The Marshall republican., 1904-09-23
WHAT CONSTITUTES LABOR
rhs Nan Who Employs His Brains
and Capital a. Much . Labor
Or" ~ Any Other.

Auo ituo 0Auknter ot Que ol NeA
York's best known bankers sat In his
once one day waiting for him to got
through with his business, In order
that he might take her homo. That
evening she related her experiences TO
her mother. says the Wall Street Jour
nal.
why, mamma" she said. papa
ioesnt work. He simply sits At dssk
and talks al day."
One may smile at tho simplicity Of
this child. and yet great many grown
up people In this world take exactly
the same view she did. They think that
all work. or TO use the word now uni
versaliy though wrongly adopted, all
labor" worth considering IL that done
with the hands.
We speak OF capital" and labor
- producing the wealth OF the coun.
try. II 10 from use OF these terms that
much OF the misconceptions. misunder.
standings and mistakes that cause that
most perplexing OF issues. the labor
problem" springs. Ali wealth consists
nrst OF the gifts Of nature. the products
OF the soil. the mines and the air: and,
second, Of the labor" Of man In gath.
sring. transporting and adopting these
products to human use. Capital is sims
ply labor stored up. saved. accumu.
lated.
II Is . favorite theory Of socialists
that while the basis Of all wealth 10
iabor. there is. under the present eco
nomie system. - surplus value" which,
while really belonging TO the laborer,
has been wronsfully seized by the capl-
talists. thus creating the great lnequaii.
ties In individual wealth.
But this theory depends upon the
Idea that II Is manual labor alone that
creates wealth. Al any rate II takes
very little account OF any other kind OF
labor. The banker who sits at his desk
and talks" and the railroad president
who rides In his private car over his
"systsm" are not "iaboring." They
are "capitaiists' who are simply exist
Ing on the labor OF others. Il 10 not too
much 70 say that back Of much Of the
agitation which is arraying the laborer
against the employer. and the poor
against the rich. lies this absurd fallacy
that the only labor that produces any
thing Ia manual labor. and that the
world consists Of two classes, the labor
srs who toll at wage that provides for
mere subsistence. and the Capitalist, %
the man who thrives by the labor Of 9th
err, and who gets oil the surplus Of value
after the wages are paid.
OF course such an idea must BE- got
rid Of n the world ID TO continue at
peace under the present system, and
certainly IL eradication 10 necessary Il
We want 10 pass into an era OF the CO.
operative commonwealth" which Is the
dream Of the socialist All wealth. apart
from the gifts Of God, is. indeed. the
labor OF man. and all who refuse to
work. whether they be tramps or the idle
rich, are equally enemies OF their kind.
But the man who employs his brains
and his capitai-the reservolred labor
which is the result Of long and intslii-
gent endeavor In the past--in business
enterprises of any lawful kind IA a
much 'laborer" as any ono OF his en-
ployes who may swing hammer. WELD
. pick or tend a furnace. II may seem
superhuous to say q thing that appears
- self-evident as this. but In fact Il 10
necssary. The most elementary princi-
piss are the ones most often. overlooked.