The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-08-02
The Anti-AGonopolist

promises to pay expands the price or
exchangable OF purchasing power
thereof, and renders it more valuable
to keep than to expend. So long as
the contraction of volume and expan-
sion of purchasing power continues
so long as what is called money is the |
most profitable thing to hold as an
investment. it will be boarded and
the wheels of commerce and industry
will be clogged or stopped as those Of
mechanical machinery are clogged and
stayed when the supply of lubricating
oil is deficient.
The present strike of the railroad
employees probably has it's
cause in the circumstances above
referred to. If the strike had occur
red in a higher stratum Of the social
pyramid the cause for the strike of
the railroad employees might have been
removed before the effects produced
by that cause reached class who,
whether from their superior INTEL l.
gence, their superior courage, OF habit
to resist oppression rather than submit
to it. The pressure of hard times was
felt all through society, and it is
resisted first by those who are
accustomed to use muscular more
commonly and more promptly than
brain power for purpose OF defense.
Hard times could have been prevented
by power of brain and will. But they
who were intrusted with the manage
ment of the national finances have
proved their incompetence. They
| Il o1,,fI ut
various kinds of oil for lubricatlng
the wheels and ways of the social
machine until the supply we had has
been wasted and the machinery has
nearly all stopped and much of it has
been so long standing idle that it has
rusted out. Labor. the most valuable
means for securing human well-being;
labor which if continually unused,
continually runs to waste in idle
unproductiveness; labor which makes
a market while it supplies market
labor ost-irrecoverably lost, is the
greatest of all the losses that have
been experienced during all the
dark days since 1865.
But the dark days are nearly over.
Salvation comes through suffering.
Within the next ninety days the cause
of the .'hard times which has rem
ldered the railroads unable to pay their
employees. as we'll as unable to pay
their bond-holders and stockholders
will be apparent even to the average
member Of Congress. and Congress
will, in October. apply the remedy.
Legislation will then be had for the
benefit of the people of this country.
and the money Kings of Europe will
cease. for time at least, to write our
laws in Sheffield, Manchester, and
Lombard street, and lobby them
through our law-making bodies in the
usual way. The bottom has been
reached: it is not specie basis. but a
basis of human sutfering-of manhood
which will no longer try to shunt of
it's burdens on to others shoulders
manhood, which is at bay in the last
ditch and blindly strikes at what is I'M
mediately pressing upon it; the end is
reached. but it is blood. not gold
that flows. There may be weeks OF
war. all traffic and communication
NAV be stopped. Timidity and med
iocrity will endeavor to overcome
physical force, with physical force
alone more blood may be shed. which
God forbid. but the end will be &
treaty and peace. The railroad stock.
holders will join the railroad employees
after finding that they have common
grievances and common enemies.
History is but repeating itself. Rea-
son will prevail, not force alone.
The flower of the British army, the
veterans of Waterloo and the Pen
insular. were not enough to suppress:
the riots which England met on thu
contracting road to Resumption
In 1916 to 1923 it became necessary
for the British government to cal
out So 900 volunteers troops to aid thu
| regulars in keeping in tolerable sub
{ lection the ubiquitous mob. Intelli
gent men are not ignorant of these
facts and others that are now being
repeated. which are graphically DIES
, cribed by Allison, Doubleday, Mis-:
: Martineau. and others. The British
} Government fought it's way back t
! specie payments-our government i:
trying to do the same thing, and thu
people are resisting. LET us have
{ peace;" not peace alone, but peace to
2 getner with plenty. ana prosperity
c Salvation comes though mot by sui
fering. How much more must thi
\ great people suffer before they shall
D become fit to be saved from the powe
t of their common enemiesl Not unit
\ we shall ali realize that all our inter
t ests are IDENTICAL: that justice mus
$ prevail and order must prevail. /
: the leaders of this strike show them
e selves to be as cool and just as the
: are determined, they will have tn
sympathy Of all other classes. for a.
e classes are suffering from the har
S times--against which all are ready t
0 rebel. The prime cause of all tn
t disturbance and commotion is til
i Encouragement of the national tinar
ces. producing hard times. The cur
e is the changing that policy and maxim
Y times good. Public opinion will e1
5 feet this by the use Of ballots: no