Adhesive force and surface tension

[jd12345]

there is a liquid in a capillary tube. The tube pulls the liquid because of adhesive force and liquid pulls the tube because of surface tension. Will both the forces be equal? according to Newtons third law-yes

I don't understand this. IF this is the case then whatever the substance tube is made up of it will pull the liquid with the same force - which is the force by the surface tension

 

[Andy Resnick]

I don't understand what you mean by 'adhesive force'. Wetting (that is, motion of the three-phase contact line) involves competition between the (in your case) liquid-solid and air-solid interfacial energies.