Year: 1874

The p.sty os Capitalists.


To the Editor ofThc Chicago Tribune:


S1n: Your correspondent {: Jack plane' talks
good surface sense. but does not 70 Tery deep.
It is all well to call upon men who are withhold
ing capital to come forward now and put it into
tho market to supply the pressing demand !;
but who has the capital? Not the men who
have money, This only represents capital, and
can those who


WITHHOLD THE CAPITAL ITSELF


complain OF those who but follow their example
in holding on to its representative 2 II the ono
is waiting to extort high rates Of interest,
why not the other Have not the men
with money paid the men with muscle
and skill such rates Of interest, in
this city, for the past two years,
that many Of them to-day would be glad to real
ize their principal and get no interest. Look at
the houses that hare been built that will not
rent for. taxes and per cent on the cash paid to
the workmen for building them! Can honest
workmen ask other men to continue giving them
employment at dead loss to the enployor2
What would this be but aims? ? As for building
churches on the principle OF donations to work
mer, this is not the object. They are built by
subscriptions, many Of which are widows mites,
and t'soso having the funds in hand hare no
right to direct them to any other object than
that Of building churches, aud arc in honor
bound to build them for Us little cost as they
can.


Suppose some benevolent moneyed man would
now undertake to build cheap houses for the
poor, in order to bring down their rent, is there
q mechanic in tho city who would do q days
work on said houses for dime less than he
could hope to wiring out OF old Mr.. Boneyolence2
Would not most Of them rather so idle than
work for him at half-price, even though they
knew he Was giving his capital without interest
Suppose the unemployed should suddenly re-
the capital which they are withholding from the
market, and tako that capital to any point where
they could find demand for it, az mon with
money usually do, how long would the panic
last? Suppose, for instance, that a lot of men
who do not know what to do with their hands
would offer to I'LL carts with COAL and drive them


At 81 PER DAY,


or SO cents it they cannot get 81. The price Of
coal would conc down next Gay, and, OF COURSE
the poor man be the better able to get q supply,
Garry out the principle to wood saving, and e9.
cry other kind Of work that can be done at this
season, and the man who is now boarding moucY
and asking 90 per cent interest for it would soon
be glad to get S. Rents would fall taxes would
fall, bread would fall, aud the Workingman's 81
would buy him more comfort and independence
than his s. have been dong for the past ten
years; while he, and other men, would think
less OF the almighty dollar than they now do.
Labor is at the foundation Of our whole social
structure Elevate it morally, and you havo
lifted the world; raise the price financially and
you financially raiso everything with it, and I'll
that Is gained ie an increase in the number of |
mon engaged in handling tho increased number |
Of dollars necessary 10 effect an exchange be-
tween 1ahorcrs. That is always bad state of |
finance when one takes |


4 D4SkETFUL OF MONEY
to market to buy the full OF that same basket |
Of potatoes or cabbage; and, when money is
most abundant, be is always the richest man |
now talk Of starving had each spent lis last !
evenings in cu1tigating cabbages on
some one of the lots lying around and pro-
aucing nothing but mud aud mortgages, no poor.
man IN this city would have to pay 10 cents now
sourcrout in plenty: should not want to de-
prive any man Of his mug of beer, II ho wants
it; but, if each would conGne himself to one
mug per day, take this with his dinner, and ap-
ply the price Of al beyond that in making provi- |
sion for future e1i2oncics. rant would be i'm
possible, except in cases Of disaster. Poverty, |
IN tho United States,


IS A CRIME;
and the present distress is the direct result Of |
hat crime which has pezsistently locked up in
he vaults OF idleness the capital of the country
ts labor, or has wasted its fruits in thouShtlcss
No one eats nicke1s or wears
3reenbacks!


Money, of any hind, is but the promissory note
# our social banking system. Labor is its
'pecial basis. and those engaged in forcing up
lie price OF labor are the real gold-speculators. /
The Wall-etreet bulls and bears are but their !
hadows.


Nearly thirty years ago,


THE PuDD1Ens AND TonERs OF p1TTsBUnaH
rent out on strike. Pittsburgh, then. WAS
bought the leading iron-manufacturiug city in
he Union: and a1wayB has had bcneyoleuce |
ad! At that time 500 month and board was
ood wages for hrst-claas farmland in Penn
ylyania. Plenty we're willing to work faithfully
rom sunrise to sunset. and, in harvest, from
aWn until dark, for this and thousands laid
he foundation OF fortunes by it. Everything |