, 1886-05-23

LOOK at the callous in my palm and
the knots of my knuckles; IL there
is anything / hate it is he human
eye. seated under the dome of the forehead.
doing nothing but lookl' Now, we come in
this morning to break up that quarrel, and
we say; "Oh, silly eye, how soon you would
swim in death if you had not the hand to
support and defend you Oh, silly hand, you
wouli be n mere fumbler in the darkness If
1t we>s not for the human eye" The eye
cannot say unto the hand: 81 have no need
of thee
Relief will come to the working classes of
this country through n better understanding
between Capital and Labor. Before this con
test goes much further it will be found that
their interests are Identical; what helps
one helps both; what Injuries one
in lures both. Show me any point in
the worlds history Of six thousand years
where Capital was prospered AMI Labor OPP
preset, or where Labor was prospered and
Capital oppressed. What is the state of
things nowi Labor at its wits end to get
bread; Capital Mt its wits end to pay
the taxes and to keep the store and factory
running. Show mo any point in the last
fifty years where Capital was getting large
accumulation. and l will show you the point
at which Labor was getting large wages.
Show me n point at any time in the last
llN1 ltulH Whit l4iDOi nao k0tAiib
large wages, and l will show you the point
where Capital was getting large profits.
Until III, crack Of doom there will be no re-
lief for the working classes until there is a
better understanding between Labor and Cap
ital and this war ends. Every speech that
Capital makes agl inst Labor is an adjourn
ment OF our national prosperity. Every
speech that Labor makes against Capital is an
adjournment Of our national prosperity.
When the Capital of the country maligns La
Dor it is the eye cursing the hand. When La
Dor maligns Capital it is the hand cursing the
eye. The capitalists of the country. so far
as I know them, are successful laborers. II
the capitalists in this house to-day would
draw their glove, you would sec the broken
finger nail, the scar of an old blister, here
and there n stiff ned finger joint. The great
publishers of New York and Philadelphia,
so far ms | know them. were bookbinders or
printers on small pay The carriage manu-
facturers of the country used to sandpaper
the wagon bodies in the w~heelwright's shop.
On the other hand, you will find in all our
great establishments men on wages who used
TO employ their one hundred and five hun
dred hands.
Peter Cooper WINS n gluemaker. No one
begrudged him his millions of dollars, for he
built Cooper Institute and swung open its
doors for every poor mans son. and said to
the day labores: "Send your boy up to my
institute If you want him to have a splendid
education" And n young man of this church
was the other day walking in Greenwood
cemetery aud he saw two young men putting
flowers on the grave of Peter Cooper. NV
friend supposed the young men were relatives
of Peter Cooper and decorated his grave for
that reason. NO. they said. 1--WE put these
flowers ON his grave because it was through
him we got our education" Abraham
Van Nest was n harness maker in New York.
Through economy and industry and ski he
got n great fortune. He gave away to help
Others hundreds Of thousands of dollars j
shall never forget the scene when |. n green
country lad, stopped at his house, and after
passing tie evening with him he came to
the door and came outside and said: Here,
De Witt. is fifty dollars to get books with.
Don't say ANYTHING about it." And | never
did till the good old man was gone. The
wealthy men of the Twentieth century are
in these last fourteen years of the Nine. zenith
century, sitting with their feet on the
shuttle. or standing up swinging the pickax,
or doing some kin of hard work, and from
the same classes are to come the philosophers
and poets and orators. Henry CLAY was
1.-THE Millboy of the Slashes." Hugh Miller,
II stonemason; Columbus, a weaver; HALEY,
II soap boi err; Arkwright, a barber; the
itii = A'AtrfiiiAhtfAt IL VNa VI
an engraver of pewter plate, and Horace
Greeley started life in New York with ten
dollars and seventy-five cents in his rocket.
The distance between Capital and Labor is
not a great gulf over which is swung a
Niagara suspension bridge, It is only a step
and the laborers here will cross over AMI
become capitalists. Would to God they would
shake hands while they are crossing, these
from one side an those from the other side.
III. .A..t e 40 Il, tltr r-.aat rwo. e.-,
Capital and Labor are chiefly, on the one side,
men of fortune who have never been obliged
to toll and who despise labor, and, on the
other hand, men who could get labor but
will not have it. will not stick to it. 1t is
the hand cursing the eye, or the eye cursing
tile hand. | want it understood that the la
borers nre the highest style of capitalists.
Where is their investment In the banki No.
In railroad stocki No. Their muscles, their
nerves, their bones, their mechanical skill,
their physical health, are the highest
kind Of capital. The man who has two feet,
and two ears, and two eyes, and ten fingers,
owns a machinery that puts into nothing
ness Cor1iss' engine md all the railroad roll
ing stock, and all the carpet, and screw, and
cotton factories ON the planet / wave the
flag of truce this morning between these con-
t~estant. | demand n cessation of hostilities
between Labor and Capital. What is good
for one is good for both. What is bad for
one is bad for both.
Again, relief will come TO the working
classes Of this country through a co-opera-
tive association. l am not now referring 10
trades unions We may hereafter discuss
that question. But l refer to that plan by
which labcrers become their own capitalists,
taking their SURPRISES and putting them
together and carrying on great enterprises.
In England and Wales there are 7G5 co.
operative associations with three hundred
thousand members, with n capital OF
S14, O0O, 900, doing business in one year
to the amount of $57. 900, 900. In Troy, n. Y,
there was n cooperative iron foundry asso-
citation 1t worked well long enough to give
an idea of what could be accomplished when
the experiment is fully developed. Thomas
Brassey, one OF the first of the English par
lament, declared; "Co-operation is the one
and only solution of this question; it is
the sole path by which the laboring
elias ses, as a whole, or any large
number OF them, viii ever emerge from the
hand to mouth mode OF living, and get their
share in the rewards and honors OF our adj
vnnced civilization" Thomas Hughes, the
ablest md the most brilliant friend of the
working man; Lord Derby, John Stuart
Mil, m'n who gave half their lifetime to
the study Of this question, all favor cooper
alive rs ociation.
The principle was Illustrated in Ireland.
One dny n mail coach traveller found a man
standing in the water repairing a dam. Are
you working by yourselfr' inquired the
traveller. YES was the answer. Where
is your %siowardr' I'VE have no stewardr'
'Who Is Your masterr' 1--WE have no
master. We are on a new system" Then
who sent Won to do this workr' 'The COM
mitteen who is the committeer' ''Soms
of the mombcrs' what members do you