The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-07-16

factory or workshop; the compulsory
limitation OF the hours of labor tO
eight hours day or less. according 20
the requirements OF unemployed work
men; the regulation Of the prices Of
labor by arbitration between the EN-
plOyer ahd the employed until the CO.
operative system is introduced; COM
pulsory education aud the opening Of
all colleges aud universities free to all
classes; TIE abolition Of savings banks;
the abolition Of direct taxation aud the
institution Of scaled income tax; and
the taxation of all church property.
This society has established branches
known es "sections" in nearly every
city in the universe, and some of the
sections have weekly drills in the man
ual of arms and military evolutions.
Another organization Of kindred
character is known as the knights of
Labor" secret oath.bound order,
more largely made up of native Ameri-
cans. A great deal of mystery sur
rounds this order. its members being
oath-bound. The following is the oath; /;
/ do solemnly swear, the Lord God
helping me, TO do and abide 10y the
laws and constitution Of this assembly,
and that will never, by word, act or
reveal anything done with
in the assembly or by any member Of
order;
That l will never disclose the name
of any one who is member OF this
noble and holy order;
That / will never reveal anything
heard, seen, or done by any member Of
this order, either in or out of the as
sembly;
That / will sustain and defend the
order in oil its dignity;
That i will contribute all / can, in
case Of peril, 10 sustain any branch OF
this order in demanding our rights
from the oppressor;
That will assist any member, en-
ployer or employed, should he be in
need, to the best Of my ability; and
1 do solemnly swear never TO reveal
or even give TO a member of this order,
without permission of the Msster
workman, any sign, password, or grip
disclosed to me.
Should l in any way violate the SOL
emn obligation / have just taken, L
will accept the consequences due me
for wilful perjury. with whatever judg-
ment this assembly shall pass upon me.
So help me God.
The "oppressor" alluded TO in the
oath is understood TO be the employer
of labor. This organization controls
thousands Of men of all trades all over
the Union, and is capable of doing much
harm. Its total strength is estimated at
100000. The oath above printed is ad-
ministered to every member, upon BIZ
bic, and il is given out that the penalty
for its violat IN il nothing less than
death.
Commenting upon the Land Limita-
tion scheme Of the Ionia greenbackers,
and of the destructive and anti-American
doctrines Of the communists generally,
the Detroit Post and Tribune says:
"IIow DO farmers like the doctrine
that the tito 20 all real property real c5-
tate-the title 20 their farms. should be
vested not IL themselves, but in the
Governmont and that the Government
should distribute al the real estate Of
the country so as 30 give every man Of
the cities and villages a slice of their
farms?'
The theory that all property belongs
to the Government. and that may be ap-
propriated for the common goOd-how
do farmers like that theory? There is
no such theory in our Government now.
On the contrary, the true American
theory is that no property at all belongs
TO the Government-that all property
belongs 10 the people, individually, ex-
cept wild and msuryeyed and unsold
lands, which belong TO the people colec-
lively, and that the government can take
private property for public use only un-
der the doctrine Of public NECESSITY
not the doctrine OF public OWNERSHIP.
The true American doctrine is NDIvID-
UAL liberty and INDIVIDUAL property,
regulated 10y law so far, and no farther,
as regulation is NECESSARY. And the
highest object Of even regulation by law
ia in order 10 thereby better preserve
and protect individual rights. But the
Courier says that the Socialists demand
a general enforcement of the theory that
"all property belongs To the Govern
ment and II Is TO be distributed for the
common good" by peaceful methods.
Exactly, their peaceful method is to get
power, and then do the thing 10y enact
ing laws 10 compel the farmers TO devide
their lands with the landless people OF
the cities and villages. How this is to
be done the Courier proceeds TO hiHt.
"Here you have THE PLAN oF THE SA.
TIoSAL GRERNBACK PARTY, as laid down
by Moses w. Fields own organ. The
PLAN Is TO TAX TO DEATH EVERY FARMER
WHO owns MORE THAN PEW ACRES. a
graduated system of taxation designed
to effect distribution Of property, AL
the benefits that would accrue TO the So.
cialist plan, etc.; that ia the, owners
of say twenty acres viii pay no tax, the
owner Of forty acres q moderate tax, the
owner Of eighty acres a heavier tax, the
owner Of quarter-section a ruinous tax.
Good sized farms aud all the forehand.
ed farmers are 10 be taxed, as were the
liquor dealers, with a view Of breaking
them down and compelling them to sell
out, 80 as 10 divide their lands among
the inlprovident crowds Of the cities and
villages. The farmers have here a plain
acknowledgment Of the Socialistic de.
signs of the National Greenback party
as avowed by the leading organ Of that
party in this part OF the State, and the
personal organ of the great mogul Of the
party.
Let farmers read the above from the
Ionia address, and see for themselves
that il refers 10 farmers and docs not say
a word about spectators. Besides the
Courier's own argument in favor Of SO.
cialism, and "A graduated tax, mean,
farmers How, in the name Of sense,
can anybody frame a graduated tax
warranted 10 hit the owner Of n quarter
or half section Of land II he is a specula
tor, but miss him II he is n farmer
Suppose the tax is graduated 80 as 10 b,
light on cultivated land, heavy on wilC
land. Then tho heavy tax will hit al
farmers who have more or less wild lane
and ruin the pioneer settlers, whose Ian,
is almost all wild land. But argumen
ia thrown away on such Wild theories
We warn the farmers Of Michigan I,
look at the facts, and see their DANCE
while there is yet time 10 defeat it
The most serious 4th Of July acci
dent yet reported occurred az a Ger