The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-06
Tho American Federal Council or the
International.

International.
Our Utopian friends, the Internationalists,
have issued an address to the American work.
ing classes, which at once proves that its
authors do not understand the genius Of the
people to whom they speak Born for the
most part in lands in which the inhab-
itants are in the habit Of looking for
guidance or direction from O compli-
Gated machinery of government, they look
even for liberty to some organized form Of
interference with individual rights for the ben
eft Of the community. We are not prepared
to enter into any heightened discussion as to
the nature of the abstract good which the In
ternatonalist movement aims at. It is
enough to point out that the change which
they propose to strive for would not be looked
on as blessing by any citizen with American
instincts. On the contrary, if the Utopia
which these men dream about, with its con-
slant interference with individual rights, were
established for twenty -four hours the population
Of this country would rise en- masse and over
throw it It may be all very well for long
haired dreamers to have government which
would see that the buttons were properly
sewed on their shirts, but the vigorous, manly
inhabitants Of this Continent would not sub
NIT to any such help. They would prefer to
go without any buttons. The length to which
government is now carried is almost too much
for them, and the growls of the people at the
party in power show that they are not at all
prepared to be taken care of like huge children
Nor is the policy which will deprive tho indus
trious and enterprising of the power of better
ing their position likely to receive support
The love Of equality is no doubt very deeply
implanted in the human breast, but it gener-
ally aims at equality with what is above, not
with what is below. The selfish interest of
every man who has something or hopes to
have something is arrayed against those level
lers who preach doctrine which they would
never think Of carrying to its logical conclu-
sion in their own case. Men do not want
equality, for they recognize that there is no
such thing in nature. Besides, the adoption
of q scheme of society that would annihilate
personal ambition would deprive the world of
all motive to progress, and in few ages we
would sink back into the poverty and bar
barism of the American Indians. Even our
Utopian friends will hardly argue that this
would be happy change.
That there are many and crying evils in our
present civilization no reasonable man will
hesitate to admit; but the cure for them is not
to be found in the International scheme We
must build up if we would increase the happi-
ness Of the people, not attempt to purchase
benefits for one class by inficting suffering on
another. We must lift up the workingman,
educate him and teach him self-reliance, and
then he will, by the action Of natural laws,
find his true level in the social system Labor
organizations, under competent and practical
men, eschewing all Utopian projects, might
greatly assist in improving the condition of the
worllingman; but addresses like that of the
Federal Council Of the Internationalists only
damage the cause they are intended to serve
by driving away from the movement men of
practical minds, who alone could effect any
good.