The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-11-20
We want none Of you fellows round
haze

"Ws want none Of you fellows 'roun'
here" M
What do you mean r. / asked.
81 mean we have had enough Of politi
clans, Democrats or Republicans, was tn
reply ofthe person who had addressed me
(" But / am not politician am mer'
locker on, and hope | have not in'ruded.
was my mild remonstrance.
At this my friend, who proved to be ar
assistant foreman of one Of our great foun
dries, became more polite, and seemed dis
posed to make up for his rudeness by con
tinuing the conversation. 81 can well,
said I, understand how all your trade
union meetings and other assemblages are
constantly beset BY scheming politicians.
Yes, sir, was the reply, 4" but il shall b
go no longer we are determined to be rid
of them, or, if not, they must do more for MS
What better of are we than the working
men who groan under the despotism Of The
Old World We do not earn more, our
children do not learn more, everything goes
away in taxes, and even no amusements are
provided for u.s."
What do you mean by amusements r.
I asked.
I'll tell you. Sir, if you are man ol
family, you care little for yourself, you care
only for your wife and children. Our wives
and children never go to place Of amuse-
ment they cannot even listen to band Of
music, for the paternap government under
which we live does not permit bands to play
on our day of rest, nor does it give us an
opportunity to visit the theatres, as does the
despotic' government Of France"
"Oh nonsense" said I, citizens in
this country are not children, that govern
ment must provide amusements for them. T"
What is it doing for me, then y asked
the assistant foreman, cxcitedly.
Sir / answered, you are q part Of
the government; you vote for whom you
please here; the affairs Of government else
where are carried on without you or any Of
yours being ever consulted"
At this my friend became terribly indig-
nant, and said, Voting be id. What
does it amount to 1 vote for set Of poll
tlclans who care no more for me and mine
than does the Emperor Napoleon for the
blouses, whom he at least fears, and there
fore pats on the back"
But, sir, your manhood is elevated by
the franchise. 1t ought to raise your self
respect, the fact that you have a right to
vote, and are the citizens and not the sub-
ject Of republic"
MY good friend, said the assistant fore
man, who now commenced to talk very de-
liberately, those are very fine phrases
they go hand in hand with love-poetry when
a man is nineteen or twenty years old. But.
when person reaches my age and has to
toll and labor hard, nothing but practical
ideas will 60 down with him. Now then,
what good, mean material good, does vot-
ing do me? You say it elevates my man
hood. L don't know whether it needed
particular elevation, but 1 do know that
since have voted | have not been able to
buy bread or clothing for the children one
cent cheaper. Voting does me no material
good, and that is all the republic gives me. T"
No, sir; but | say this constitutes
everything-it makes you part Of the Go
vernment"
Not so, sir the leaders of both -politi-
cal parties use us for their own selfish pur-
poses, and even if this were not the case
which, if you know anything, you know to
be fact-voting can give me no bread, can
give me no clothing. A republic, as we
have it, is farce for an honest workingman.
1t is paradise for the demagogue, the
schemer and the politician. They can do
what they like, band together of all parties
some twenty or thirty million taxes per an
mum, divide it all in the course Of the year
among themselves and their friends and sa-
telitcs, and live in brown stone houses, and
own blocks upon blocks Of new buildings near
the Central Park, wrung from the blood
and sweat of honest workingmen, while they
themselves have never done an honest days
labor. For them, sir, this is GLORIOUS
country" For a man like me, who works
from six in the morning till six in the even
ing, and does not always feel disposed to
walk three miles to read at q free library
while my family need my company at home,
this is an outrageous system Of government.
| say again | live for myself and my
family, and all tho comforts I can gather
for them honestly they shall have The
government thong b it taxes my bard-earned
income, does not help me in that. The fact
that | have put ballot in the box Oh cleo
ton day does not make my family feel one
jot happier on that evening. but my poor
children would feel happy if they could 60
to theater or a circus, or could 20 out with
me on Sunday and listen to the music of
fine band"
| was about to show the beauty Of our
school system, when be CURLY replied that
the children Of respectable mechanics abroad
were not growing up in ignorance, and that
a workingman here who at all loved his
hearth and home was no happier, in fact
less happy, than the workingman abroad.
sighed for that man, and could not help
thinking that there was great deal Of com
mon sense in what he said.
| walked toward the Fifth avenue, and
the first equippage that struck my view was
tuaU containing tne TWO queeniy looking
daughters of a wcllknown politician. They
were decked with laces and diamonds, and
were about to proceed to the wedding Of
Young Assistant Collector Of Internal Re
nue., whose marriage was celebrated that
evening with all the pomp and vanity for
which this avenue is famous.
Cooperation in France.
At the present time when general atten-