Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-05-24
The Awkward Squad.

lily done. They have simply to d.
something outrageous or so ridicu
lously out Of the common rule o
life that all the world will wonde
why they did it. This is sur,
way of attracting attention. A no
body thereby becomes som ebody
and he achieves an indivldualit y
of fame which otherwise he woult
never attain.
have seen in my life time many
nobody springing like mush
rooms to the surface of public
movements and push themselve.
forward into leading position
and, judging from their dictatoria
sway ofaction, one would naturally
believe that they supposed they
were modelled to rule and that ev.
erybody else was created to render
them passive obedience. If they
by any means, should discover men
OF superior brains In their ranks
they invariably turn green eye
upon them and deal with them as
enemies, hence they are always in
trouble. I have known some OF
these clouds without water to i'm.
pede the progress of good and use.
full movements and, by their thirst
for power and their encroachments
upon the rights of others, very
often drive away with just indig-
nation and contempt sOme of the
best members of the clubs they
preside over. But their iron rule
never lasts long. They ride on the
wings of excitement which, in the
long run, ends in their own moral
downfall and the wandering stars
are off in search of other fields OF
action to foment their own shame.
Now, sir, in consideration of past
experience, should not the work
ingmen be very careful in organic
ing their clubs and keep from
power all such as the above adven-
turers and place In office men of
sound mind, honest intentions and
Of unquestionable integrity, regard
less of what they may possess of
this worlds goods? The working.
men as rule think too much of
the representatives Of capital aud
too little of themselves. The in
terest OF the capitalist is to keep
the workingman down where he is
and the interest of the working.
man is to elevate himself both so.
clalIy and politically, therefore
their interest cannot possibly be
identical; hence they can never
work in harmony for the achieve
ment of the same result.
1.-THE workingman will be free, him.
self must strike the blow. Before
workingmen can consistently rem.
edy the social and political disease
of our nation, they must first put
their own house in order. We have
now in our midst q firebrand bear
ing the plausible name of Home
League, protesting to have for its
object the patronizing of home in
dustry, but the real object of this
officious faction is to draw the at
tention of the workingmen from
their own movement and lead
them into the trap which they
have laid for them. Now, what I
want to draw your attention to is
this: The Workingmen have two of
their Club Presidents and an eX-
President figuring amongst these
motley shams to the injury of their
own cause, and am Informed that
they have been making use of the
latter in various parts of the coun-
ty as the organizer and champion
of the Workingmen's movement ia
this city, to promote the interests
of the Home League. Surely If we,
the Workingmen, have no pruning
hooks in our Clubs, it is high time
we had them to cut off these rotten
branches that are daily impeding
the growth of our glorious tree of
right and liberty. Our cause will
never prosper as long as we have
such double.minded blowers of hot
and cold, who shout with the
hounds and run with the hare, at
the head of our movement. We
need the right men in the right
place-men Of honest minds, with
their heart and soul in the cause,
who will not condescend to sell
their birthright for mess of por-
ridge.
Now. sir, l wrote the above letter
for the Voice of the People with the
pure motive of impressing upon
the minds of the Workingmen the
necessity of exercising care and
proper deliberation in tho election
of good and competent men to fill
responsible positions in their
Clubs. l have now before me
while l write the financial ac-
counts of the last fall election,
wherein 1 find four or five design
ing men signing orders for each
other in turns upon Mr.. f. Signo-
ret, the unfortunate treasurer
at that time, and that gentleman
is left to dance to the tune of 1924
out of pocket to this day and pay
his own fiddler. Now, with no
other intention than simply to keep
such trclksters from power, L Of
fered my humble communication
to two Of the three revising Com
mittees of the Workingmeu's
paper, who approved of it and de-
livered it into the hands of the
printer. But, by some strange
misadventure, the third party got
hold of it and pronounced 1t as not
fit for publication and thus over
ruled the decision of the other two
without consulting them. For the
information of this would-be editor
you will allow me to say that if he
is going to hug "our child" by con-
sultipg feelings and not principles
and substituting policy for truth,
he is in danger of smothering him
before he leaves his swaddling
clothes. If the Workingmen want
a paper to represent them they
must have one that will fearlessly
expose the wrong and defend the
right and denOunce corruption
wherever he fads it, from the
President of the United States down
to the Presidents of Workingmen' 8
Clubs. Yours truly,
r. HUGHES.