Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-14
Mr. John -. Swami on the Vote for
Mr. George.

To the Editor Of the Dispatch
The discomfort Of the northern labor
ing class land whether justly founded
or not now express no oplnion) that
has been manifesting itself in various
forms is now beginning to take shape.
The lsboring people seem to think they
can raise the wages Of labor by force;
the employers think to control tho
wages of labor by force. Let me say
all laws that conflict with that omni-
potent law of "supply and demand "
and all acts done either by the labor
ing class or by capitalists in the nature
of controlling the wages Of labor are
laws Of force, and will not avail or
produce any permanent change. ii
labor goes up in America in any direc-
ton there will be rush of laborers
either from Europe or America, and
the demand will be speedily oversup-
piled and wages will come down to a
general average. 1t is the same with
everything. The history Of man de-
monstrates this truth, sad though it
be, that in all countries and under
whatever form Of government the wages
of labor Il mean in its strict sense)
only supplies bare competency, and
sometimes less; and, moreover, that
the large number Of capitalists, or ra-
Their employers, become bankrupt in
the end. The true value Of labor is to
be gagged not by the amount Of wages
received, but by what the wages will
buy. And we find that in all populous
countries that the wages Of labor only
supply the necessaries Of life and that
' the poor are with us always"
A man may work in China for ftteen
cents day, and these fifteen cents may
supply him with as many comforts as
81 would in Europe, and believe this
is true. And so Fl in Europe may,
and ! believe does, purchase as much
there as l.50 here. This Government
is but one hundred years old and the
unoccupied land almost boundless;
and yet We find the manufacturing and
city population suffering quite as much
for the necessaries Of life as the dense.
ly populated cities Of Europe. We
can only account for this on that ON
nipotent law of supply and demand.
The manufacturing population of Eu-
rope has rushed in and overreached the
demand, and hence brought down the
wages by an oversupply of labor, and
this is likely to continue, and therefore
the wages Of labor and the cost of
what labor needs is becoming yearly
more eQualized as between America
and Europe. We have succeeded IN
twenty-five years past in burdening
our people with tax direct and indi-
rect quite as heavy as the oldest nation
in Europe, and this burden falls upon
oar laboring class in way SO insidiOus
that they cannot understand it and
are striking at it in the dark. What
does it profit the American laborer TO
get 81 day for his work if that sum
will buy no more than seventy-dyo
cents day paid to the Euro
pean laborer? What docs it profit our
American laborer to lay duty Of so
per cent. on fabric which be wears
and uses in order to enable him to pro-
duce it at $3.50 day for his wages,
and then sell to him so much Of that
fabric as be need at s for the same guam
tity which he could buy from Europe but
for the duty for fifty cents. You bat
deceive him by appearances. That is
all. So that a tariff Of So per cent.
only creates demand for his work at
81 day without making his days
work buy him any more than fifty
cents would buy but for the duty and
it 10 manifest that if he bays from the
European manufacturer he will do 50
with the product Of his work, just the
same as if no bought from tho home
manufacturer. Hence, while it is true
that a protective tariff creates o de-.
msnd for labor here to make or pro-
duce the thing protected, it is not true
that it at all increases the real value of
the wages Of the laborer---in other
words. does not enable the individual
to provide better for his wants, aud
therefore, while protective tariff may
increase both the population and the
general wealth, it does no. increase the
wealth or intrinsic value of the wages
Of the individual lSbOrer, and very
often decreases it.
awe have now bad high pro-
lectiye tariff for nearly generation,
and we find labor now suffering and
more Disconnected than at any period
in the history Of this people. This wo
all know; aud yet it seems impossible
for US to come 70 o fixed opinion abou
the cause.
| In ihis dilemma. n panflAman. Mr..