The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-06-05

| The ysmmunissfc Elenssnt.
Ifi II ia the intention of the leader
. of the various communistic societle
!. that are now forming over the ceun
try to repeat with a greater prospec
, of success the riotous attempts o
, last summer, they are making a seri
!. ous b,uuder in their method Of prep
! aration aud in the publicity the,
are giving to it. A great many PEG
|, ple who ought to have known better
sympathized with the rioters OF las
, year under
THE BELIEF THAT THEY WERE POOL
MEN
r almost starving for want OF Sufficient
wages. and that they were driven e
deeds of desperate N by sheer desti
tuition. 1t was the support given tC
il by those who took this view OF the
subject that made the riots q source
of alarm to thinking citizens. They
saw that it was possible by appeals
to sympathy to make many consider
even murder to be justiisble. 1t was
impossible for one or two thousand
rufians to overawe a great city for
more than q day or two. 1t In that
time a tumult could not be suppress
ed by the regular authorities, there
are more than enough who would
volunteer TO put it down bot
A DISTORTED PUBLIC OPINION
was 80 easily corrected. Even though
the railroad employees asserted over
and over again that the active rioters
were ia no way connected with them;
though it was shown that q large
proportion Of those who were killed
and taken prisoners were of the pro-
fessional criminal class. still the i'm
preston that it was the cause Of the
poor workingman gave 10 b e.murder-
Gus movement a fascination which
thousands Of honest. peace loving
persons could not resist. But if the
communistic leaders ia Chicago, St.
Louis. Cincinnati and elsewhere
make an armed assault 10 the man.
ner they would seem by their prepa-
~rations to propose, they will have
none of Ibis indirect assistance to de-
pend upon. The poor but honest la
borer is not at all likely 10 suppose
that a member of communistic club,
armed with a costly breech loading
rife, and in other ways expenslyely
equipped for the fray, is one of his
fellow sufferers. He will naturally
wonder why, if this disturber of the
peace was so earnestly DESTROYS of
getting bread, be did not sell bis
arms and ammunition and purchase
it. These rioters would be no len
ger to him workingmen whom Gis-
tress had made unaecountable for
their actions; bat be would see in the
drilled and armed troops Of commu-
nisis bands of men who were desir-
GUS, through blood, pillage and con-
fusion, Of o%verturning the existing
order of society and substituting for
it, what? Does any n know what
the aim Of these German and French
socialistic leaders isl The French
Revolution of 1889 had its origin in
the despotic character of the King
and the aris.ocracy, but what spec
ial grievance have we here that these
armed reformers have come across
the Atlantic to correct? Business is
depressed, and men find it difficult to
make enough to support their fami'
lies in the degree of comfort or ease
to which they have been accustomed.
But this is q misfortune which runs
from the lowest to the highest social
scale, and from which few, if any,
are exempt. Even in the State OF
Massachusetts alone thousands OF
men, who, ten years ago, accounted
themselves well to do, are now virtu.
ally penuiless. Their social position
did not help them; for here we are
all workers, and thrive or suffer in
accordance with the condition of bus
mess. Is there any way in which
this unfortunate state Of affairs can
be improved by c%ommunistic agita-
tions ? Suppose, for a moment, that
these men were TO succeed in a re-
volt at Chicago; what would they
do They might, it is true, seize the
grain and provisions that happened
to be there. rob or burn the houses
of the wealtbier classes and possess
themselves of the control of the mu-
nicipal government. But, after The
poor workingmau had been given a
chance be would not be likely to
avail himself of stealing some clothes
and a few days supply Of provisions,
WHAT WOULD HI DO?
If be suffered for work before. be
would certainly suffer for il after
such "a riotous success. Chicago
would be cut off from all trade com
m~unication with the rest of the
world as completely as if it were To-
Gated near the North Pole. Labor
ing men are supplied with work in
C.icago just as they are in Boston,
becasse il is a part Of q great com
mercial system, but if the laws rels-
ing to the safety Of life and proper
~ were relaxed it would cease to
have any hold UPON this great cur
rent of trade. and the laboring men
would have either to stsrve at home
or go to other cities begging for
work.
No lasting benefit to an individual
or a class al come in ,h;s ace
through violence. The fabric Of ms.
mess and society is founded on the
basis of a lawful and peaceful gov
eminent. Once undermine this, and
every one who could not go to some
foreign country to live would be a
sufferer.-BOstoa Herald.
Baroineters.
Sacramento. Cal according 10 q