The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-06-14
THE WEEKLY fNTEELIGENCER.
Official Press of King County.
Friday, June Ia, 1878.
COMMUNISM AND ITS CURE

oil communism, the cause OF its grown,
and the measures necessary for q peace
ful escape from itiand the direful resort
the laboring classes are being forced to
by our bad legislation and corrupt adj
ministration, which hastens to punish
the poor man for the slightest infrac-
ton of the law, and suffers the swim
ding banker and capitalist to steal
with immunity, aud the railroad thief
to roll through the land in his palace
car and set oil law at defiance, was thus
pertinently alluded to by the Hon. Mr..
Harrison. of Illinois, in speech in the
House of Representatives on the Army
Appropriation Bill, few days since
Sir. we want no standing army in
free America to protect society agsins,
lawlessness. The people must protect
themselves and will protect themselves
The gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Butler) told US this evening tina,
for long years only one law had been
passed for the benefit of the poor man.
and that it the homestead law was a
delusion. Sir, that gentleman struck
the keynote. What We want is proper
legislation. We want laws for the ben
fit of the people, and not to enable the
rich to grow richer at the expense OF
the poor.
Taxes come out of the people, taxes
are levied upon men. Federal taxes
are paid bv what men eat and drink
and wear. and not Il dollar of it falls
upon wealth Change your Legislation
and you may almost disbsnd your
army. The people are hungry ; they
are starving; they are discontinued ;
they clamor for work. Give it to them;
set them to work and make them happy
and contented. This Congress can do
it, Start some great public works.
Sir. should not the Government do
this thing? And, if done, is not this
the time tor it? A million OF strong
men are now idle throughout the land,
idle not from choice but from dire ne
cessity. ldleness has been termed
"hell's workshop" Governments are
for the good of the people; their legis-
lation should have but one end, and
that To better the condition of the peo-
pie. 1t may not be their duty to fur
nish work 10 tho idle, but IL is their
duty to enable them to live and to
enable tho rich to employ the poor.
But to- day the rich do not employ the
poor. Capital is idle, because capital.
lists are timid and lack confidence in
the outcome of investments.
Sir, said idleness is hell's work
shop. Out of that pestilential labora-
tory stalk crime and anarchy. Crime
and anarchy are destructive of society
and ultimately become the destroyer of
government itself The arrest and
punishment of n criminal costs large
sums of money.
How much more beneticent the pre-
vention of crime, and what 30 humane
~ the renewal of its causeg Several
hundred millions of dollars are wrung
from the people every year throughout
the States to be spent in the protec-
ton of the innocent against the depre.
dation OF the criminal, and for the pun
ishment of tho criminal. Men are to-
day reading with alarm of threatened
outbreaks of the commune.
A bill was lately introduced into this
House to enable the President to enroll
seventy.tive thousand soldiers to pro-
tect US against these outbreak this
coming summer and fall. Sir, why
this alarm Because men are hungry
and disconnected. We are asked To
vote millions to enroll Americans into
an army. and to arm them to shoot
down Americans, hungry, starving
Americans.
Great God Sir, has this great Re-
public. the hope of the down trodden
in other lands, come to this Shall
she be- compelled To defend herself
against herself with arms? Has it in
u short hundred years been proven that
this free Government is failure for
surely no one will say it is not failure
ii il is forced to exist not by the will
Of the people. but by force Of arms.
For many years Congress has been
legislating Tor the rich. Our taxes
come not from tie rich, but from all
alike. lt ia what q man eats, drinks,
aud wears which pay Federal taxes. A
poor man eats and drinks as much as
the rich, and pays the burden. Federal
burdens fall upon men, not upon
wealth. Colossal fortunes are growing
up of almost fabulous proportions
throughout the country-fortunes either
in the hands of individuals or corpora.
tons. None of them. or but few oil
them at least. are producers. Their
wealth is only an aggregation into the
pockets of the few from the hands OF
the many. Equality of wealth brings
happiness to people. For years you
have been legislating SO that rich men
have heen growing richer and poor
men poorer. The latter are now poor
10 restitution.
In their name beg you to give them
bread. They ask it not in aims. They
are not bcggars. unless 10 ask to work
is To beg. They ask you To give them
leave to cara their daily bread by the
sweat of their faces They are not
idle because they are unwilling ia
work, but because they are unable to
find work.
Gentlemen ask why the people do
not 60 from the cities TO the farms
Ay. 60 to the farms to tramp by day
and sleep by the roadside by night
weary days tramping and begging. and
wives and children at home starving
or living on charity. SIR. men are
creatures of habit. IL is hard TO break
up habits. Those who are denizens ia
cities snd workers in shops know not