The New York herald., 1877-07-29
ERRORS OF THE PRESS CORRECTED.

ERRORS OF THE PRESS CORRECTED.
THE coMMUNE--IN WORKING
MEMS ASSOCIATION N-woRKINeMEN's PoLITi-
CAL PARTY, OR. ''socIAL DEMocRATs" "--TH1
roslpKINs SQUARE pLATFoRM--EEFIcIENCy
OF THE POLICE
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD;-
|. During the tendency OF the miscalled "strike" OF
employees Of several railroad companies (miscaled
because tho only real strikers in the ca iavc been
the railroad companies Themselves they having re-
duccd the wages Of the operatives below the minimum
Of the means OF subsstence) nearly every newspaper
in the city has fallen into the habit Of attrbuting to
the variousy dcnominated classes of persons above
mentioned every excess or crime committed Dy
rioters, without, 1t appears, citing any facu
TO sustain their assertions or nsnuations.
Had only one guilty rioler been found
who had even confessed himself TO be OF
the classes referred to- whom any papers had
been found showing that he belonged TO Them, the
press might be excused but there is this pail
ation for the Wholesale slander OF perfectly innocent
men. The action Of tho press would therefore, seem
10 be incxplicable, except upon the supposon that
the editors and reporters believe the asshoods circu
lated about these parties during the reign Of the Paris
Commune in the late FrancoGerman war; John Rus
the HERALD; George Wilkes. OF the Spirit Of he Times
and United States Minister Washburne night have
reced these authors they had been consulted
duo them These gentlemen wore in Paris at the tme
and have put record only their utter disbelief
the charges preferred against the Communists, but
also their conviction that more honest, inc0rrupt-
bic, humane mon ever administered Partisan govern.
meut.
The work accomplished by the Commune while in
power American republican any
right to cond ,mn. II should be recoected that It
tho regular legitimate, authorized government Paris
ut the time such IN the performance Of its duty It
proposed discharge the incurred In tho
by selling the palaces aud approprlatng lands
Oh the Grown (Which, must be confessed, was much
better mode OF dschagnR national Indebtedness tnan
II would have been saddle future gene with
the payment Of compound interest upon thousands OF
millions OF doars As such, sill the performance
OF its duty decreed the separation State Church.
abolished the conscripton. dsbanded the standing
army and provided ior general armament OF the
whole people; PROVIDED work all able work and
sustenance for those who were incapable (Which thing
il our government would only do II would foreverrcn
der strikes impossi6e), made instruction Tree, com.
pulsOry and secular, and abolished the death penalty
Tor criminal offences in time oi peace. In lis origin Il
simply antasonzed GENERALIZATION, and only asked Ia
govern ITSELF which 1t did well until nterered with
by the Versailles usurpation. Then, but not till then,
ignorant and depraved men, inccd thereto by that
usurpation and the enemy then knocking tho gaea
OF the CITY, did rob and burn and XII without STINT
mercy: but the Commune proper was no more respon-
shc ioI the acts of these men than was for the de-
tructon OF the best Of the city by the guns ani
shells and bombs OF tho Versailles army.
"But they destroyed the Column Vendome" says
an objector Yes; but it was public not private prop
erty, and standing it only reminded Frenchmen Of
centuries Of despotc msrule degrading servitude and
wretched suffering The "Lberty Boys' OF l776
destroyed the statue OF the Brush monarch Bowling
Green but no historian that has come under my
notice ncluded these 'Doys" and their adheronls
and descendants in one general sweeping charge Oi
robbery, inccndiarism aud MURDER Even in this day
and generation there patriots in thls country
who favor the destruction OF all trophies OF laN
rarcia STRIFE but no one accuses h ese persons on
either side OF murder In fact, such
clasm is fast getting to DO quito 1ashonable aud s
deemed public virtue.
rbovo ufaIf Tho sh0no of Par naavo nolb
objecor. Certainly, and very properly IN the judg-
OF this writer for they TRUTHFUL and
earnest mcn, possessing the courage of their convic
ons moaning to do precisely what they said they
would do. They were at war with the Versailles
usurpation, and the Bishop oil Paris was held o
hostage ior the lives oil the prisoners Of
war the vcrsasts took, and in very spite, and
with faulty which would be SIMPLY astounding II It
not awful, the Versailists, notwithstanding,
slaughtered regiment after regiment OF these uI armed
or disarmed prisoners) without even the ormaty OF
a trial by drumhead court martial. Not tho Com
mune, therefore, but the Versailles government must
the responsibility OF all these murders and Of the
As to tho international workingmen's Association
its record both at home and abroad opposed to those
ultimate In the destruction Of private properly by tire
any other way, or IN the taking oil human lie. In
the winter Of 1S72 and lS73a communication appeared
In tho HERALD, headed In flaming capitals, "The Fro
Worshippors-Labor's New Metnod Of Rightirg Its
Wrongs" signed Chemist" IN whioh the author
prctcnds to reveal the existence OF vast secret
citation whose purposes anu objects alleged TO bo
the emancipation Of labor through the destruction by
Whcreupon, at the next succeeding meeting OF the
"Fcderal Council OF tho International Worklngmen'i
Association IT passed UNANIMOUSLY series OF roso
lutons presented by the writer hereof doubling the
existence OF said secret inccndiary association, dsa
vowing and repudiatipg any agreement or sympathy
with any such persons and vindicating Communists
from all connection Herewith, asserting in thoir be-
half that they condemned tho wanton destruction Of
private property and promptly inflicted due punish
ment upon all incendarics and thieves, whether Of
fcial or otherwise. On another occasion also, when
tho silk weavers "strike'' at Paterson, N.
j.. condemned
guage OF some Of Its members the record whereof may
be read IN the columns OF the New YORK World.
With respect 10 the worKingmcns political party, or
the 'social democrats concerning which the HERALD
says the speech made by Mr.. Thompson at Tompkins
square constitutes IT'S PLATFORM 1t be sad OF this
party and its platform at they are the same persons
just spoken OF, with large additions. Americanized.
seeking by political means to their OBJECTS
instead seeking thor attainment BY strikes, &c.,
ana the platform referred TO was IN the winter OF
1869, as chairman oil the committee appointed for
the purpose by party then calling itseli the now
democracy" prepared by the writer Of these lines,
who, with his colleagues OF the committee their
fellow members OF the party, then very small, were,
with few exceptions, all Americans having very little
sympathy with trade unions and nd acquaintance az
all with Communists We are very glad, however.
now TO nnd that even trade unions and Communists
appreciate the American system OF Fighting labor's
wrongs by political as well cal
and gladly welcome the numbers.
Finally, the boass Of the city press OF The remarka-
bic efficiency OF thc police at the meeting at Tomp-
kns square arc exceedingly proposterous They
were needed only 10 suppress themselves. In fact,
they the only disurbers of tho public peace that
came upon ne ground, ovneed by tho wonderful
aiacrity with which they dispersed worklngmen
who retiring after the close of the meeting in
twos and thrccs. Unless Commissioner Smltn has
been grossly msreprcsentcd no must be vcy disap-
pointed man but II no still desires to slake his thirst
for human blood ho may find good opportunity to do
so by executing the law upon those soldiers who may
be seen any day marching on the sidewalk through
East Thirty fourth street to The ferry driving czcns
before them and to the side INTO the street. The
military, you know, should be subordinate to the civil
| power. WILLIAM WEST,
/ No 20l East Thirty fourth street.