Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-04-01
THE LABOR QUESTION.

The labor question abounds with the
sharpest kind of angles and bristles with
the gravest difficulties, yet there are men
who claim to have solved this problem that
has puzzlea the best intellects Of the world
for the last half century. 1t is unnecessary
to assure the reader that superhciaiity and
dopmatism are not likely to solve such a
difficult problem, and that all the SO called
solutions arc the product OF supericiality
and Gcgmatism.
The relations Of capital and labor, at once
intimate and complete, seemingly antago-
njstic, vet, in truth, reciprocally dependent,
can not be comprehended by intuition, nor
mastered by cursory study. The accurate
comprehension of these relations is the very
first step in the direction OF solution OF
the labor problem.
Labor and capital are mutually depend
ent, and, where they tremendously co.ope-
rate, are reciprocally advantageous. But
on the other hand, where capital and labor
become estranged, antagonzed and embit-
tered in such way as to fall into state oil
open war, the most disastrous results TO
both sides must inevitably follow. Pauper--
lied labor is a curse to any country, and
diminishes the profits of capital by cutting
down the fund which the laboring class has
to expend for food and clothing; hence, the
true interest of capital, rightly understood,
dictates the payment of fair wages for labor.
Rut capital. when the matter comes to he
sifted and bolted, is not responsible Tor the
Doyerty found among the iaboring class,
and which unthiuking persons lay at the
door of capital. Frugaiiy 10 not the dlslln-
puishing virtue of wage workers; so far
from it, it is notorious that the great major
ity of them spend all their wages often be-
fore they are due, and if credit he obtalEa-
bic. run into debt at the grocer's for food
There ere plenty Of laborers that would not
Law BY dollar were they to receive five
dollars per day. 1t is not true that the
novcrtv of the working classes results
| from the lowness OF wages. That cry is not
true. The want of frugality on the part
of wageworkers is the cause OF the pow
erty of the laboring class, and it is un-
lust to ascribe such poverty 10 cap
ital. Women are never paid as much
wages as male aborers, yet the statistics
show that nine women out Of ten contrlve
to Law by something out Of their scanty earn
i ines, circumstance that proves that male
laborers could, by being frugal, also lay up
fund. The French have proVerb that,
Though he moves step by step, man will
travel considerable distance in day"
And so it is true that man may accumu'
late quite fund by saving niclle each
day. Saving insensibly grows into habit
when one sees lis advantages, and also that
it requires only small selC-denia in the
way of articles which can he dispensed with.
Women God bless them, single and collect
ively) surpsss men in self denial and sell
sacrilice--thcy save upon principle, rom
the desire to help their husbands and CHILD
ren for true woman thinks Of her own
comfort last Men chew or smoke tobacco.
which, at ten cents per day, aggregates $;
per mcnth-laen drink whiskey or beer
which. at twenty-iiva cents per day, gets
rid OF = 30 per month. Men ride IN the
street ours which fnrIhcr drains their peck
els. Women are free irOm these vices and
will walk mile rather than spend rick'e
for ride in street car when working iol
small wages. Any sort of expenditure that
one cannot afford, 10 vicious. Now, If fe.
male lahorers, receiving only half Oh two
Thirds of the rate Of wages paid male labor
ers, manage to save something, there is nc
excuse for men who spend all their wages
AMI then denounce capital Cor grinding thu
faces OF the poor" and bawl Tor higher
wages Laboring men need to be taught
tho advantages OF steady frugality. and 10
be persuaded into tho habit of saving . por.
ton Of their weekly or monthly earnings
1t is first rate nest egg; nay, is The nucleus
OF a competency.
Capital is not 10 hc blamed for paurer
lied labor We constantly SEQ two mc:I
that receive the same wages, in quite diicr
ent circumstances; one, by sclfdeni:.l and
frueality, saves a mite from his wages, and
eventually, cmharks in business On his own
account; the other spends all his wages,
manages TO get into debt, and is vehement
in his outcries against the expressions OF
capital and his demand for protection.
recall to mini q pertinent illustration oil
this point, in the case of two lawyers no!i.
equally poor, who entered into q partner
ship in 1888 and dissolved it in 1852. Ona OF
them, q New Hampshire man, neither used
tobacco or whiskey, and saved his money
and loaned ii opt at per cent nc would
never take more, though ali around hir,
took - and II per cent the other partner
spent all his income and plunged into debt.
The result was that in 1892 one was WORTH
$50, 600 and The other nothing. The SANG
thing is daily seen in every store, workshop
and factory-some are frugal and save
money, while others spend all their wages
puu arc always udlu hhJ 80
nouncing the expressions of capital as tho
cause of their poverty.
Frugaity is the only road by which any
poor man can attain to competency, and my
honest conviction is, that ffugalty will do
more towards ameliorating the condition OF
tho laboring class than an increase of wages
by itself lfwagcs were increased an hun
dred fold, laboring men would have more TO
spend for their tables, beer, whiskey and
tobacco thar at present, but, without fru-
galty, they would be found with empty
pockets on the return Of every pay day.
Saving is what Tage-workers need to auc.
liorate their condition. Necessity compeia
them to be hewers of wood and drawers Of
water, and this necessity is born Of their
own improvidence. Let US lay aside cant,
prejudice and demagogueism, and put the
shoe on the right foot, 70 matter lift should
pinch and extort grimaces.
Now, labor is widely diversified. Mining
labor does not require more than Drawn
and muscle, and ''elbow grease" to propel
them. There are street car drivers, cigar
makers, shoemakers, hatters, factory opera