The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-10-20
rHE LAWS Nor no nLA Me.


Bob Ingersou is correct in many
things, whatever may be his position
in regard to Deity. He says he would
like to see the workingmen have a ma
iority in Congress, with a. President Of
their. own, $50 that they would satisfy
themselves how little, after all, can be
accomplished by legislation" He says
1.-The moment responsibility should
touch their shoulders they would be-
come conservative" because they would
discover that making a living in this
world is an individual affair" tits one
of the vain ideas of men that their own
sorrows may be assuaged by legislation,
and the various ills of life cured by
laws; it is another vain idea that II
laws were as they should be this would
be an easy world in which to get liy-
ing. AS matter of fact legislation is
of very little concern to working
men; the laborer has compare
lively little to do with any laws
save those which are made for
the protection of individuals against
each other in a physical sense. The
demagogue will go upon the platform
and tell the toiler that if it were not Tor
laws enacted in the interest of the rich
and the monopolists, his lot would be
an easy one; that hours of labor would
be shorter and wages higher; that dry
goods and groceries would be cheaper,
taxes lighter and life would be per-
petual holiday. Unfortunately the
laboring man too often believes the
demagogue and rails against laws and
lawmakers, officials and governments
AS illustrating how little effect laws
have upon the lot of laboring men, it
may be stated that for years Congress
has thrown its weight in favor OF the
eight-hours a-day system; there is a
Con- ressional law which makes eight
hours days work in the navy yards
and other government works where men
are employed for wages; Yet the rue
throughout the country is ten hours
day. If Congress and all the
State legislatures were to declare
eight hours shall constitute a days
work, and that no more shall be re-
quired of a laborer, the lot of the
workingman would not be in the least
improved; indeed, it would be made
harder, for wages would Immediately
be reduced to correspond with the
shorter hours. So also if laws were
made to fix or regulate the prices of
commodities they would not benefit the
toiler, for the owners would not sell if
the prices were too low. The COM
mercial laws are those which apply to
the workingmen, and these cannot he
changed or materially affected by legis-
latiVe ensctments. These commercial
laws provide that value must be given
for whatever is received; that you
cannot get something for nothing
These laws regulate wages and fix the
prices of commodities, basing wages
upon the value of the labor performed,
and prices upon the cost of production.
Legislation cannot enable man to do
more in a given time, nor can it in
crease the product of his toll.
If it were not for the disasters which
would be apt to result from their in
experience and blunders it would be
well to let the impractical men who are
eternally charging that all evils are due
to bad legislation or to a lack of good
legislation, have absolute control of the
law-making and executive branches of
government for a time-just long
enough to open their eyes to the fact
that success in life depends largely
upon the individual, and that laws have
very little to do in his own case or
affairs