The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-04-20
WHAT Is WANTED.

viii put into inteHgible English what it is
that they demand, ~ dtssSe, in the way Of
reform something definite, explicit and
final. w vii print it to the extent of a
column " this paper, They deal in gen
rrtltus. hut never descend to particulars.
Chew s,,aA IF tht emancipation If labor
.r>. VI Justice. Of 'amchorating the con
,t.nn ui labor Sc; bat what DO they
mean hy these words Can any body tell
rhvre IA no speech, no review, that gives
w., al ilca of what labor wants In France
they arr little more explicit, and there
very man wants what every other man
has and each man claims to he the master
ID every other man.
"Bu. what We want t. know is What
doe, Labor Reform propose And We Of
fer the use II our columns q any respon-
sihlc and known advocate uf the reform.
NJ, y Fl vNpi..i'ly state tht changes IN the
condition 81 the lAl"rrr hi,h is proposed.
cur ,IIuIou Is. that such 4 statement would
D., ia.aI a. the movement, and therefore is
.!at ca bc made" New York Observer
,put,l aHro,ingly ny me New York
Christian Al,r,ateN
rIc Observer editor appears to hc u
mos. unfortunate seeker alter truth ia th,,
Labor E-t, RI" possibly the persistent
advocacy e thc dark, mysterious doctrines
NC CAl,iutsm is the Gauss ri his mlsfor
,un.s Whatever the cause, he is certain
In Cropping his Way IN thu dark 'Rut Il
chime wv w evil. thy wholy body shall Ne
mil Nv; darkness Il therefore the light
that Is in the bc darkness, how great that
darkness. Hc appears, however, a. he
hou,st, and lac Is generous, or he never
would have offered whole column to get
something definite, explicit, and final. -
uron question which requires for its in
trlligrut discussion, an enquiry into the
propriety and justice If civil government
and social fabric which have grown out ~
ages If barharism and despotism. Whether
The ''phS rvrr' editor understands plain
English or not Is at least questionable
question. II he has read all the tones Of
plain English which have been written upon
this subject and fails To- understand it,
abi, T. improve his condition. It is how
ever charitable % believe, taking the tone
AMI ohar.cter of the article quoted, that
its author has as honest desire to under
stand the objects and aims Of the Labor
Il form" IS any one can have who is so
strongly eutrenched behind the customs of
the barbarian and despotic ages that he can
conceive nothing else as desirable OF useful.
But whatever the motive, the writer has
pr.poundod a plain question, to which he
desires an intelligent answer Gin plain
English" An honest effort shall be made
to crafty this request but We will not
promise to confine our expose to a categori
cal once column answer-but shall take
the occasion to unfold some Of the great
principles Of Justice" which underiie the
Labor Reform. and which labor reform
crs desire to sec incorporated into the laws
of the land ITO amelioriate the condition of
Labor 4 5 preliminary to a more general
unfolding Of what is wanted" we will state
that American Labor Reformers" do not
want the observers" French labor de
mand, nor, do they accept its presentation
Of it as strictly true, but leaving the French
Frenchman to deal with the Americanizer
# French ideas We distinctly say-Ameri-
can worhingmen do demand-First, laws
and customs which recognize the right to
have, what every man has or can have by
honest and well directed effort, fairly APP
Piled III any useful occupation and under
just laws Second, They deny that labor
can ever be Justly compensated 50 long as
the fundamental laws Of distribution are
as at present a skillful monopoly or a covert
theft, which robs labor ard rewards in
iquity-. they therefore demand their uncon-
ditional repeal. Third, The laws which
rob labor are the coinage, gold legal ten
der and revenue laws. To these may be
added, the whole corporate paper property
system, banking, railroads,
telegraphs, express companies, stock job
bing, gold gambling and all other similar
modes q robbing labor, under color Of Ma
tional and State laws. Over s., 900, 0O0, 900
are taken out Of the labor and business
classes, annually, without any compensa-
ton or return. These are a few of the
laws which Cypress labor, and, although in
the eyes of the observer" it may be ia
tai to the movement" yet the damaging
fact must be misunderstanding men are
beginning to understand that the philoso-
piers stone which converts their labor
earnings into the hands of few non-earn-
ing, non-useful do-nothing men, are these
laws, and throughout the
length and breadth Of this land, the think
ing portion Of the labor element are digging
down into these man-made providences of
the ages to understand their practical oper-
ations, with the view of causing their ul-
tina.e removal and the institution Of laws
which regard justice to man, and not sole
ly interest.
To make our position more explicit, we
refer the reader to the Labor Platform pub