The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-03-09
THE LABoRER's CURSE.

Political parties have been a curse To the
workingmen IF America. They have been
bowed down 50 long beneath this yoke that
they have almost lost the aspiration for
emancipation. II results froln this slavery,
to which they have been So long subjected,
that it is So difficult t. rouse them NJ to any
ade,Ju te sense II the evil
Here we see. say two moulders. or two
mas"ns, or two If any other kind Of me-
chanics, both working in the same shop.
both receiving the same wages, both hav
ing families To support and educate, and
raise respectfully both having precisely the
same hopes and the same interests. and
vet. wonderful t. tell. one belongs to one
party and one belongs To another What
can be more absurd ! Would two iron man
ufacturers in Pennsylvania take different
sides when the tariff was to be increased
And capital, whatever competition between
capital and capital has it ever failed to
JOIN hand IN hand to strike down labor
when it has attempted to raise its head
Thus in Europe, on the same principle,
Austria and Prussia and France, and Rus
STA. Will, whenever they see proper, plunge
then people in war, with all its distress and
ruin. But then these wars are waged by
one nation against the other like compe-
tition between capital-let the people Of
Europe. Of whatever tongue or country,
make an effort to free themselves from OPP
preston. and at once these hostile nations
become friends, and princes and aristocrats
everywhere make common cause to crush
them out
Everybody knows how Europe combined
to strangle the first French republic how
the Duke of Brunswick, at the head of the
allied armies, crossed the Rhine with fire
and sword in one hand and letters in the
other, which were to be rivetted forever
upon young Freedom.
This same antagonism is repeating itself
in America, under another form The two
parties-and the parties are nothing more
or less than the leaders-will forget their
quarrels and unite to escape common dan
ger, when they find out that the laboring
people are beginning to see into the hocus
pocus Of the whole proceeding.
What are the facts They are simple
and can be comprehended by the most stu
pid intellect.
There are number Of interests in the
country. Here is the commercial interest,
the manufacturing interest, the banking in
terest, the railroad interest &c. We class
them all under the broad term capital.
Some Of these interests are in opposition to
others and others are not But each inter
est has its own peculiar schemes which are
To be carried out. Hence, each of them,
in order to effect their purpose, POUNDS new
newspaper organs, or buys in old ones to
create a public opinion in its advantage.
The money Of these monOpolies is counted
by millions and they can afford to do it.
Politicians, members of Legislatures, men,
bers Of Congress, and public officers gener-
ally are also approached by men represent
ing these interests, and the thing usually
works"
What part have the workingmen played
in this great political contest between in
terest 1t would be ludicrous to contem-
plate the truth were it not, alas too pain
full. They have been the ten pins, that
these gentlemen have been bowling at to