The Labor enquirer., 1884-10-04
Thus the division Of labor, NO longer
cause Of DEGRADATION to the workman,
will become the instrument Of his edu-
cation and pledge of his security.
p T pRouDHoN

cation and pledge of his security.
P.J PRoUDHoN.
Aere, gentlemen, is your receipt for
the pudding. Adopts in each industrial
specially may season it to your taste.
Nothing essential is wanting, however,
except the -four, the butter, the sugar and
the eggs, i. e. capital The difficulty in
getting that would be singularly dimin-
ished, however, by the abolition Of those
privileges which it enjoys through the
agency of government. The equal rep
resentation of ali values by the currency
issueed from labor exchange banks, and
the direct exchange of labor and its pro-
duce between producers, will add virtu-.
aally from so to 100 per cent to their
actual means ofliyelihood, which, though
4 inadequate to the immediate creation of
great Industries; may pave the way to
them by prospecting small ones, and en-
abling the actual slaves of the great ones,
by Withdrawing, to bring capitalists to
| fair terms of cooperation.
To the abatement of interest and con-
sequently of rents, obtained through the
labor exchange banks, muck greater
advantage to labor will be gained by thus
undermining the superstitious reverence
for government, based mainly on the
faculty of none ney-making, that we grant
to it and which it refuses us. With goy-
ernment, fall taxes. Look at the fraudu-
lent taxes paid by us and pocketed by it,
without the aid of custom house or tax
collectors. On every dollar we spend,
government makes Il cents, for that is
the difference between the real and NOM
inal values of its silver dollar, and prices
of goods are squared to that standard.
Gold exists only for the rich, it is not
paid to the laborers, and if it were, they
could not accumulate and sell it, so as to
get the advantage of Is per cent in cur
rency, as the rich do. The same impos-
sibilities of saving up money to buy at
wholesale rates, render the cost of neces-
Esaries much greater for the poor than for
the rich, and makes the laborer thus
pay extra taxes to support the interme-
diary retail shops, while getting Inferior
articles. This tax, direct exchange cuts
off and the gain thereby to labor is
doubled by the economy of revenue, in
ternal and external, the bulk of which
now goes to sustain the party in power
by its salaried army of office-holders,
t congress included. If we add to this
taxation, the indirect cost of elections,
and those oflegaI procedures consequent
on our intricate and arbitrary legislation;
the costs of maintaining authority will
be found to mount up more than double
that of the industrial effort adequate to
comfortable subsistence without govern
ment. We ar taxed at least So on our
superstitious reverence for Uncle Sam,
to every dollar of tribute to the laws of
nature. Now add to this, the supersti-
tious reverence for capital BIT for this,
religious cowardice, the interest and rent
accrdfng from monopoly and privilege,
| could be cut down tomorrow by the
power of the ballot. Under all actual
disadvantages, Rochdale and other CO.
operative associations of labor have
proved that where there is intelligent
will, there is also way to escape from
oppression. But for the habit of sub
mission and of misery, what has him
dered the wage-slaves of factories from
tramping 10 the soil, squatting there, and
by cultivating patches under the pre-
emption law, getting the means to
"enter" and obtain the fee simple of a
farm. There are few points in the United
States more than few days distance of
open public lands.
Prejudice and superstition, and the
habit of misery, cloud barriers which
the rays of truth dissolve, are really the
most substantial pillars that pport the
privilege of capital. Remove these, and
the armies of labor cease to press be-
meath the banners of capitalist explolta'
ton. 1t would then become as easy to
live by ones labor as it was in colonial
times, a century ago. know by expert
ence that an ak, a hoe and a spade,
hand loom and adollar's worth of ad-
iuncts, are all the capital necessary for
a livelihood. Add to these gun, a mule
or OK, plow and cart, few goats or
COW, box of carpenters tools and
smithy, and, if free. from debt, you are
better off than most men in this or other
countries yet one seasons work at 81
per diem will pay for the whole. One
year will do it, including the costs OF
living for an able-bodied family. Moth
ing but the will then is wanted to labor,
to bring capital to reasonable terms OF
capitulation within the next four years..
Every thousand of laborers that desert
its service renders it easier for the next
thousand to do so, for wages must rise as
the competition among laborers is less
ened and the example of self.emancipa-
ton is the best of lessons in political
economy. EDGEWoRrH.
Mailing a Lie.
Editor Labor Enquirer.
"Rey. Mr.. De La Matyr is. we believe,
candidate for congress on some one of
the numerous tickets in the field. 1t Is