The Labor enquirer., 1884-03-08
LAW AND LlGH I.
Two Interesting and Instructive
Ways of Viewing the Labor
i Question.
Looking at Things From a High
Seat in the Great Parliament
I'd. Of Man.

Seat in the Great Parliament
I'd. Of Man. i
! There are two distinct ways of viewing
the cause Of labor's slavery and degrada-
ton, as there are consequently two dis
tiDct classes of thinkers of the labor
question. a4 ID,
The first class of thinkers regard the
abiect condition of labor to be solely due
to oppressive legislation and statute law
which secures to capital the unnatural
prerogatives over labor, and defends its
theft by the coercive machinery of gov
ernment. They say that if unjust titles
to land and other natural wealth were
not defended by law they could not ex-
list in natural equity and wonld soon be
null and void. ia t..... ), l&a
The second class of thinkers attach
little Importance to statute law in these
matters. They say that laws are simply
convention al contrivances of fallible
men, and amount to nothing except as
they are backed by the average intelli-
gence and sentiment of the people at
large. They therefore cite instances
everywhere of how laws which public
sentiment finds to be absurd and unjust
quickly become imperative and are
never executed. Laws, they say, are
simply the transcripts of popular intelli-
gence, and stand or fall as the popular
intelligence sanctions Or vetoes them.
All reformers have to do, then, they say,
is to educate the people and the laws
will easily take care Of themselves.
confess that have often found my
self in uncertainty and doubt as, to which
of these two lines of thought is the cor
rect and logical one. AS circumstances
have presented themselves have some
times followed one line and sometimes
the other. Perhaps the real fact, after
ALL is that both lines are correct, being
only opposite ends from which the prob
lem is viewed. l invite the reader to
ponder over this very interesting prob
lem in sociology. 1t would be most
interesting subject for debate in a labor
lyceum.
But do find that our law makers are
a most abjectly servile set of fellows to-
wards the constituencies who vote them
into office. The fact is that the profes
sional politician and office-seeker has no
convictions on any subject and very sell
dom any conscience. He is simply a
public caterer for hire. He, had just as
lief pass laws for labor in opposition to
capital as to do the contrary, if you can
only assure him that there is a solid con-
stituency behind him to back him with
votes and send him back to the legIsla-
ture again in the days when capital with
4 money and influence comes to "sit down
on him" and swear that he shall never
60 to the legislature again. Hence the
average American citizen declares that
the politicians and their unjust laws
against labor are result and not cause
and that nobody but the laborer himself
is to blame if the laws discriminate
against him and in favor of his oppressor.
If laborers' votes constitute two-thirds
of the number cast IN the election of
lawmakers, who is to blame, they say,
if those professional caterers known as
politicians are not in the service of labor
instead of capital? Even allowing that
cunning fixes the machine of politics
and corruption-money oils it, who is to
blame if the workingman is not so smart
as the machine organizer, and, above all
things, not manly enough to refuse
bribe at the polls? 1 leave those to
answers these questions who can-they
are not easy ones.
But the real point underneath all is
that legislation. either for or against
labor, is only effectual as it is in con-
formity with natural law and has solid
constituency of intelligence behind it.
This blind end unthinking faith in the
efficacy of statute law exists almost ex-
clusively in the minds of working people,
1t is the common people who are the
law-abiding class always. The rich and
powerful and educated classes immedi-
ately become lawless and rebellious
whenever the legislature presumes to
pass any law which conflicts with what
they call "the natural laws of trade" II
you follow the great capitalistic journals
you will constantly see them scorning
and ignoring what they call "moonshine
leglslation;" that is, such legislation as
is in conflict with individual liberty IN
trade and purposes to overturn the
natural and spontaneous equities which
social and commercial intercourse
prompt. The capitalist openly and
scornfully avows his determination to
ignore all such laws, which he SAYS
amount to no more than legislation pro-
hibiting the rising of the sun or the
tides. Capitalists and their organs are
constantly appealing to natural law 'as
against statute law in all legislative at
tempts to regulate their concerns. They
are always in spirit and in act the law