The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-11-20
LABOR IN BONDAGE.
How the PIutocrats Of This Coun-
try Are Enriched.

or reforms and seeing that YOUR mind.
IKE all the minds which think profound
~, realiz' that there is something radi-
caiiy wrong with the present civilization
anu all men true ~ themselves and their
county are CROPPING in the dark for sumo
reuei, ana when one realizes that all the
wealth OF This country has passed into
the hands of the few they must admit
mat the progress of mankind in their up.
ward tendencies has been retarded
when the thinking mind looks over this
vast country, realizing the immense pro.
gress that it has made, realiz,
ing that all of this immense pro-
gress Is the. result of labor, realizing
that labor, and labor alone, has built the
palaces, the railroads, opened the mines,
run the furnaces and the factories, and
yet money getting the credit of all, you
VIII commence to see wherein lies one of
the difficulties under our system Think
Oh the fact that by means of the.legal ten
uer New York city alone in the last five
years made 5000 600, 900 more than TWEEN.
ty-four States of the United States mt
together. Although these States made
millions of bushels of wheat, New York
city none; they made MILLIONS of cotton
ana corn,are rich in iron aud coal and
everything that makes people rich, and
containing ten times AZ many people, and
W" VI N SibS, dul Only Oue-IIItn OF
that city, made more than all the twenty
1our states combined. How was it done?
Did they turn furrOw with the pillow?
Did they shovel an ounce of coz | or iron:
Dld they by any means increase the
wealth OF this country? Not in the least.
they never dropped one drop OF sweat.
they never struck one single blow. They
simply absorbed and drew in by means
OIL legal teuder the sweat and toll of
others Look at the magnificent cities
OF this country and then Mt those who
built them, and realize that this great
country of ours is built upon misery and
s4ualor. The labor of this country has
done it-not dollars. Gold aud silver
Will not drive nail or lay brick;
money Will simply mildew and rot if left
TO ell, and yet you will hear people say
money q Il this or that. The great Giver
OF Life has given every man wealth in
the form Of bone and muscle and skill;
nut under the laws of our country this
bone and muscle are made subservient to
scarce article, to something that bone
ana muscle cannot make, hut are obliged
to have TO settle their debts. ard there
fore bone and muscle and the God-given
wealth are absolutely at the mercy OF
golu and silver. Their products must 30
LOT " hatever the poEsessor of legal ten.
der may oe pleased to give, and this legal
teuder ls not, ms 1 have said, the suit
of labor but the accidental find of an adj
venturer; is hidden away in some desc
late mountain or valley, absolutely i'm
possible Tor the great mass of mankind to
reach, and yet must have under the laws
OIL our country; and therefore all the
wealth of this country has passed into
the hands of the adventurer. AS fact
If the law will make any product of any
man or set of NJ ell LEGAL tender it makesnll
the other products subser yient to that
man and gives privileges to their product
which places all others at their mercy.
suppose our law makers decided that po-
tatoes should be the legal tender of this
country, then every man must have no
tatoes to settle his debts, and lust so
surely rs there is n heaven above us
would the holders of potatoes be enabled
to absorb all the wealth of others. be-
cause repeat, law has made potatoes
King and all other products slaves. But
this would be little more lust. becanse
all men might raise potatoes, useful
article al least sufficient to paw their
dents; put no mar can raise gold or silver,
both being accidental discoveries. nnso
lutely out of the reach of the most of
lDahkind, making it absolutely impossible
for them to settle their debts excert Inv
the sale of their wealth in The form of
bone and streugth-fcrces men to sell
themselves to some possessor of gold: and
inasmuch as the wants of this possessor
OF legal tender, in comparison with the
needs OF the many, is small he is. able to
purchase their wealth at his own figures.
and for this very reason we see the labor
oil men for weeks and years gone out of
their possession into the hands of Others
for simple handful OF gold This fact
will show you why it is that billions upon
billions CT the natural wealth of this
country aud all countries have passed
into the hands of the few and must CON
tinue to do so just as long as the pro-
ducts Of one man are made by law the
only medium for purchasing tie labor or
wealth of others. The only way to rectify
this is for the wealth of country to be
based upon labor which produces it, and
which every man has, and with it. could
pay his debts by his labor: while under
the existing conditions he is forced. a. I
have said, to sell himself at so mnch per
day In order tn get legal tender to nav
his debts, and in so doing his wealth has
passed into the hands of others without
his obtainng'valne received for it. IT he
obtained value received then the wealth
OF this country would be in the hands of
those who actually produce wealth; or
allow, for the sake Of argument, that the
ful' va.uc of labor is received When this
result rs turned into the necrssaries of
life again is labor at r discount from the
fact that his toll in the shape of. so much
money will only get him certain
amount of the necessaries of life; the bali
ance goes to pay profit, and thus again
his mucles are robbed to enrich some one(
else.
AS mater of fact, legal tender,
through its power OF drawing in the labor
oil our people Toy means of interest, dis
count ana profits, Is solely and entirely
responsible for that great Capitalization