The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-03-21

utaANiF pTeFOuAy W Anu NJ hnS AuAo ABOVE
specified, was the consequence Of tue unjust
and shameless land and money systems
which have been discussed. although all
political economists agreed that the most
useful man 10 their various communities
was the agricultural lAborer, they did not
shlnk IL necessary to demand that his reward
1ould be IN proportion 10 his merit. From
him, through the miner and mechanic. I'D 10
the school teacher, an classes. material or
intellectual progress were sacrificed by law
10 traffickers, haanciers and oilers Tha
possession OK ar "c-der to live without Ia
bUr," OF the value Of hftv thousand dollars.
0. which tens, If net hundreds of millions,
were floating throughout the civilized world
enabled its possessor to live UPON the labors
OF others, and, II prudent, ths laws protected
him "a Leaving the same power over future
laborers 70 his children. BY emissions or
paper money Of this terrible character
whea almost constantly occurring, Il 10 easy
to conceive but must have been very hard
to bear the condition Of a RUrkingmAn az
that period.
BV the further operation Or these laws the
wealth Of communities was greatly e,nesn-
trated into the hands u the few. while the
lower strata Of the lAboring portion Of hu-
mSnity was in the like manner, becoming
debauched and brutaliz "a. Tlrourh the
channels OF lsxinesS and luyIrv crimes
flooded the nation. In proof X tbs X may
be stated that in 1866, Commissioner Acton
Of New York, the Cato VI his time, declared
that IN the lewd dance houses Of this city,
Fifth Avenue -as more thaa duly repre-
scented Most stringent measures we're ne
ceSsarily resorted to 10 repress vice Very
macy Of Ihs most able bodied producers
have been selected from the rauks
Of labor, armed With biuige0ns aud pistols,
aud sent forth a. police to patrol the cities
and compel obedience 10 the Law. The annual
number OF commits for crime IN the larger
centeTs, no. unffeQlently amounted to one
tenth Of their whole population; mer. go-
men and children included. Bit. notwith.
standing the stTIngency u the laws and the
he.seness with which they were executed,
they could neither s1bdue nor materially az
feet the evils threatening to disrupt society.
The attacks Of the police upon crime SOON
degenersted into ftfal and melancholy raids
so termed) upon the lowest. weakest and
most Wretched class Of the Vicious, whilst
iagh-handed villains carried on similar ueia-
rious practices unwhipt Of Justice. III the
vie i became manifest that brute forco a!one
would soon be powerless to Fepress anarchy
and confusion.
The great cause Of an these evils was the
gal robbery Of the lsborer of the produce
Of nis Eands. This was 50 monstrous. that
IA England, political economists, from Dr.
Malthus down, had long recommended nom
intercourse Of the sexes 20 the poor, a., in
that country Of organized idIers, the miser.
able PlttAnce dsled out To an agricultural
labofer was not sufficient to support life ia
a nall family They consequently advised
the nottingham not to marry. Thank God
armed, invgorated, and purified by daily
toll, be has ever despised such counsel, ana
/ followed that which ordered man To Increase.
multiply. replenish ard subdue, (but not
selD the earth 10 the meantime, the in
gredient OF the poisoned cup has been
I drained by those who offered it TO him.
FJr, by the last census, il j. proved that
nearly two-6iths OF TIE women Of England.
mostly Of the upper classes, are unmarrie,..
Thus the land and money lords Of Great
Bfitain were themselves hurled in.s me mir
their waste and ideness hal dug Cor TIE toll
/. ing masses Of their country, and found moth
I ing N its depths save the runs Of the tribe
of Benjamin, the ashes Of the doomed civ
Of the plain, AM the wreck Of the ante lelu.
Wan world.
but alas the same miserable systems
were productive of the same evil effects in
tbo United States. Paternity and maternity
were Stunned. Infanticide became common.
Prizes were offered and boldly advertised in
the papers for the prevention OF increase.
The first medical authority OF Massachu-
sets declared, that, ia his opinion, the ma
tive population Of that State hal ceased u
increase, and that the women were deterio-
draf baA
war OF the rebellion, the condition Of the
men, for five hundred and thirty out IL
every thousand were found unfit to bear
arms. The nation which proGsrej the hand
Of welcome to All the peoples Of TIE world
from Europe to China had no mercy upon
the son Of he soil WIN hai raised 10 a
family for her in her midst
Ii was no wonder that az tbs yericd-
lS67-neariv One-third OF the married cou-
pies in New York City were childiess The
y r. wards Of labor were 80 small aud the p1-
stion ar iaborer wrongfuliy held TO be 80
degrading, that educated youths declined to
compete for such priEss. But idleness ~
!. the mother Of crime la 1866 eighteen
thousand, mostly youths under eighteen,
were comrIitted 10 prison in the city above
mentioned for dIsorderly conduct. Fathers
Of families dreaded what diy might bring
forth. The moral malaria was around them,
and they felt 1t impossible that their litlle
ones would escape the pestilence. Ten
hours being sterulY demanded by money
(cften in spite Of law 10 the contrary 70 be
set apart for labor only, mechanics had nc
time to attend to their children. The com
forts Of home were neglected, the sacred for
tresses Of conDubial and parental affection
were attacked, and with them the truO
strongholds OF the nation wore crum5ling
inlo ruins.
II addition to The wrongs heapsd upon all
producers By the land and money owners,
they bad also to suffer from the rapacity Of
traffickers. Many articles Of food, and a.
most al articles Of drink WIRE AdulterAtod,
and not unfrequeutly poisoned. Nefaricls
scales were resortsd to commonly, which
we're worked by hidden spring, and might
or might not be just. The labor OF man was
vested 10 the production Of goods intention
ally manufactured to decay speedily. In
addition TO the prices named 10 their char
ters, the great railroad corporations gath
cred in a + ugh harvest Of bodies and limbs
which were not specified in their bonds By
comparison, the lives OF one hundred
American citizens were held BY these au-
thorities we're held TO be about equal in
value 70 twenty E1gIishmeu, or five French
mOO. The law set 10 bounds TO such de-
structiou, for these distributors commanded
the law makers. Millions OF acres OF the
richest minerals, and the most fertile agri-
cultural lands were given 70 these eormo-
rants, by government which did not own
them, protesting TO act 40 agents for peo-
pie which had no right and title to ALLEVIATE
them from their posterity.