The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-08-27

have desired, but that IL fur from being in
1leative OF the amount Of work done or the
measure Of good accomplished. II would
be an idle task to attempt to estimate the
thousands of converts that have been made,
and hundreds Of thousands are murmuring
against the infamy Of the party in power,
and the inbecility and cowardice Of the mi
nOrity In Congress, who differ from them
In name but not on the great questions
which concern the interests and prosperity
of the workingmen and women Of our land;
and it mistake not the feelings of the
masses, there have been sown the seeds of q
political rebellion against the tyranny Of the
mOnled power that will, ere long, sweep
from the halls Of legislation, both State and
National, with the aid of common sense and
the power Of the ballot. those recreant and
corrupt men who seem to be ready and will
ing at ah times to do the bidding Of unscru-
pulous monopolists and land sharks, and
who are all times ready to sacrifice the in
teress Of the labcring class for place and
| p0werg.I
1t has been part Of my duty during the
past year to visit many States Of the Union,
and we have heard the feeling ofthe people
freely expressed against the misrule and
corruption Of Government officials, and in
favor Of radical change in the affairs of
government We have also listened to the
hearty welcome of thousands who have free
ly declared in favor of the platform and
principles Of the National Labor Union;
and feel confident in saying that all that
Is required is for you to send out true and
tried men and newspapers devoted to the
cause of reform, to save the nation from the
mercilsss grasp of the money power, and
preserve il as the home Of freemen and the
land Of refuge for the oppressed of all civil
lied nations. We will now ask what has
past legislation done to benefit the people at
large? Has it reduced taxation? Has it
saved Gods gift, the broad earth, for the
humble settler? Has it furnished uniform
and cheap currency for the peorle? Has
it built up ruined commerce? Vas it
done justice between the bondholder, the
banker and the people? Have they, the
lawmakers, kept their promises in regard
to the payment of the national debt ? Have
they passed the bill introduced in Congress
to prevent the importation Of servile race
10 degrade the American citizen Has it
abolished the tariff on tea, coffee and other
necessaries Of the poor? Have they fixed
tariff that is just On articles Of luxury, or
On articles that we can produce with the
skin and resources Of our own country +?
Have they, the Congress, modified or re-
pealed the internal revenue laws, the most
oppressive and obnoxious system of taxa
ton that ever was introduced in q civilized
or enlightened nation / think you will
bear me witness that on these important
questions they have been found wanting,
This il the state Of public affairs you find
to-day, and however dark the record may
appear, / am satisfied there is no hope for
us that any change will be effected either by
the party in power, or from the last relic of
q once powerful and arbitrary clique who
were cast out of Office BY an indignant
people, and who are now anxiously waiting
for the time and opportunity to greedily
seize what will be left Of the spoils. Il is
true that on both sides of the House there
have been some that have had the manhood
to sound the notes Of alarm, and boldly at
tempt to stay the tide of corruption. Many
thanks are due to such members, but their
efforts were in vain, the clamor of voices
would drown their attempts, madly onward
rushed the tide of corruption, taking in its
food the peoples heritage, giving it by
wholesale to unscrupulous spectators, thus
building up giant monopolies, rich and ar
rogant railroad corporations, and fostering
and encouraging that legalized robbery Of
the people, the national banking system.
1--WE now come to the consideration Of
what are the evils growing out Of this ruin
ous mode of legislation, and what the pro-
posed remedies. In attempting to show ito
evils, let us first examine, in order to un-
derstand the vast resources Of our country,
its rolling rivers. its inlsnd seas. its forest
covered hills and broad prairies, rich with
natures gifts to man, ready to bless the
hands of the toilers. But Notwithstanding
al these blessings s-showered, as it were,
upon us % people-within the last year,
for four months not less than l 200, 900
men walked the streets of our cities and
large towns, without employment; and now,
in midsummer, hundreds of thousands are
asking for work and cannot obtain it.
What does this want Of employment mean 7
Il means that the nation loses two dollars
for every day the man is unemployed it
means that want and misery have entered
the homes Of those who ought to be happy !;
it means tbat It is driving tens Of thousands
Of children beggars on the streets, to press
the cold SHOWS of winter with naked feet /;
it means that want and hunger are driving
the wife and daughter of the honest toiler to
prostitution, and making thieves Of the
children Of honest men, thus training
thousands yearly for the penitentiary and
the gallows; it means that the sewing
women Of our land should be doomed to exc
out miserable existence suffering from the
chilling cold of winter and heat of summer,
in the cheerless garre.s Of our large cities.
and compels the destitute widow of our
worn out felloW-lsborer to breathe the foul
air of filthy basement, and her children to
beg with piteous tones, from door to door,
for the crumbs which fall from the rich
mans table.
"And now. gentleman, we ask the ques-
ton, from whence comes all this suffering
and misery Do the toiling poor suffer
cold and hunger because there is not enough
to satisfy their every want? Certainly not
for while the heartbroken widow fans into
lie the dying smbers on the hearth, ten
thousand tons Of coal crop out from the
banks Of the streams, saying, in words thai
can not b misunderssood, " Thy God hal
sent enough" The patient and anxious
poor. suffering for want of food, ask. as vel
they may. In there no bread for us r.
while the rich valley and hillside, with the
far sfretched nrairie In axar raadu to ra