The New York herald., 1877-07-26
The Situation.

Socialists and Communis have pricked NJ,
their ears and passed resolutions as is their
unhappy custom. II is natural thas IN
Europe they should be excited There are
probably not q few wiseacres there who mag
inc that the end has come with us, and that
the great Republic is about to be overthrown
by "A lawless IN ,b. We advise them to sleep
easily. The great riot, which very adroltiy
took the public by surprise, and found 1t, as
it knew it would. tolerably helpless In the
beginning, and even inclined to mpathize
with the strikers the great riot is blowing
over 1t was never more than brush fire,
burning tiercely where it burned, spreading
with immense rapidity, but having no sound
material to keep it alight The movement
had the public sympathy while it looked
like strike it lost the public sympathy at
once when it was seen to be not strike, but
mob. The general discomfort of working
men, owing to the pressure of hard times,
gave 1t temporary run OF favor; but II Is ai
good as over, because its lawless features
could not have the countenance of American
workingmen anywhere.
In Europe they naturally fear the Com
mune. But there is no Commune in this
country. There are a small number OF half
crazy people who call themselves Commun-
ists and who are really centraliZationists
Half OF them, we suspect, are in the pay OF
spectators, none Of them have any force or
influence, and no two of them are agreed
upon what they want. They have no follow
ing among genuine workingmen, and last
nights effort of the leaders Of this small
sect was SO utter a failure that it will help
only to discourage further lawlessness and
put an end to this unseemly fuss.
There are one or two vital and immense
differences between this country and any
European nation which make popular out
bursts here harmless in the long run, while
they would be highly dangerous in Europe.
In the first place, We have universal suf-
frage and a constitution which can be
changed whenever the people wish to alter
it. Hence whoever has grievance knows
that he has legal and peaceful way
TO remedy. This was acknowledged
even by the Communist speakers last
night, who demand o change in the
constitutional very vital change in
deed; no less than the establishment of
thoroughly paternal government-but who
are obliged to confess that for the present
they are not the majority and cannot, there
fore, have their wish They agitate and try
to persuade the people of the advisability of
the proposed change, and that is their right
D,k tbav tn ucl- IN u1aIfy MT
violence would here be out of place and
inexcusable. That is one reason why Com
munistic movements here are harmless, and
if they venture on violence at once lose the
public countenance and support.
But there is another almost equally
powerful. We have still very great guam
tity of uncultivated and free land, which
the government offers without charge to
actual settlers. TO this land resort con-
stantly those who are really strong and in
fuential, and who are discontented with
their position and hopes Of lite in the more
densely settled parts of the country.
Hundreds Of thousands of thoughtful,
energetic, capable workingmen, who
would have been dangerous in any
European country, have, in this country,
patiently labored and saved until they
had acquired means enough to take their
little families to piece of Western govern
ment land, where new career opened to
them. They were discontented with their
position and possible career in the East
they earnestly desired q better life and
greater opportunities for their children
than they could win in the thickly settled
States but instead of railing at society, or
joining trade unions, or becoming strikers,
they removed to the open West and settled
on government land. There is an unceas-
ing movement of this kind going on, and
this is the main reason why the demagogues
and charlatans who make snug living out Of
trade unions and labor movements are able
to make SO very slight an impression in this
country. They never get the brains of the
working class into their organizations.
Workingmen Of intelligence and courage
avoid them, because they know that for
them and their families there is q fur better
way out of the difficulty, far higher and
more promising career than one of chronic
dlscontent and occasional striking at the
secret orders Of a chief who is not work
ingman, but professional agitator living on
the contributions of his ignorant tools
This outlet for discomfort is so well
known and SO universally understood
among our working people that it has Sec
ondary effect upon public opinion. In
Europe striker who claims that he "must
live" has q colorable case in this country,
even in these hard times, it is very well un-
derstood by everybody but the most igno-
rant and degraded that if man is dissatis-
fled with his work or pay he can if he
likes, 60 West and settle on public
land. He may not be able to do
this at the first moment of his dis
content; but if he has courage, industry,
ba .h f,,I