The Labor enquirer., 1888-03-03
The Measure OF Value Has
Become Master OF
Slaves.
PROTECTION OR FREE TRADE
Are Immaterial 70 the Wsrk Cattle
Facts and Figures Showing Hsw
Labor II Rsbhsd.

! have endeavored in former
papers to point out to labor the
necessity Of abolishing capital
which is not money. know. that
as volumes have been printed,
dictionaries of the language so
shaped, public speakers so drilled,
even common laws Of government
changed to instil into every mind
that the terms capital and money
are synonymous, that suddenly to
change all this and get the com
mon mind to comprehend that the
one is, or ought to be, Of value for
the use of mankind. the other, viz.
capital. which its adherents are
fond of denominating "a mysteri-
Gus power" is Of no more value
TO the community than the game
Of the "thimblerigger" or the
"three-card-monte" playing, both
of which are equally mysterious
powers and both of which come
under the common acceptation Of
the term capital. So the burglars
tools are his capital, and the dog
fighters pups are his capital. The
present reigning monarch, capital,
to perpetuate his reign, so denom-
mates the muscular power or
ability of the laborer as his. the
laborer's, capital; but as there is
no power in labor to capitalize la
Dor, and as also shown. the power
is unlimited in capital to multiply
itself. and as labor at work pro-
duces wealth, which is immedi-
ately hocus pocussed into capital.
it is very plain indeed. to me at
least, that the more labor produces
the worse off, the weaker, she is.
while the strength Of the master
is increased. All this has been
told before; il is well understood
by capitalists, and even Henry
George'put the fact in three words,
Progress and Poverty" ! add,
the greater the progress on the
road we are travelling the deeper
the poverty. necessarily.
Let the honest leaders of labor
then take the new direction (if it
be new here pointed out. Let
the truth be condensed into the
simplest terms. Burn into the
brain of the laborer the blazing
facts: that when there are no rich.
there are no poor; that the richer
the rich, the poorer the poor; that
the fewer rich, the more psor;
that the more rich. the fewer poor.
Let the sermons that are written
or printed by the friends Of hu-
manity bear strictly on these and
other equally vital points. Keep
up your trade organizations by all
means These are the pioneers Of
the great army Of Labor. But
mir for political purposes. Our
whole object being boldly de-
clared-to get legal possession of
the land and legally abolish them.
Taboo public assemblage; it is
no longer free. Avoid public
speech; it is no longer free. In
vite no measure looking to add
ing more power or patronage to
the general government until svf
take posseSlbn Of the govern
ment. Work quietly. silently,
move with precision, submit to
and exact the sharpest discipline
which can be invented.
In moving this way you will
find the cost of nominating and
voting for your best comrades re-
duced to about 5 cents on every
dollar you are now called upon to
pay. and remember that every
man you now elect by the aid of
either Of the present political par
ties becomes, Immediately by dint
of the natural law of gravitation
the friends OF that political party,
and is less and less your friend.
! say to you. then. in concluding
all reference to political matters.
get together; let no cunning
scheme such as is now proposed.
in the shape Of free trade Or