The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-09
Silver, OF 3=8. Lead, $3.Io,
HERALD Calendar for July.
ASSAULTS UPON CAPITAL.

In another column we publish COM
nlunication on the crisis which seems
to be at hand in the conflict that has
arisen over the Pullman difficulty. This
is a dispute between labor and capital
in one sense, but there is something
more involved in it in another.
When oppressed labor struggles
against despotic capital public SYM
pathy in this country goes out to the
working people as the weaker party in
the conflict. But when organizations
ostensibly formed to benefit labor
unite and prostitute that power to the
destruction of property, the ruin Of
business and the prevention of the ex-
eccise of liberty in those who do not
agree. with their purposes, another is
sue arises and very different feeling
dmbues the public mind.
1t is true that capital has in large
degree accumulated in few hands in
this country as we'll as others. It is a
mistake to think there is any eXcep-
ton in this. 1t is the Old story. the
many minister to the few. 1t is not all
the fault of the successful, either. Some
of the millionaires of today We're the
poor laboring men of a generation ago.
They were steady, thrifty, far-seeing
and fortunate. They have outrun and
climbed above their fellows.
Equal opportunities were enjoyed by
others, but either through lack of abil-
ity or energy, or of the gift to profit by
those opportunities, or because of
waste, excess, idleness or some other
folly or lack of prudence, or through
misfortune they have Jagged behind
Equality of possessions is an impossi-
bility under the sun.
1t is easy TO say that legislation has
been entirely for the capitalists, but
that is only fit for a stump speech to
disconnected assemblies. 1t is not true.
Some laws have been passed particu-
larly in the interests Of the moneyed
classes, others have been enacted for
the benefit of all and they are bene-
fetal to everybody.
If it is wrong to send moneyed men
to Congress, who is responsible for the
wrong? Why, the masses of the voters
who send them there, of course. 1t has
not been found, however, that the agi-
tators who declaim against the mil
lionaires prove any better or more con-
scientious legislators than the rest, if
they succeed in getting into Congress
or Parliament. They turn out to be
just as eager for 1.-THE spoils of office
as the others. and sometimes a little
more so. For, the millionaire's neces-
sites are not so pressing and he is not
apt to be quite so open to influences
that often overcome the less wealthy
public official.
What our correspondent means by
clubbing the franchise "a political ma
chine" we do not know. And it ap-
pears to us that cts manipulators"
whoever they may be, cannot manipu-
late the will of the voters The truth
is, that the poorest laboring citizen is
equal TO the proudest millionaire at the
polls. If he casts ballot against him
self the fault is his and he must suffer
the consequences. A man is not worse
loa &c, .;,t,t
he is poor. ga mans a man for a,
that" And you never know how a man
viii use power until it is put into his
hands. When working man goes to
Congress he becomes one of the other
fellows at once. 1t does not follow that
he will be better than either of them.
Now, as to labor producing wealth.
OF course it makes wealth, but with
out capital its capacity for wealth.
producing would be comparatively in
significant. The interests of each are
mutual. The aim should be to pro-
mote identity of interests between
them. not to. array one class against
the other. We believe that labor, as a
rule, does not obtain its fair share Of
the results accruing from both But
we do not believe that a proper adjust
ment viii be made by decrying cap
ital, holding it up to scorn and denun-
ciatien and encouraging assaults upon
it,
1t is not true that there are six mil