The workingman's advocate., 1875-02-20

One of our religious Journals recently
contained y column Of platitude ON the
farmers' movement, acknowledging their
power and ability to carry amy movement
they propose at the same time failing TO
see how the wrongs they complain Of and
the relief they seek are to be controlled
by Legislation I Can't stop 20 per cent.
interest for money, or prevent gambling
knAves from hoisting it up, chi Can't
stop the monopoly Of bondholders and their
schemes for grabbing Can't prevent
railroad from fleeing and pauperizing a
whole ccnlmunity Can't prevent judges
from selling their decisions, and Legislators
from selling their votes, and making Laws
t. suit monopOlists ! Can't bring down
the wages Of Congressman and public Off
cials to level with the men who work a.
hard and double the number Of hours
Well. perhaps they can't, but they will try.
But, says the oracle, I'VE tell these
grangers or farmers, or mechanics, it won't
do to discuss this matter in the spirit of
French communism. Respectable people
will be frightened and driven away from
IT," I've sincerely hope they will, if
We accept this standard Of respectsbility.
Respectable people" who can't live on
s5OOU year. and resort TO selling their
votes, their decisions aud their influences,
f1a.atr ahI - Ill
knaves or knavery to propose laws and to
support laws that enable the few to live on
lazy luxury Of the many. have been the
curse Of Z ma.se. in all ages. They are
not ssute,k IN the movement but they
will gel in aud propose this a. q compro-
mise, and that as ali expedient, and some
thing else as palliative. They will pre-
vent, by hook or crook REAL reform, if
they can, and cheat the masses who trust
them, To the extent Of their power. The
only way to prevent this 10 TO have it clear
ly understood in the beginning that tresch-
cry and cheating won't answer that legis-
lators, Who make laws, and judges who ex-
ecute them, Sill be held responsible that
if Law does reach them, and public opin-
I"n is despised by them, summary chastise-
ment will be substituted. An example
made Of half dozen congressman who
sell themselyesto to monopolists would purify
our legislation more than the driyiling
sniy, ling, half-hearted, half -ri---.3, 1enun-
citation Of thop.4nd partizan, subsldized
shoct They are net to be freighented by
calling in the ghosts Of the commune, or
the reign Of terror. Murat and Robs-
pierre undoubtedly shed innocent blood,
but for one victim who perished at their
hands, a thousand were murdered in the
name Of law and order. But the victims
Of Murat were respectable people, who
had lived on luxury, ON others toll, while
the victims of ''law aud order" we're poor
wretches who had lived by daily toll. The
reign Of terror did for France what no he
ro or philosopher, or statesman or philanth-
ropist has done for any other country in
Europe.
1t would be well for those who affect to
think communism properly carried out
so great a bugbesI, to investigate and see
lst What it is that has ENABLED France
to pay tax that no nation in Europe has
been called upon TO sustain, and I'd Why
it il that the victor Germany is loosing
her citizens by millions, while the over
taxed commune scared French don't send
a ship load Of emigrants to our shores in a
year Sd How many lives have been sac.
riiced in cold blood by the French ''rs-
/ spectacle" for every life taken in hot blood
by the communists
We tell these sapient editors xho are
trying to dodge the real issue, under the
shadow af 9 ghost Of their own creating,
that the industrial classes intend to stop
these briberies and robberies in the courts
Of justice and the halls Of legislation and
to put down these gigantic monopolies that
eat out their vitals, under the guise and
protection Of Law. They will be free in
fact a. veil ~ in name They propose to
be slaves NO longer and are determined
10 use means adequate to the end. They
propose to depend but little and be infu-
enced but little by whining, milk and water
editorials, whether respectable people =
are frightened or not