The Relations of Labor and Capital. 59 



labor for nothing, nor will capital be put out in uncertain 

 risks. To ensure this certainty of reward to each, there must 

 be, 



1. Division of property, personal ownership in everything 

 that can by labor be made an object of value and appropriated. 

 Without this capital can not be. On common property men 

 will not labor except on the compulsion of force or stern neces- 

 sity. 



2. There must be also, security to all property-rights by 

 both prevalent moral sentiment and Just laws, equitably ap- 

 plied and faithfully executed. When governments invade or 

 are weak to defend property-rights, capital withdraws itself 

 into secret places as hoarded wealth, and labor is stinted and re- 

 duced to the lowest degradation. It is a terrible mistake to 

 suppose that existing wrongs under which labor suffers can 

 be relieved by that greatest of all wrongs the invasion or sub- 

 version of the rights of property. 



8. And once more : there must be for both capital and labor, 

 perfect freedom, iinrestricted by monopolies or special legisla- 

 tion of any kind. A special favor in these relations of labor 

 and capital involves an infringement of freedom on one side or 

 the other, and that is an interference with natural law — a hind- 

 rance to the best results. The world is opening its eyes, after 

 centuries of wrong and mischief, to the fact that the business 

 of governments respecting these relations of capital and labor 

 is simply to protect the rights of each and hold other things 

 in even balance for tlie free working of natural law — to let 

 both alone, giving neither any advantage, but both the utmost 

 freedom. They are natural partners, and if not interfered with, 

 will spontaneously seek each other as birds mate in the spring 

 for a happy fruitful union. 



There is not time, nor is this the place to discuss in detail 

 measures for the better harmonizing of labor and capital. I 

 will however, as we leave the subject, suggest a few thoughts 

 which come as corollaries from our main proposition. It must 



