The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1866-04-28

anu answer the questions II IN your power,
and much oblige another
"MRcHANIc."
Being informed as to the notices and ante
cedents Of both these correspondents, we
deem Il altogether unnecessary to make any
disclaimer whatever. The dodge of every
|plRRed-out politician assuming the role Of .
"AkcHAslc," whenever sinister object is
sought to be accomplished, is, however, EN-
phatically played out. Still we are not sur
prised al this attempt to create Discussions
our only wonder il that 1t has not been tried
long ago. Poor, miserable tools, willing to
/ do the bidding Of their ssasters, ready to
sell their manhood for any compensation,
can he found in every organization, and 1t
would be strange indeed il some Of this
genus homo, should not find their way even
into an eight hour league. So long as
scheming demsgognes find willing victims
in the working classes, Of course they can
afford TO laugh in their sleeves at the result
If they can ride into power on the eight
hour hobby, they are staunch eight hour
men TIL their purpose is accomplished. We
nave repeatedly warned our readers that the
greatest danger to the ultimate success Of
the movement lay in thiS direction, and in
doing so we have offended some who pre-
ferred TO have the ma. er ventilated after
our legislative election.
But as the Journal has failed to give the
information required, we cheerfully answer
the interrogatories, in case some bona tide
mechanic would like to be enlightened or
these points. With regard to the claim OF
cur Ambcy enquirer We can only say our
experience invariably has been that the big
gest towards have been the most blatant in
their pretentions to heroism and we are
decidedly Of the opinion that il his name is
found on the roll Of any regiment, it will be
repairing conscTipt. An honest man or q
true soldier would certainly have the moral
courage to append his name after the com
munication which this valiant son Of Mars
was evidently afrqid to do. simply because
he was pulling the chesnuts out Of the FIRE
for some one else. We have too much re-
gard for those who. unsolicited. honored us
with the position we occupy, to reply in any
manner to his untruthful and ungentlemanly
charges about our usurpation Of authority.
Unless we are much mistaken in the man,
however, he will never be laid open to q
similar charge.
But to our answer direct We wish 10
inform him that the mechanics Of Chicago,
and We know we can speak for the great
body of the laboring classes Of our State
also, care nothing whatever about the
political antecedsnts Of any man, as they
have determined to ignore all party issues in
the future. The only politics they recog-
nize Or intend to recognize, are the politics
Of labor, despite the Shiny, specious pre-
fences Of traitors open or unavowed; and
the only qualifications they demand are
capacity, honesty Of purpose, and devotiOn 20
principle. They belieTe that Democracy and
hepublicaRism are the twin progeny Of CAPT
ta', conceived in sin and born in iniquity,
so far as the efforts Of either as q party
have tended to the elevation Of the produc-
ing classes. That the man or apology for a
man who would introduce q political test as
bore Of contention, who thinks more Of his
deUotion to party than his duty to his felioW-
man, has no right whatever to classify him
self with those who repudIats such obliga-
tons.
In reply to the question asked as to
whether this A. @. Cameron is the same A.
&C. Cameron that presided at an anti-draft
meeting in Chicago when they passed those
resolutions that the lamented President
Lincoln should take his musket and 20 to
"the 'front.'" we beg to state we are not
the A. G. Cameron referred to, never having
presided over or endorsed in any manner
any such meeting. Neither did an A. G.
Cameron ever preside over, or even attend
such an assemblage either in Chicago or the
State Of Illinois But now that the question
is answered, we should like to know how our
valiant friend came to be informed that such
a meeting was held, when he was or ought
to have been at the front, exposing his pre-
cious carcass to the shot and shell Of the
enemy, hundreds of miles away from kith
and kin and his quiet Amboy homer
To the second interrogatory we would
state that the workingmen Of Chicago are
perfectly able to form their own opinions
without the aid Of A. c. Cameron or any
other person; in fact that they are in the
habit of thinking and acting for Themselves.
That so far from it being true that "Mr. A.
20. Cameron and the Eight Hour men Of
Chicago did, at the last municipal cleo
''tion, join with the copperheads, and as
''sist them to elect several Aldermen ~
Republicans were nominated in the very
citadels Of Democracy, and received larger
vote than the regular Democratic nominee
proving emphatically that mere party poll
tics were studiously ignored, and that all
propositions to affiliate with any body were
persisttntly refused, although il was known
that such refusals entailed defeat.
We have already spent more powder on
these miserable hulks than they are really