The Labor enquirer., 1884-07-19
P,.ea...etA. Prs1ss.er.

thH issue, and m0y are earnestly recon-
mended for your p4rusal.. s.slat ;ss
Z 3.;l13s} -1r-rf .-t..--f-1- isit1I;s
~. Pi.ckiaetAe Prsfessor. j. Il NJ
Editor Labor Enquirer. ~ 40 Y. y
Prof. Denslow's xplanation Of equality
is better than his first statement that h u
men are created both equal and unequal III
The idea can be better stated in this
way: ,,l1.-, -gy .4l,f. ..,i5, ,,is fs.,g. az,
ssAll men are created with equal
oppertgnity but with unequal ability" q,
To this we will all agree. VIII the
professor please advocate equal opportu-
nifty hereafter? He has been teaching
editeIially and, otherwise that equal
rights in commerce extend only to the
coast line Of country; that those, Of
our, citizens known as the; tender. SEX
shall have no voice in goY goYearrnlment ar while
they submit to the laws, produce wealth.
and refuse to believe in the validity Of
Of. the. professors objections TO their
equal right to vote, He also denies the
right of many men to land because
other men previously claimed it; or, TO
state it differently; land represents an,
opportunity 70 live, but the equal right
to that opportunity is destroyed BY the
fact that some, men are born before
others. a,..6. s,....,...,I,,. Tx.
Lastly, be, argues in the book from
which I quoted, that society must not be
subjected to, the DANGEROUS control Of
men who have aaccumulated" no wealth,
even though they were deprived Of their
natural and equal right tp do so,i may
have produced much wealth for others.
In short, he upholds every custom, law
or monopoly which now prevents equal
opportunity. If not, will he please tell
what he would have done to abolish
some of them?
If he says sufficient opportunity
already exists, he is simply, blind, for in
his own city many thousand men start
|-E.g ff.f
out each morning to seek, not an oppor-
tunity equal to that of other men. but
any kind of opportunity. =
The quotations made contain nothing
new but they are obviously monstrous.
If that quality is not shown on their face
l will try and make,it evident. ,C[@
Whatever would make men equal
would destroy the race by stopping com
,merce.n a,,r H. -
Then, if the professor produce thou
sand newspapers, and l expend the, same
energy and value in making thousand
.loayes Of bread, we cannot possibly ex,
change because our wealth is equal. p
Capital wonld hire nobody, wealth
would cease to have value if every laborel
possessed it." %,s. ..s.t i
Capital is dead, inert thing and can
hire nobody. Capital is wealth applied
either to producing more mealth, or tola
public service, Those who hire mer
and manage capital are, as the professor
says, only custodians; they perform 6
public function, and can perform il as
well if they are not the owners, Those
talented gentlemen who have acquired
SO much have nothing to do with hiring
men. They acquire their wealth from
railroads, and we all know that among
those who do railroad work and those
who hire them very few own any shares
Such statement could be made only
by one who, despite all refutation, ,clings
to the idea that social reform means Il
divide all capital and other wealth among
laborers. giving to one freight car, tc
others severally an engine, a bridge, .
section of sidewalk, block Of houses, q
buzz saw, or hay stack. Perhaps Prof
Denslow would make the two common
and entirely contradictory charges
against Socialists (they are generally
made in the same breath) like this:
"You want to divide everything
"You want everything in common
Wealth has value in the degree that ii
is useful, This value Or usefulness ceases
when all men produce equal amounts
says the professor. Men do not and
never will produce equal wealth, but il
they should, he cannot read one Of his
Thousand papers Ii. e. use it) and I cannot
eat any one of my thousand loayes.
TO share, to equalrze property is tc
abolish it."
We all share the use Of the atmosphere
thereforeno one can breathe; we all
may ride in a passenger car, therefore
there are no passenger cars; we all walk
the streets, therefore streets are abnor-
maEly extended macademized Illusions,
"The least costly thing connected with
society is its aristocracy."
Skillful hands make wealth that flows