New-York tribune., 1878-04-27

ticed by men formerly most lniluen'lai III 'he
different trades. Little by little, they nave
been driven out of influence by more reckless
and violent men; step by step the very char
acter of the organizations has changed, so that
tbe protective and benevolent element mas
been greatly sacrificed. and the dictatorlai
destructive and socialistic elements have
steadily gained strength, placing the trades
unions more directly i'll an attitude OF warfare
against civilized society. These changes more
over, have brought into positions OF cOhtroi
many persons whose close relations with the
International leaders are known. Allied with
them are some of the bOldest and most dan
gerous demagogues in the country.
Within the past year, we have seen an or
ganzed insurrectiOn arresting commerce and
destroying property in many States slmulta-
neOusly, and have also seen so-cailed Labor
or National party growing with remarkable
rapidity The Communist does the schCmlng.
The Trades UniOnist and political demagogue
more or less uncOnsclOusy, do the work which
the Communist plans. 1t is not safe to over
look the fact that the demagOgue and the
Unonist appeal to popular prejudices which
have gained great force within the past few
years. III lDc inlncS, III thc lloii, NO'''i "h'
woollcn mills, in the shoe shops and the tobacco
factories and on the railways, efforts have
been made, with very great success, to excite
and intensity antagOniSm between labor ana
capita; the misconduct of some banks and
insurance companies, and the great prosperity
of others. have alike been used to arouse hos
tility; the debts and taxes of municipalities
have been Swclled until the bOndholder seems
to the untlnking public enemy; and the legis-
lative warfare upon transporting companies has
prompted them to combinations which threaten
the profits of the producer and the free
dom of commerce. All these things conspire
with the general prostratiOn of business to- pre-
pare the minds of men for rash aud danger
Gus comsels. Upon this vast body of iniiam-
mabe material the Communist has worked,
thus far the more successfully because there
has been general incrcduity among the
Orderloving and property-owning classes.
A telegram from Chicago states that secret
labor organizations, numbering three or four
thousand men, have been armed, and for some
weeks have been drilling in that city. There
is little attempt, as Mr.. Maverick shows, to
disguise the purposes of these organizations in
this country. Sheltered by freedom, they are
here to destroy freedom. Here the banded en-
emies of society, no longer shadowed by the
police and awed by the armies of despotic
governments, plot with impunty, organize
freely, arm themselves and drill at pleasure, use
the ballot to create in the chief cities such
officials and such police as may suit them,
employ the trades unions to sweep into their
schemes many of the better sort Of workmcn,
and thus prepare for open warfare against
social order and civilized society. 1t is high
time to give tins matter serious attention.
Men who love order, or have property to lose,
cannot afford to treat with Indifference the
steady advances of Communism in this cOun-
fry