The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-08-01


suFfra1e, Il IN fair TO assume that the fearful
gap which formerly divided the army Of la
Dor Is destroyed, and bling 20, would like
to know what chance Gen. Grant or Hora-
ito Seymour would have against one who
was arthorized to carry 10 all laborers the
land in his armsf What chance will the
shutting wrlgglcing eSasions Of the money
question put forth In the Republican and
Democr attic platforms stand in the West
against the greenbaek theory Of the slanghi-
cred Pendletou which was proclaimed by NJ.
Again, what are the positions Of both Of
these parties on that measureless viuaiany-
indirect taxatione What care the public
for the difference between twedle-dum and
twedle -dee-a tariff for revenue o. tariff
for protection. Both parties wish to con
serve the accused incubus Of the custom
houses aud demoralizing adjuncts, f1r their
pets. But, says the mechanic, We cannot
have FREE TRADE AND No custom HOUSES, for
we cannot compete With tue unpaid labor OF
Europe. Why E0tg Couple reciprocity
with Free Trade and that shuts out such
labor. Ten years must elapse before Great
Britain can let one article, our manufactured
tobacco, into her ports free. Until then-no
trade. What cares the West for her piuful
demand for breadstuffsg She never calls for
them until she has exhausted the grannaries
OF the Danube. But, says another, 1t will
injure the shipping interest. IL can't, Tor
that has been murdered by the present tarih
| it is past injury. BIT mere are partis
who would have reason to s-rieve; IT, lAck
Of the costly gewgaEs for Y INCH the lahors
I Of our people are exchanged, A. about The
rate of a ton for pound, would brelk The
heart OF Miss Flora McFlimser, aud, der
prived " his Paris kids, his genuine Otard,
and the Tears " the widow Chquos, TIE Hon
Jeames Goldfish, Esq, would SOFA cease 10
exist.
But there Is one subject on which IIcrod
and PLATE agree, at least As far az % Mason
and Dix0n's line. II i the sLfrare qaes-
ton. True south Of this line, for prudent
considerations, the Republicans have altered
previously existing law. As before. how
ever, both are humbugs. The sruth of the
matter il found in the Declaration Of hide
pendeBce, which asserts that gov arnmenis
derive their Just powers fron The consent Of
the goT5rned;' this Is furthe- strengthened
BY that portion of Art. |. Sec 2, Of the Cor
stitution, which declares-"Ibe llsuse 81
Representatives shall be composed of mem
bers chosen every second year BY the people
Of the several States II i manifest he
. article should there have terminated, ior
what IL added afterwards is not only unne-
cessary, but contradictory TO that statement.
II these positions be true, il ~ manifest that
no body Of individuals u justly n power
, over this cardinal right of call American
citizens, male and female, Of mature az,
, sound minds, and unconyicsed Of crius."
. For ary legislature to attempt t. adj an -
err to these natural conditions, i an insult
to the community which has created IL; ant
any American citizen, naturally thus quail
. fed, who il Arbitrarily deuied his or her Just
I share il the goyarnmsni, has a right I'd 0r-
4 ganiZe another, and can oniy- looA utOu 10,
+ glsiators guilty Of such crime az G. ms ei
thieves.
e But to workingmen the Question Of wo-
! man suffrage is still more important. The
I weak point in the labor line is the position
> held BY woman. II il through that the
1 enemy enters to reduce the wages OF the toll
l. ers. 1t must be socially and politically
e strengthened. The former By soliciting her
: entrance into our unions, the latter By a.
: mandlng from the government an acknow-
4 ledgmeut of her right 20 vote. Wounded
y aud bleeding, aud often grounded By power
y ty into crime ia our cities, if labor performs
. to her the part Of the good Samaritan, she
: will change al its touch from an encIm-
. brance into q sword and shield. Besides,
i We need all our free. The battle ends
when the army Of labor il arranged AM or
a ganizei. Idlers, and those whose toll only
A benefits themselves, will shirk twice before
y they attack the leviathan. Lay thine hand
! upon him,-remem0er the battle,-d0 no
Y more"
y But the main plank ID any labor platform
ought TO be. "man before money" At pres
emit, the contrary Is the ease. We can no
! longer afford % permit property 70 welcome
a every summer ia our larger. cities with a
4 "massacre OF the innoceats" Although
Z averse to the doctrine Of DR.. Malthus, and
o unwilling to follow examples set before ns
e and cultivate barrenness, We object any lon
r ger to permit aVarice to change me children
n which God has given Us into moral and phy-
steal lepers unfit for existence. The power
: full corporations which have converted our
|; laws into instruments Of oppression, which
| laugh juries 10 sc0rn, may vet be arraignad
4 and sentenced by an indignant public may
4 yet be told in our legislative halls By some
4 modern Portia,-
Y "rhIs bond doth give thee here no jls or blood
# az the same time making OF them the perth
: nent enquiry, why our yearly toll or lives
" should be eighteen times greater than that
4 Of Great Britain, and sixty-6ve times greater
Y than that Of France
Besides, is not the time prOpiHols? d.
q nCs thoughtful men perceive IN the increts-
/ ing degensracy Of the age, the necessity f,r
: action in this crisis r. Il not seen that uhe
4 cultivation OF crime ia Our G. To- op-
\ preston OF the laborers, must be terminal
eds Do not the wise recognize that men
a cannot be dragOoned into virtue w the ba-
tons o. policemen Do not the learned al
ready whisper "qHis custodidt iDs3s casio-
! des9" and dread that which IS only a qnss-
!. ton OF tlme-the decentralization Of such
4 forces. Besides, do not both the Republican
and Democ-atic parties present broken fronts,
unable 70 resist y solid attack Are Stevens
and Butler reliable for the one, or Chase, or
even johnson, for the other aud, this being
50, Is there not room for 4 third? A third,
which, under the eight hour hlE, would
march into the field with the prestige " VIC
tory flaming in its front.
Ia conclusion, our candidates coul not
7 be vanquished- Whether elected or not.
y their reward would be secure. Our errors
: and uncharitableness may defer the day, but
. the eventual triumph Of Labor u certain.
: He must be blind indeed, who cannot per
ceive that the long night Of human oppres-
+ sion Is passing away, and the golden harbin-
4 gers Of the morning already gliding the hor-
4 lion. He must be deaf, Indeed, who caanot
hear the blows Of the labor champions beat
ing down caste in Great Britain, or the guns
OF Gen. Cary salutIng t..a eight hour tag,
D floating triumphantly from the captured cap
itol at Washington. II i no fading wreath,
no barren honor that the National Labor
! Union will proffer to the man it selects to DO
! its standard bearer in the fight; for, when
| the Lliputian politicians which trouble N,
. from the Chief Justice ut Washington, 20
the postmaster at the Confederate Cross
Roads, Kentucky, havs all passed away and
are forgotten, his descendants, 70 remote