The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1877-06-16
FROM SYRACUSE.


OihACOob, june L, AOtOs
To the Editor Of the woRKISeNAS's ADVOCATE.
1t seems almost an age since my Last
appearance before you with my imperfect
scribblings, and were it not for laying my
self open to the reasonable charge Of apathy
and Indifference to the deplorable condi
ton Of my poor fellow toilers, | would
prefer to crawl silently into some dark hole,
and pull the hole in after me. ! always
long for the appearance Of the ADVOCATE
and yet | dread the sad task Of devouring
its contents for the reason that something
far more positive than intuition whispers
that its pages must necessarily be freighted
with sickening details of the mohstrous
wrongs done to the sons Of toll, if A. G.
Cameron is governed by Gods truth
which is the only crime, | believe, that rs
sordid, thieving, INSCRIPTIONS monied
aristocratic enemies can accuse him Of.
So much by way of opening introduc-
tion, and now will open up my subject
which was painfully forced upon my mind
upon reading two articles in the last issue
Of the ADVOCATE, one headed Working
men," the other article without being
especially christened, is signed, "Wm.
Dreythaler. The first denounces the fool
ishness Of fostering suspicion and jealousy
because fellow presumes to lay claim to
the title Of 'workingman," who Is engaged
in different calling. The other, in dis
courslng upon the atrocious outrages per
petrated upon the industrial masses, gives
vent to his Just and righteous indignation
nation If IRE cannot secure our rights by
the ballot ,re lciH secure them BY the strength
Of oar ou,. right arms Who will do this,
my friend The class that No. denom-
mates trorkingmen ? True, none may
doubt for moment their ability to execute
your threat, and the picture of an elephant
bending beneath the lash Of puny child,
is proper and pertinent illustration. But
travel with me for a little while in the
realms Of imagination, and see if our OBJ
servation will strengthen your hope in the
success to be achieved by the power you
invoke The first scene unfolded upon the
fsncied panorama, has been so often de-
picted in the ADVOCATE that it requires
no introduction. A body Of hard working,
poverty miners, finding the mea-
gre pittance doled out to them Inadequate
to keep body and soul together, have con
cluded to suspend work until they are paid
enough to keep them from starving. Their
places are promptly filed by things put up
III the shape of human beings, so com
pletely impervious to any sense Of man
hood or common honesty that they would
bring blush upon the face Of the meanest
brute that ever the handy work Of our Gre
ator turned out. Exasperated beyond en-
durance by their devilish meanness, the
miners resort to force to drive them away,
when they are suddenly confronted by a
horde of citizen soldierv who force them
OdCh w cb0ANO Ia bnCAA AONCASy Will
wives and little ones, as punishment for
their temerity in demurlng at the meatless
bone thrown them by their monied lords
Who are these Sold,ers2 (Our) Woyk
ingmeH. Are they obliged to enlist in the
service of State with the knowledge that
at the beck Of the monied oligarchy it will
unhestatingly send them to murder with
the bullet or by starvation, some, and
fasten the shackles Of degradation hope-
lessly upon others Of their fellow working
men NO! Then why do you do it
Simply because the tyrants you anathama-
tie, stroke you upon the back as men
would kitten, while they chuckle at the
volunteered servility Of their tools, and
yet these are presumed to invest the title
of buckingham with dignity that No.
is 50 anxious to share.
Let us leave these regions, and jump at
a bound to the extensive starch factories
at Oswego, N. Y. Here about six hundred
employees are told that they must sever
their connection with the Sovereigns of
Industry, and do their trading exclusively
at the store of the company, or leave their
employment. They meekly submit to the
degrading terms, because they are posi-
lively assured that an innumerable host
of these hell born leeches ase ready to
take THEN places. But enough for one
letter. In my next will follow up this
subject, and give some more examples of
what may be expected from workingmen
in the emergency mentioned by friend
Dreytheler.
Yours Truly,