West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-05-16

by affected.
All voeatiohs IN this country are
voluntary. Everyone chooses or
adopts that trade or profession which
suits his own taste or incliuatlon.
or which promises the greatest re-
turn for his Investment, either OF
money or muscle. or course. cir
cumstances govern aud often mod
ny that choice, aud men would fire.
quently prefer SOME other occupa
ton than the ono they engage in:
But are unable, for want OF means
or Influence, 20 do so, but still they
are perfectly free to choose for
themselves, in the sense that no one
can dictatel or hinder, as by author.
"y. And hence our people, in this
business, arc divided into classes /:
agriculturists, manufacturers, pro-
iesslonal men and merchants. Some
Will, no doubt, object TO this class
lhcatlon, because it does not assign
place to ld5Or-"loboring mon. !"
Labor is so inseparably connected
with all these vocations, as | cried
to show IN former article, that /
am unable to assign distinct place
to 1T. IL enters into, and cJnsti-
tutes the very life of all; and whom
the reciprocal reia tions, aud inter
dependence of these leading indus.
tries are considered and studied, il
will be found that they include the
suni total of human effort, unless
We should include aOay' AS an indus
try. 1t would bo an almost endless
task, and far beyond the limits Of
an article like this, to attempt to
discuss in detail, the various indus
tries and professions in u great
civilized State like ours, or to show
how they arc mutually dependent
the one upon the other, and the
whole industrial fabrics upon each
OF It's parts. But suffice to say, for
the subject in hand, that every
vocation, trade or business, which
goes to make up the industrial
fabric Of the whole country, de.
pends for its life and prosperity
upon y marke5 for its products, or
what 1t has TO sell; whether that
something Ia corn, wheat, beef and
pork, manufactures Of iron and
steel, OF wool and cotton; the prod.
ucts OF tho mines, tho quarries, or
the forests; or whether that some
thing be the skill Of tho surgeon or
physician. the labor OK the mechanic
and skilled workman; the muscle
aud willing hands Of the common
lsborerj the services Of the lawyer,
the labors and nhnistrations Of the
clergy; or whatever else it may be,
Of all the innumerable multitude
Of subjects that engage the head or
hand, all depend upon "a market
s0meWhero. And that market,
whatever may be said, is regulated
and controlled by the immutable
laws Of suPply and demand.
You cannot sell to a man, natural
or artificial, more than he wants of
anything, nor can you sell to him
what he does bot ojant, at all.
Amongst the many things that
are always seekIng a market, is the
ta6or of the laboring man. And
be it remembered by the laboring
men, l will say in passing, that he
always sells his labor-his muscle.
his stock in Lrade--in an absolutely
free market--in open competition
with tho world OF labor. II there
is nothing to do in his particular
line, he has no market, and trusts
and combinations can do him no
good. Whenever the demand is
supplied, it matters not In what
line, tho D,arket is gone. Now the
great question with US, is not the
regulation and protection, or crca-
t'oh, If you please, Of the Home
Narhet, because that will always
take care Of itself, and will always
be first serOed. But What wo are.
or ought to be most concerned
about, is a market for our surDlus
ProdHcts-what We grow, produce.
and manufacture, above and beyond
our own wants. This suplus must
seek a foregD market, and if not
found, will, like the waters OF an
obstructod stream, which roll back
upon, and destroy its own territory,
roll back upon aud destroy the
nome market. This is so plain a