The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-09-25

Total NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 500, 1923
Of this number one million will fully
represent the number Of capitalists, rail
road magnates and the business wealth of
the land. In round numbers, say one
twelfth of this country's population repre-.
sents its capital and wealth. The other
eleven twellths represent the laboriug and
producing class.
Just now we hear of much ado 10 GER
tain localities about the formation and or
ganization of the so.caled Workingmen's
Party. In the light of the above figures
taken from the official census of 1870, and
which are sufficiently exact for the pur
poses Of the present discussion, what pro.
portion of the l2,505, 923 persons would
the term "workingmen" as generally in
terpretcd in a party sense constitute?
Certainly not to exceed one fourth of the
total producing, manufacturing and labor
ing portion of the inhabitants. The one
million of capitalists are, as a matter of
course, excluded from belonging to the
workingmen's party; the other three
fourths of the producing and laboring
portion are also excluded by the terms Of
the party definition. 1t becomes tolerably
clear, then, from the very nature and
premises Of the party itself, that few
uuprincipled demagogues, a parcel of
rattle-brained Missionaries, sprinkling OF
disappointed Office seekers, and lot OF
honest but deceived workingmen, are the
element which compose the Working
mems Party" The late labor troubles
and the general depression Of business
haye made it easy work for the dema
gogues 70 start up a new political venture
with the hope that in some way it may
result in bringing them into Office and
political notoriety 1t is an attempt to
bring on a conflict of labor against capital,
against farming interests, against mer.
chants aud professional men, in short,
against every interest and class except the
receiver Of wages for daily or monthly la
Dor. In the sight of intelligent and think
ing men the painful part of the whole
matter is that the poor dupes who are led
on by designing demagOgues into this IN
natural and improbable contest, are made
to believe that in some unexplained way
they are going to be bettered, improved
and become richer in pocket by putting
few unprincipled demagoRues into Office
They are told they are going to obtain thu
rights of labor through the ballot box
that they can ignore all the capitalists
three fourths OF the commercial and agri
cultural class, and in some mysteriou
manner reverse the usual order of affair
for their special benefit. The men VIII
are leading this movement have but on
argument, dntdgoniSDl 10 capital, and yet
il by any possibility they could succeed i
their design, they would find that the
had simply initiated the dunderhead VIII
killed the goose that laid the golden egg
Unquestionably there are reforms in legis
latve and governmental affairs that work
ingmeu may well unite TO obtain but Their
are no reforms thatl demand AMI e1clusiu
union of workingmen, no reforms tina
workingmen only seek and to which a
others are opposed. The very suggestio
OF such exclusiveness betrays the Glove
foot of those who make it. Permaner
and active antagonsm between labor an
capital, if such thing we're possible
would paralyze the whole nation, stop q
the wheels of trade and manufacture em
barrass all agricultural pursuits, and brin
swift and inevitable ruin to labor itsel
There is nothing that the honest laborin
man can ask for from the law-makiD
power that the honest rich man does NJ
equally need Instead of joining til
workDgmen's party with its crude, indef
mite and vague demand of reform-a part!
which, in this locality, while pretending
cut loose from the old political parties, b.
trays its true inwardness by selecting i
nominees exclusively from the republic;
party-let the laboriDg man vote for al
act with the men who neither countenau
special class legislation in behalf of eth
capital orilabor, nor desire to bring eth
into violent and destructive antagonism
the other. All one-idea parties a
short-hved, they possess no elements
permanent success, they lack breadth
intelligence.
Still the savings banks fall and do
with them go the good names of the O.