The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-03
Slavery a Misleading Analogy.

1t is customary for those who es-
pnuse the cause of the labOring man
IN the current industrial debate to
compare the present wa,.e receiver
with the slave of former ears. A re-
cent editorial in the New York Ma
tionn represents tile rank and file OF
modern labor organizations as under
a thralldom analogous to that of the
slave. According to these partisan
statements the case Of the wage re-
ceiyer today must be desperate indeed.
He is under the thrall of the capitalist;
and, at the same tune, he is under all
equal bondage TO organizations of his
own creation. An analogy which so
readily serves the purpose, both of the
partisan of the wage receiver and OF
the capitalist, ought 10 be viewed with
suspicion. We are more likely to
make progress in our present discus
sion if we cease to make SO much of
the analogy of the slave.
Certain analogies, however, may be
drawn from the anti-slavery debate of
a former generation which ought to
teach US useful lessons in respect to our
present discussion. The anti-slavery
agitator was not mild-mannered
man. He garbled the Bible and all
literature, ancient and modern, for
strong statements against the oppres-
sor. He did not hesitate to teach that
the American Shareholder of his day
was an embodiment of the vilest op-
pressions of all the ages. When as a
small boy read "UncIe TOMS Cabin"
the character of Mr.. Shelby gave me
much trouble. l did not believe there
could be 80 humane stakeholder.
Simon Legree was my ideal. 1attrib-
uted to the exigencies of the story the
apparently unreal characters such as
the ShelbIes and st. Clair.
We now know that the anti-slavery
agitator did not truly represent the
character of the ordinary Shareholder
of the South. He pictured him as
monster which did not exist. The bet
ter class of shareholders naturally re-
sented the false character attributed to
them. They retaliated by painting
the black abolitionists in such colors as
rendered it impossible for them to re-
cognize Themselves. The Southern
"fire-eaters" were developed from q
class who were made to feel that they
were being misrepresented and lied
about by those who ought to know
better. The anti-slavery agitators
were among the most enlightened and
humane of the Christian people of the
North. The extremists of the South
may be similarly characterized. Nei-
ther party tried to treat the other in
Christian way. Ageneration Of young
men, North and South, were systemat-
ically ieducated to misunderstood and
hate each other. The result was the
crime of the civil war. Did not the
war abolish slavery? Yes, but Brazil
has since abolished slavery without
any war. Will any man who has any
knowledge of the Southern question
say with any degree of confidence that
the negro question is nearer final set
tlement than it would have been with
out the war.
The spirit aud temper of our indus
trial debate today has too close re-
semblance to that of the ant'-slavery
debate. The partisans of the wage
earners caricature and misrepresent
the spirit and temper of the employers
of labor. The more humane of the
employers are especially offended when
they hear their class misrepresented.
The offended employers retaliate by
impugning the motives of the friends
of the lab0rers Those who advocate
the cause of the wage receiver are U.s.
ualIy good men actuated by the most
worthy motives. Tue fact that so
large q proportion of the community
are so utterly Indifferent, and appear
to remain voluntarily blind to the real
situation tends to induce strong Ian
guage and exaggerated statements. II
only the Indifferent were effected by
the agitation all would be we'll. But
the danger is that the medicine will be
taken by the wrong man. 1t was the
most sensitive and humane of the
shareholders who were most affected
by the anti-slavery agitator. Our dan
ger is that the most sensitive and hu-
name of the capitalist class may be-
come arrayed against the most sensitive
and humane of teaching classes, and
that those who ought to cooperate for
common end which both see as desir.
eble may become leaders Of hostile and
destructive forces. believe that this
is our only real danger. I believe that
there is not a particle of danger OF
bloody revolution, except for the dan
ger that good men will continue to
n isunderstand and misrepresent each
other.-Jesse Macy, in Minneapolis
COngregationlist.