Democratic messenger., 1899-08-19
CAPITAL AND LABOR.
REV. Or. TALMAGe DISCUSSES The
INDUSTRIAL PROBLEM.
some Lessons Drawn From strikes
In Various Parts of the Country.
4 Truce Between Labor aud Capt.
tai-Each Needs the O.her.


In Various Parts of the Country.
4 Truce Between Labor aud Capt.
taf-Each Needs the O.hcr.
iCopydght. Louis klop.ch. issol
WASHINGTON. Aug. IL; In this dis
course Dr Talmagc suggests how the
everlasting war between capital and la
hor may bc brought Ia a happy end The
text is, Corinthians xii. u. The eye
cannot say unto the hand. have no
need of thee
Fifty thousand workmcn in Chicago
ceasing work IN onc day. Brooklyn stun
ned by the attempt Ia halt its railroad
ears. Cleveland in the throes of a labor
agitation aud restlcSSncss among toilcrs
all over the land have caused an epidemic
Of strikes. and somewhat 10 hettci things
l apply the Pauline thought of my text.
You have seen an elaborate piece Of
machinery. with thousand wheels and
Thousand bands and thousand pulleys.
all controlled 10y one great water wheel.
the machinery So adjusted that when you
jar one part of il you jar all parts Of il.
Well. human society is great piece of
mechanism controlled by one great and
ever revolving forcc-the wheel Of Gods
providence. You harm one part Of the
machinery of society and you harm all
parts. Al professions interdcpcmdent.
All trades inierdcpcndent. All classes of
people interdependcnt. Capital and la
bor interdepcndent. No such thing MS
Independence. Dives cannot kick Laza-
rus without hurting his OWN foot. They
who threw Shadrach into the furnace got
their own bodies scorchcd. Or to come
back 60 the figure Of the text. what
strange thing il would he il the eye
should say: | oversee the entire physical
mechanism. ] despise the other members
of the body. II there is anything | am
disgusied with. il is with those miserable.
low lived hands. Or what il the hand
should say: ] am the boss workman of
the whole physical economy. ] have no
respect for the other members Of the
body. II there is anything ! dcspisc il is
the eye seated under the dome of the
forehead doing nothing but look.
come in. and ! wave the dag Of truce
between these two contestants. and |
say. The eye cannot say 10 the hand, i
have no need Of thee
That brings me Ia the first suggestion.
and that is. that labor and capital are to
be brought 20 a better understanding by
n complete canvass of the whole subject.
They will bc brought 10 peace when they
find that they are Identical in their inter
ests When one goes down. they both 20
down. When one rises. they both rise.
There will be- an equilii rum after awhile.
There never has been an exception Ia the
rule. That which is good .or one class of
society and that which is bad fT one
class of society will eventually and in
time be bad for ALL Every speech that
labor makes against capital poStpones
the day of permanent adjustment. Every
speech that capital makes against labor
postpones the day of permanent adjust
ment. When capital malignS labor il is
the eye cursing the hand. When labor
maligns capital. IL is the hand cursing the
eye. As far as have observed. the vast
majority of capitalists are successful la
borers. II the capitalists would draw
their glove. you would see the broken
finger nail. the scar Of an old blister. the
stiffened finger joint. The great publish
ers Of the country for the most part were
bookhinders or typeSefiers on small pay.
The great carriage manufacturers for the
most part sandpapered wagon bodies In
wheelwright shops
Not n Great Gulf.
While. on the other hand. in all our
large manufacturing establishments you
will find men on wages who once employ
ed 100 or 800 hands. The distance he
tween capital and labor is not great
gulf over which is swung a Niagara sus-
pension bridge. IL is only n step. and the
capitalists are crossing over To become
laborers. and the laborers are crossing
over 20 become capitalists. Would God
they might shake hands while they cross.
On the other hand. laborcrs are the high
est style of capitalists. Where are their
investments; In hanksy No. In the rail
roads? No. Their nerve their muscle.
their bone. their mechanical skill. their
physical health. are magnificent capital
lie who has two eyes. two ears. two feet.
two hands. ten fingers. has machinery
that puts into nothinguess carpet and
screw and cotton factory and all the 9th
er implements on the planet. The capital
lists were laborcrs. the laborers were cap
talisis. The sooner we understand that
the better.
Again. there is 10 come relief To the la
boring classes of this country through co-
operative associations. am not al this
moment speaking of trades unions. hut of
that plan by which laborcrs put their sur
plus together aud become their own cap
italists Instead of being dependent up
on the beck of this capitalist or that cap
italist they manage their own affairs. In
England and Wales there are 81; coop
erative associations. They have 100000
members. They have capital Of SIS.
100000. or what corresponds TO our dol
lars and they do business annually Of
SG3. 100000 Thomas Brasscy one Of the
foremost men in the British parliament.
on the subject says: Incorporation Is the
one and the only relief for the laboring
populations This is the path" hc says.
by which they are Ia come up from the
hand to the mouth style OF living to reap
the rewards aud the honors of our advanc
ed civilization" Lord Derby aud John
Stuart Mill. who gave half their lives To-
the study of the labor question. believed in
cooperative institutions The co-opera
tive institution formed in Troy. y. y.
stood long enough 20 illustrate the fact
that great good might come 81 such an
institution IL il were rightly carried on
and nightly developed.
"But." says some one. haven't these
institutions sometimes been n failure"
Yes. Every great movement has been
failure at some time. Application Of the
steam power a failure. electro telegraphy
a failure. rnilroading failure. but now
the chief successes of the world
Tobacco mud Liquor.
But" saws some one. why talk ~
surplus being put by laborers into coop
erative associations. when the vast mul
htude Of toilcrs ~ this country are strug-
Cling for their daily bread aud have no
surplus?" I reply Put into my hand the
money spent by the laboring classes Of
America for rum aud tobacco. and will
establish cooperative associations in all
parts Of this land. some ~ them mightier
than any financial institutions of the
country. We spend in this country over
$1OO.HEtWO every year for i1bacco. We
spend over $500 OO.OOo directly or in
directly for rum. The laboring classes
spend their share Of this money. Now.