The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-25
THE "REDs' OF PARIS.

One of the terrors which lie back of the
present revolution in Paris both TO France and
Europe, is the fear that 1t is socialistic out
break, stroke at property itself Through all
Central Europe and Great Britaipeithere is
steadily growing an organization of LABOR. Be-
meath opposing forms of government under
different languages and varying religious beliefs,
a republic or fraternity OF the labormg classes Is
gradually but steadily forming itself. They as
sert that for ages capital has had all the advan-
tage In the production of wealth, while the
hands which did all the work were left almost
empty of everything, sometimes even of the
necessities of life. They recall how, in the
past, labor has been despised and wronged by
capital, what exacton and sPolIations it has
submitted to, how little, though producing all
the wealth of the world, it has shared in the
comforts and prizes of life
This ancient system of oppression, as the
laboriDg classes of Europe consider it, they are
resolved they will no longer submit to, but will
SO organize throughout the whole civilized world
to secure their just rights from capital. Under
the new political movement, set in motion by
the success of democracy in this country the
working classes throughout France, Germany,
and partly in Great Britain, are securing for
themselves share in the government of
these different countries. But beneath the
various Governments, they have through their
trades unions wider and more nearly
universal republic The different societies
of laborers and craftsmen in all civilized
countries are more and more uniting them
selves, that the daring spirits look forward to
the time when a decree of the Central Union
whether in Paris or London, will reach to every
laborer in that craft from Archangel to San
Francisco. Then strike for higher wages in
given trade will mean that the laborers in that
trade, whether in California, or Germany, or
Italy, or England, Will support their brethren in
their struggle, and capital will no longer retreat
to its present resource of importing fresh labor
from distant countries. Then labor can take
the lions share in the profits of production, and
capital take a lower position, and the work.
ing classes at length get their fair portion of
the goods of this world. Some such future is
now struggled for by the most far-sighted
A portion of these objects will undoubtedly be
realized in coming years, and one of the best
results of them will be the reduction of the
| enormous individual fortunes, becoming such a
! curse to modern civilization, and more equal
! distribution of wealth.
But among these legitimate aims of labor
! there are mingled in all countries wild and i'm
| practicable dreams, projects of oyerturnng the
! existing order of society, redividing its pro-
| perty, and giving to the workers an equal
| chance with the rich for its comforts luxuries
and privileges. The feyered brain from which
| these wild dreams issue is Paris. There are
thousands of simple ard honest men who
deyoutly believe that property is robbery"
| and who will live with devotion which no
other cause secures, aud die with unshaken faith
on the scaffold or the barricade, suffering aud
struggling for the ideas of equaf1ty in
! property, privilege, and labor. These men
led the revolution of 1878; years of failure, de-
| feat, oppression, aud the success of their enc
| mics have not in the least shaken their faith.
/ Again, with the overthrow of the empire which
| held down their efferyescing passions, aud the
L departure of those grim battaions whose bullets
seemed to let all the air out of their windy sent-
mentalism, the "Reds of Paris appear afresh at
home amid the overthrow of civil order, the de-
struetion of property, and the bloody street
combat of Frenchman with Frenehman What
ever Can confuse and subyert the order of soclety
is their ailment. Not having the kind of cOur-
which COUld
infantry or a well-defended battery they delight
in the guerilla warfare of street with street, and
/ house with barricade. They did nothing for
! their country when the foreigner thundered at
| its gates Their yalor is kept for destroying
! their fellow. citizens. Even the daring they may
show in street skirmishes will not redeem their
previous cowardice in the open field. The DIRE I'D
! of an Oreanist Government and the license OF