Omaha daily bee., 1885-11-12

Abbott contributes nj interesting article,
in the last number oJthc C,diVfB moga.
zinc, upon the gruat labor problem OF the
day. He writes witlpa fcrvor inspired by
the importance Of y question which Is
daily pressing . and MOTE closely
upon us, aud whose final solution seems
as far removed as ever, Notwithstanding
the bitter discussions and various con-
tlicting remedies suggested 10y capital
and labor during the Inst decade. DR..
Abbott points ont some of the extreme
socialistic tendencies of the times in the
following language;
"Onehalf Of our workers are wage workers;
one-third of nur population, Including the
vast majority of our wage workers, are either
of foreign birth ui children of foreign-born
parents. They are restless and are growing
more 50. There Is no power in any church
to which they owe allegiance adequate to
prevent an outbreak. There Is no " i'll
the state, no police, M military, capable of
Q%uclling IL, Large numbers of them acknowl-
edge no fcaity to any religion which teaches
them the duty or endows them with the
power OF solf-restraint. TIL churches too
often address not their conscience, but their
imagination. The schools address not
their conscience, but their intellect. Men
who have been taught that modern order is
dcspotism and modern property Is theft, find
themselves in a country where the only sup
port of order is the enligh ened conscience,
and the only protection Of property Is an en-
lightened sclf-intcrest; and neither their con-
science nor their s~elt-intcreSt is enlightened.
Believing that property is THEFT, they believe
that spoliation is redress; believing that the
worlds wealth is their Inheritance, OF which
they have been too long unjustly deprived,
they are ready with no L ntlc voice to dc
mand of society, Give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me- and we may be
sure that if it were given to them it would
soon be spent in riotUuS living, not followed
by repentance, and q request for employment
as hired servants"
Specifically, " says the writer, "Ameri-
ca is = democracy; industrially, America
is an aristocracy. The community which
allows the iaborcr to determine the dcS-
tinics of the nation, allows him no voice
in determining the nature or the profit
of his industry" If the laborer has the
capacity, through his ballot, to admins
ter tho affairs and direct the destinics of
an empire, he should certainly have
enough ability to take charge of II coop
erativ6 association. In this connection
the writer makes some suggestions which
will commend themselves to working
mon:
ut is estimated by POLITICAL economists that
to carry on any large organized industry re
QuireS an average capital of $1,000 for every
worhingman employed. This requires u large
capital when It'll furnished by u single man,
but it is not a large capital when it is divided
up among one thousand wOrkingmen. A
healthy, thrifty, energetic, industrious, sober
mechanic ought to he a 10 to lay up $1,0o0 be-
fore he is gray-llaired, and this makes him a
capitalist. A hundred such would have in
their savings capital enough to inaugurate a
successful industry, and. ought to have brains
enough 10 conduct it. Cooperation is the
iirst step toward tllelTcdemption of labor from
the oppression of capital.'
But while this is. truo, the laws which
permit the dishonest camassing of i'm
mense personal fortunes ut the expense
OF the public at large need revision. We
require, in addition, "a now conception
of the functions of government" which
the writer suggests by the three follow
ing facts:
Three or four years after tho British gov
ms had secured the ownership and con-
trol OF the telegraph lines OF Great Britain
the following results OI its administration
were aScerta. ned: The number OF offices Tor
business mad Increased 50 per cent; the NUM-
Der of messages 81 per cent; The number OF
wards NEti d I4l' f.AHts tina pnEt HI G.nHinr
had been reduced 10 per cent? and 1t had ac-
tlalIy cost tie government nothing, Tor il
borrowed the money for the enterprise at 3
per cent, and the prOdtS of the business We're
conduct Il great Geographic enterprise tor the
people better tlian private enterprise. If oy-
eminent in America can not, it is time that
we found out the reason why.
2-The Erie canal, the greatest highway of
commerce before railways were in operation,
had cost this state a few years ago, in capital,
in Interest. IN %repairS, IN administration,
$230,UO0,0J0; it had brought into the state
S22l,0OO,OGO; and tie people still own the
canal. III we can own, administer and con
troll q great waterway, why not a great iron
way?
3-A few years ago We wanted to build q
railroad from tie Missouri t the Pacific
ocean. We did not think we could undertake
that work ourselves as. Il government. We
asked some private capitalists to do it for NJ.
They generously consented, We gave them
for Their generosity great gifts OF lands and
loaned them $$3,0O0,O00 in bonds, for
which wa stand responsible to-day. They
borrowed Sl7. D00,0 900 elsewhere and built
the road; II cost them S~5h,Ot0,OOO. Three.
itfths of the cost of tho Union Pacific we paid
out Of our own pockets, and we do not own
the 10 I'd or any share of it. A few years ago
Eng and wanted a railway in India. She IN
vited capitalists 10 build it for her, and guar
anteed the capitalists 8 per cent on their
money. They built the road; England has Il
representation In Its direction; she receives
an income of I per cent, pays the capitalists
the guaranteed . per cent, and the 2 per C ,nt
prolt has enabled her TO abolish the income
tax in India. If En- Gland can do this in In
d.a, why cannot we do II IN America?
PERSONAL AND POLITICAL.