Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-02-24
Under Democratic Rule.
From $25,o00, to $780,
900 deficiency the past
year, to be made up next
year by increased taxa
tion, or increase of debt!
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
The Duty of the Hour Is to Strengthen the
Bond Between Them.

The Duty of the Hour Is to Strengthen the
Bond Between Them.
Every effort is now being made, as it
has always been made in the past, to Gre
ate conflict between labor and capital.
Thiais as foolish as it is unjust. Those
who agitate such ideas can generally be
found among men whodo not care them
selves to work, but who prefer to go
around and create dissensions and trou-
BILE where none had previously existed.
Such men are mischief makers and male
factors.
Labor and capital are and must be
one. They are necessary to each other.
Without the use of labor capital would
be idle. Labor cannot find work unless
there are factories, mines or farms where
its work is needed Capital would be
uselessly employed in building factories,
opening up mines or laying out farms
unless it could secure the labor with
which to do the needed work.
Any antagonism of labor toward cap
ital that is employed i'll honest enter
prise which affords an opportunity for
men to earn an honest livingis absolute
ly wrong. Any antagonism of capital
toward the labor it employs, and which
it needs, is also absolutely wrong. These
two units, labor and capital, are so
wrapped together and so involved with
one another that they must work to-
gether and in harmony in order to ac-
quire mutual success.
1t is well to consider for a moment
who are the men that employ the capital
and own the mills, the mines or the
farms. They are men who have come
here and worked hard at their callings,
and who have by their energy and perse-
verance pushed ahead of others. They
have acquired position that thousands
of other hard workers are today hoping
to secure for themselves in the future.
If it be wrong that these men have sue
ceeded, then it will be equally wrong for
others to follow in their footsteps of sue
cess.
We believe that the employers of labor
in this country are not hard taskmas-
ters. A good employer does much for
the welfare and comfort of his employee.
There are thousands of men who can
bear witness to acts of kindness they
have received from 1.-The boss"-acts that
have helped them to secure their own
homes perhaps or to improve their con-
dition with some extra comfort. In help
ing the men they know they are acquir-
ing their friendship. and good employer
is always aware that he will secure a
greater interest in his work if he extends
the hand of kindness to men working to-
day where he worked a few years ago.
1t is not the employers of capital who
desire to injure labor. 1t is these men
from village hamlets who have been ia
trusted with the work OF tearing down
the protection that the Mckinley act
gave to labor-it is their leaders i'll con-
gress and at the head of the admins
tration. These are the men who are
enemies to both labor and capital. and
with crafty cunning they attempt to
make trouble between labor and capital.
They are working for foreign interests,
but in order TO succeed they must first
sever the bond that exists here between
labor and capital. The duty of the hour
is to strengthen that bond.-American
Economist