, 1877-09-08
Address by stephen Pearl An
GreWs.
TO HIS FELLOW CITIZENS on THE sITUA-
TION.


capital which is now pending and immi
ncnt, is no accidental or unforeseen
event. 1t is part of Il necessary eyotu-
tion of society to u higher, better stage
OF adjustment between those great in
tercsts involved. The transition has to
take place between the lower and the
higher iorm of civilization. Such tran
sitlon is like the birth Of Il new being.
1t cannot occur without the rending OF
old conditions, with some Struggle and
pain but it makes all the difference in
the world whether the nature OF the case
is understood, provided for, patiently
waited upon, and lovingly served; or
whether, on the contrary it is met by
ignorant alarm, violent resistance, and
frantic effort to extirpate the cause OF
the disturbance. An ignorant surgeon
who should mistake perfectly natural
case of pregnancy and inciplent parturi-
tion Tor u malignant tumor, and who
should resort to the knife, would kill
both mother and child. The ordinary
politician, military commander, or bust
ness man is that Ignorant surgeon. The
case is beyond their skill, and must have
different kind OF treatment.
The simple fact is, that our form of
civilization, based on all unequal struggle
of competition between the strong and
powerful few and the weak and helpless
many (Ior so it has been) is, in the eX-
presiye language OF the commoh people,
played out" Something else and
something better has to come; or some
thing from the desperate struggle to get
the better, The simple fact is, that the
laboring man--and he is the immense
majority-gets no justice on the present
plan Of conducting business; and that
he has discovered that fact and means to
right things ut all hazards He has the
power in his hands the moment he is
thoroughly aroused in this country OF
all the countries in the world; with our
political creed which con cedes it to him,
with his numerical majority, and with
his widespread intelligence and daring
enterprise. The ballot is his, but ne
can't wait to use it, and he might be
cheated in the use OF it, AS he has been.
The soldier is recruited from HIM is
him and will tlaternize with him and
then, instantly the bottom Of our old
civilization Is fallen out. This, then,
is the shorter cut. From the instant
this happens-it has already happened
in the small way, and it will happen in
the large way-the poverty Of the cur
rent talk about enforcing the law, first
and foremost" becomes evident, 1t is
then mere babble. The case has gone
into the higher court, where the question
is OF v" establishing justice" first and fore.
most, and OF enforcing the laws after.
wards and upon that basis only.
All this means, it is true, revolution
not political revolution merely or mainly,
but social and industrial revolution
revolution in the worlds way Of doing
business; ot exchanging values and OF
compensating labor. There are few
dozens OF men, and some women, in the
United States, and II handful over the
whole world, who have made the science
of society study for many years past,
and who have tried to tell their busy
contemporaries that just this time and
these events were coming; but general.
ly their contemporaries were too busy to
heed them. l have been one of those
students and John the Baptists, which
fact is Il reason why feel now authorized
to speak. Everything depends, from
now on, upon the readiness OF the
wealthy classes to sense the situation in
season to maks terms with the new or.
der Of things; to sense the fact, first, in
deed, that there is new order Of things
here now, or inevitably about to come
The trouble with the strikers is that
there are too many OF them; that they
are, in effect, the whole laboring popuIa.
tion, the immense majority OF the people,
so that the theory OF shooting them
down is futile. A ready acceptance OF
the situation on the part OF the rich and
great will tide us in safety over the
crisis. Nothing else is sale TOR the coun.
Ar.. ~ Il ...,,.ninIl,, E,r Ahn rnI, nnl lrr...I