Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1897-08-27

to share with them the luxuries of wealth
Moreover, we doubt not that there arr
judges on the bench who are subject tt
more direct influences than this, who art
guilty of being the recipients of vulgar
bribes. AS consequence we have the
law dispensed with prejudice, we see the
possessors of centralized capital protected
by the law in their aggressions upon the
industrial classes, we see the right to EN-
ploy capital exalted above the right tc
labor
Right here let it be remarked thai
capital is no enemy of society. With
out the accumulation of capital there
could have been no progress along the
road of civilization, and without the con
tinued accumulation of capital there Car
be no continued advancement along thai
road. Moreover, as civilization advances
it is necessary TO concentrate capital, tc
invest large sums in single undertakings
1t IS only by so doing that labor can be
most productive.
But the concentration of capital does
not necessitate the Capitalization of capi.
tai in single hands, it is not necessary tc
rob the many OF the surplus fruits ot
their toll, and what should be their say.
ings, in order to accumulate capital.
The earnings and savings of the many
can be made the source for the accumula-
tioE of capital for great enterprises, just
as we'll as the stealings of the few.
Therefore, though capital is not the
enemy of society, those who possess CAPT
tai and use such capital to gather to
themselves the fruits of others labor are
the enemies of society, for to deprive
men of the fruits of their toll is to dis
courage industry, sttie production and
retard the accumulation of wealth. And
everything that retards the accumulation
of wealth, which is capital, retards the
advance of civilization.
In short those who accumulate capital
by preylng upon the fruits Of others
labor are the enemies Of society, for such
retards the production OF
wealth, retards the accum ulation of
capital. When men are protected in the
enjoyment of the fruits of their own
labor the accumulation of capital will be
much more rapid than when the few are
permitted to grasp the surplus wealth,
the capital produced by the many. I'm
der conditions Of equity there would be
many small accumulations of capital
where now there are few large, but the
combined capital of the many would
grow much faster than the capital Of the
few now does. Some would, of course,
accumulate capital more rapidly than
others, for some men are abler and more
energetic than others. There would be
some comparatively rich men and some
poor even if every man was secured the
wealth and capital he produced, but there
would be no inordinately rich men, men
rich, not from their own energy spent in
producing wealth, but from their skill in
men Of the fruits of their toll.
Civilization will advance most rapidly
under that government that encourages
the accumulation of capital by men who
gather it legitmately, and not by exact
ing tribute from others, and treats as
enemies of society those men who accum.
ulate wealth by despoiling other men Of
the products Of their toll, for under that
government the accumulation of capital
will be most rapid.
And now to return to the courts which
have laid themselves open to the charge
of dispensing injustice in the name OF
justice, of exalting the rights Of property
above the rights of man, the right to
employ capital above the right to labor.
of extending assistance to the coal opera
tors IN their efforts to crush the pending
strike and drive the miners back to work
at old wages and under old conditions.
In short the courts have laid themselves
open to the charge Of array:ng themselves
on the side of operators and Of assisting
those operators to drive their men back
to work at starvation wages. And these
charges are warranted. The courts have
shown themselves as the protectors of
capital and oppressors of labor.
The courts of western Pennsylvania
and West Virginia. federal as we'll as
state, are the present offenders. 1t has
fallen to their lot to take cogniZance of
the coal strike and, subject to the intlu-
ences which surround them, they have
looked at the struggle from the stand.
point of the operators, looked through
the colored glasses that teach that labor
has no rights that capital is bound to
respect. and acted accordingly. The
operators have asked the assistance of
,he courts TO run their mines and break
he strike, asked the courts to en- ioin
striking miners from approaching the
miners still at work with view of in
luencing them to join the strike, and the
courts have compiled by issuing injunc-
ions making it penal offence for the
trikers to approach The working mines