No Great Standing Army

[Jiidge Black 'h Letter to the Eoitor ui the PitlBburgh Pösl ] Jamus P. Barr, Esq. : My Dear Sir - It is quite out of the quertion, with my present engagements, to write fnlly on the labor question, or evon to give, as requested, a few thoughts which arise froiu a superficial look at üie situation. I have barely run over the article of Col. Soott, which is characterized by his remarkable ability a a practical man. He mciins busiuess, no doubt. I should like much to hcar {rom Jlr. Gowen. He bas all of Scott's üdelity to the interosts of the Corporation he leads, is his equa] 'm oucirgy and fotce of oJUaracter, wüile ho looks through all human dealings with a moro learned spirit. Besides, tliere are others who ought to enlighten the public mind. Have you read the article entitled "Pair Wages," by a "Striker," in the last number of the North American Jieview f Ho makes sorne suggestions thfvt ought to bc considerrd and üiought of before fchey are altogolher rcjeotcd. Of coursc I have uo (Xinception who tho writer is, but, judgiug liy his productiou, I expect to ace him a power. It canuot be uecessary to teil you or any other sensible man that tliis country will never consent to be governed by n standing anny until the people inake up their miuds to abandon repnblican institutions utterly, andsubmit without raurmuring to an absolute despotism. The enemies of liberty on botli sides of the water have offered many excuses for maintaining large armies in time of pesee, but never nnything so weak as that thoy set up now, Hundreds of thousands of laborera íiud themselves unable to protect themselves and their families from starvation, and they bceoine tiu-bulent, as evcry othor people has done under the same circumstances. ïo maintaiu a standing irmy for the pur-. pose of keeping them in order is the worst remedy that could be devised for the evil. This reduces the-workingman to a state of mere slavei-y, where the bullet and the buyonet of tlie soldier come in place of the orerseer's lash. If they subniit Uiey will be tit instrumente to make slaves of us all. If they resist, civil war will bccomo the chronic eondition of the country. The United States has no right to intermeddle with this business exceptiu ccrtahi contingencies, well defined and carefully providod for in the constitution. The oíd excuse that these limits ought to be disregnrded because they confine the powers of certain persons within limits inconvenionlly narrenv, is not oue wliich ouc:ht to find acceptnnce iu the jndgmeut of a free people. But i f the General Govornmont must scttlc the controversios between the railroad corporations and their laborera, let its interfeivnce tako any shape but that oX a standing army ; for that would be not only cruel and daugerous, but the most expensive that could be adopted. I believe none of theso corporations think that less than a hundred thousand men would serve their parpose ; and that ia a gross iniscalculation, for three times the number would hardly be suflïcient. It would be much better, easier, and cheaper to take oüt of the Federal treasury as mucli money as will pay the railroad employés fair wages and let tho corporations havo the fruits of their labor as cleargain. Of course, I don't say that we ought to be taxod to free the railroad companies from the bnrden of paying for the labor they emp)oy, so that they may increase thoir profits or be saved from losses, but we liad bf tter do that than vorse. Yours truly, J. S. Blaok.