURDAY. AUGUST 8 1884

generally made Of such rotten stuf
mentally that it is not worth while pay
ing any attention to him. All that thu
majority Of his sort care lbr y to receive
4 the pittance doled ont to them. that they
may Immediately squa4der it in bar
rooms, gambling bells d among lewd
women. Money is. therefore, rather /
harm to . laborer than good, unlea
perchance he has family. A little 70
Election willshow you that 1t is Necessary
10 keep the lower classes in condition
bordering on want and hunger in orde1
that the life and progress Of the race may
be sustained. We're itotherwise the ract
would die out with sloth and imbeciity
/ AS to the hatred which you speak Of,
do not know that capitalists have any
particular hatred toward the working.
/ men-it is only contempt. II
Correspondents Well, my friend, if nc
better answer than this can be given fol
the motive which animates the rich to.
ward the poor, ! hope you will excuse
me if express pity for your intellectual
capacity. A reason likssthat is suffi,
ciently cold-blooded to make a reptile
hide its diminished head. But I musl
| confess that the conduct of the Irish &C.
cords very closely to the views you ex.
press.
| Capitalist My friend, it could not, be
otherwise. Mankind is not yet sufh.
ciently developed to maintain any highe,
form of political economy than that now
established. and as consequence the
majority must suffer the hardships of a
laborious life.
Correspondent You do not, then, be-
lieYe in progress; that is to say, in a
| change of systems by which the general
condition of men would be improved?
Capitalist Most certainly not. No
one does but crank.
Gorrespondent-Well, changing the
subject, what is your opinion of tn e
cause of the present stringeney of the
money market and the apparent ap-
proach of hard times? = =.
Capitalists GU are awar9 that during
every presidential year there is more OF
less doubt as to the future policy of the
government, and it is more difficult to
forecast whether we are to have period
of quietude and financial enterprise OF
Ione of agitation and uncertainty. Of
course, during these times, capitalists
curtail their investments and adopt vari-
GUS precautionary measures. The pres
ent year is one of peculiar uncertainty
In case of Cleveland's election the
chances for war will be reduced and the
labor agitation is likely to be greatly aug
mented. I.may say the main object OF
the moneyed meh now is to head of
that movement, and in order to do 30 it
is necessary to create a stringency in the
money market to the extent of bringing
about condition ofso-called.hard times.
If Blaine is elected and there should be
war, of course many millions more of
government bonds will have tobe issued.
and capital will then have the greatest
opportunity ever opened before it. For
these two reasons capitalists are locking
up their money. They dovetail into
each other. If the laboring men can be
forced into a corner verging on starva-
ton and violence twill be good pre-
text for going to war. War requires men
and money. In that case we shall be
able to accomplish two or three objects ;
first, the squelching of the agitation
among the lower classes for at least a
generation; second, establishment of q
standing army to keep the poorer people
in subsection and to protect private prop
erty and third, the founding of an en-
pire similar to that of Great Britain.
This, l may say, is the generally under
stood policy of the capitalists.
Correspondent-Your reasons for the
stringency in the money market may be
good ones, for all know, but that there
should be anybody in this, country who
hopes or even desires to found an en-
pire on this continent sounds like the
vainest chimera. 1t seems to me that
the tendency of human thought is di-
rectly to the opposite.
Capitalist-Human thought is like "a
pendulum. Just now it is swinging to-
ward the opposite end to that denied by
the rich, but they have not much fear
and when it swings back again, the les
sons which they have learned will be put
into practical execution. Aproper form
of government and like system OF edu-
cation will suffice after that. 81
There was good deal more OF this
rather extraordinary conversation, but
fearing to make this letter too long, !
desist. The strongest impression | re-
ceived form it was that capitalists and
the rich generally know absolutely moth
ling about the working people, regarding
them simply in the same manner as a
man regards his stock of horses or cattle.
It apparently never occurs to them that
laborer has any feelings akin to hui
manity; the men who make the clothes
on their backs, the shoes on their fleet,
provide the food which ther eat, and
L a;r,,s.. to r,r,,tact them from thRR ela-