The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1921-09-02
LABOR ASKS ONLY
JUST SHARE
By Samuel Gibson

equal deal. Labor does not ask for
more than its just rights. We hear
much about equality before the law.
That is what labor wants. 1t seeks
no special privileges and wants none.
Labor makes no war on vested
rights. 1t does not rail at honestly
acquired wealth. 1t is not antagonis-
tic to legitimate capital. 1t would
close no door to opportunity. 1t would |
darken no star of hope. 1t would not
palsy initiation. 1t would strike no
blow to paralyze ambition It's motto
is onward with hope; without fear. 1t
stands for the rights of man, for the |
greatness of the individual; for equal |
ity before the law; for harmony and
peace; for equal rights to all and spe-
cial privileges to none Capital and
labor must be friends, not enemies |
Their interests should be mutual. In
our complex civilization each is essen
tial to the other, and they should walk
hand in hand. To prosper they must |
be at peace, not at war. Each is
necessary to the other. Both have
their rights and both have their limi-
tations. The inherent rights of labor
capital.
Labor makes capital, creates all
wealth, and should have equal oppor-
tunities and as much consideration, if
not more, but the trouble seems to be
that labor does not receive fair
share of what it produces. 1t is the
duty of the legislator to see to it that
there is less Capitalization of wealth
and more equitable distribution of
the fruits of toll.
Labor should be represented in
every branch of the government. La
Dor is not of today, or of yesterday,
or of tomorrow. 1t is eternal. Dy-
nasties come and go, governments
rise and fall, centuries succeed CEN
turies, but labor goes on forever.
No man can pay too high tribute
to labor. 1t is the creative force of
the world, the genius of the Drawn of
men; the spirit of all progress, and
the milestones marking the forward
movement of every age. Civilization
owes everything to labor-to the con-
structive toiler Of the world. Labor |
owes very little to civilization. Moth
er Earth is labor's best friend. From |
her forests and her fields, from her
rocks and her rivers, the toiler has |
wrought all and brought forth the
wonders of mankind
Tear down your temples and labor
will rebuild them; close every avenue
of trade and labor will reopen them; |
destroy your towns and labor will re- |
place them greater and grander than |
they were; but destroy labor, and
famine will stalk the land, and pesti- |
lence will decimate the human race. |
If every laborer in the world should |
cease work for six months, it would |
cause the greatest catastrophe that |
ever befell humanity-a tragedy to
the human race impossible to depict |
and too frightful to contemplate.
Capital must recognize the rights of |
labor Capital should be just. Labor |
has as much right to organize as cap |
ital. The right of man to labor is |
inalienable, and the right of man to
quit work is just as undeniable
The crushing burdens under which |
labor is struggling in these hectic H.
C. L. days calls for another Abraham |
Lincoln to strike the shackles from |
the necks and wrists of the free |
American workingman." Everywhere |
toiling men and overworked women |
are praying for release from indus |
trial servitude and autocratic oppres |
sion. With unemployment growing by |
leaps and bounds, many are cursing |
the system which exploits them.
There is less security for the aver |
age worker in modern industry than |
there was under the regime of chattel
slavery which Lincoln did SO much to
abolish. From the point of view of
the toiler, there is little to prefer |
under modern capitalism as contrast |
ed with chattel slavery. The workers |
have only changed masters. AS Alb
to and independent of capital. Capt. |
tai is only the fruit of labor and could |
never have existed if labor has not |
first existed. Labor is the superior |
of capital and deserves much higher
consideration"