The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-12-31

'"b OutIaBeSy Tue stories
ny which are concOcted to SUIT the market.
and gull the public, and TO gull YOU and
your paper, too, for that matter; | say il
Is well for your sort Of frilled aristocracy
q st and try and Judge and condemn
this fellow who is so much besmeared with
sweat and coal dust. while you bask in the
warmth Of the coal fire, whose coal be had
the hardibOod to dig for you at the cons.ont
risk OF his life. | shall not scold YOU. Mr.
Editor because | think, on she whole. YOU
are not bad fellow, and when YOU see
thlngs as theJ really are. have no doubt
but that you will do ample Justice to the
men you have hitherto vili6ed
But you are in a miserable plight, Mr..
Editor You felt almost happy while the
Genle was with you; but now that he is
gone you almost tremble with fear. You
are now above and you try to grope your
way through black, dark passage. You
bump your editorial bead against air doors,
aglnst wagons, against the coal sides,
against the timber supports, and against nu-
merous other things that stand in your
way. You bump door at last and open
1t, and bright light beams on the other
side Of il. There burns in a large fire
CRATE the ventilating furnace. A man is
near and throws on coal You approach
him and he turns and sees you. He drops
the shovel, and without volunteering one
word, starts off through the door by which
you found your way hither You attempt
TO follow him, but you arc riveted to the
spot in front Of the furnace. In the
meantime you arc left alone, and you watch
the flames Of the furnace At times these
start Of along the hue as if they intend to
communicate with what appears to be tim
Der work, Just in advance of the furnace.
The blue flames dancing off the hot fire,
does not reassure you by any means the
hair gets rather stiff and straight and per
pendlcular on the top Of your editorial
head. You try in vain 20 get If. but YOU
cannot move a limb. The door opens
again and the man whom you saw at the
furnace approaches, followed by couple of
score Of black stalwart men; black they
are because covered with coal dust.
They form circle around you, and you
see their white teeth set close together be-
tween their red lips, which, with the whites
Of their eyes, contrast strangely with their
ebony colOred features They preserve an
omnious silence for the space Of five min
utes before a single Increment is made.
Then the man whom you saw at the fur
working the blazing Goals as if he
we're acknowledgements close to
where you stand and says in a voice, as if
be we're shout to reld funeral service over
you. "Gentlemen )" yes, be said gentle
men" and then be paused and looked
arOund 70 see that all present paid him at
tentiOn. He was satisfied, for they stood
like statues blocked out of coal, and be
proceeded 10 the same solemn voice, in q
monotone that caused chill to run through
you, and your flesh to creep as If il were
about to collapse, and your blood TO curdle
in your veins!
Gentlemen" be went on, and bis voice
was loud and distinct, aud be spoke 50
slowly, that the momentOus words he utter
cd, appeared to come from bis tongue ready
weighed and balanced, and they fell like
lead into your heart, and they sunk deep
into the ears of his auditors, to whom they
were chiefly addressed gentlemen in
his you behold the editor Of the Daily
-; and be pointed his finger to-
wards you, and glanced around again at
bis auditOrA Not murmur escaped them !;
but the whites Of their eyes, which was all
you could make out about them--were
turned Attentively towards you, and they
looked the very demons your precious pa
per has 90 often described them to be-
Their lips we're compressed now, which hid
their pearly teeth, and their brOWs were
lowered. and they were miniOns in their 81
lence. The speaker continued again !:
This 10 the man who has allowed the col
umhs Of the foremost paper that this State
boasts Of, to prosecute you. In the lam
gusge Of bis paper, you have been con-
demBed as felons and murderers; az men
Wbs knew no law as men who set no value
On human life; as men who took from their
nearest neighbors that which belongs to
their nearest neigSbOrs IS men unfit to
live, and for whom the gallozs and the
gibbet were the most lifting rewards. You
were held up to the public gaze as men for
whom no earthly punishment was too Sc
we're no punishment in the hereafter in
the world of torments adequate to pursue
through all eternity For the rise of the
coal market. you have been set forth as the
principal cause while you have had scarce
" mouthful 10 eat in the house at the
same time for yourself and little ones TO
bs miner in the language Of bis paper,
was to be everything vile, and to be at the
foundation Of all mischief A factory sus-
ponds operations and lays hundreds of
hasds idle during the winter months the
cause says the Daily is to be traced to
the high price Of coal, and the fabulous
rates Of wages paid , the lazy miners. A
merchant breaks, and bis ruined family is
made believe, by the cause just quoted. A
popular outcry was raised against you. gen.
iIemen, by the second. third and fourth
rate papers, too, all over the States--these
taking their cue from the finely chisseled
correspondence and the Carelessly written
editorials Of tho DAILY The
results we're that some cried cut for martial
Law 10 be proclaimed IN the Osal regions.
Some sent representatives to the Senate
with positive instructions concerning the
miners. Everything likely 10 be Of benefit
- the miners was 10 be oted down hence
The inEstsrafe opposition to the ventilation
bill, aad 10 other measures introduced 10