The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-03-06
Tie DANGER AREAD.

speeches tldie ~ OOhS S'o'
editorials in the leading newspapers OF
the country lately, in which solemn
warnings are uttered against the great
danger Of a general outbreak on the part
of thepoor men of the country. against
those. who have money and own bonds.
This is a new danger in tile United
States. rItis. something that our fathers
never dreamed of That a mob of starry
ing men should ever rise up in our land,
demanding food, breaking open depots
and Warehouses. and forcibIy taking pos
session of the grain aud meat and other
food on deposit there, is an entirely new
way Of getting a living for American
citizens. And yet we read enough last
summer to satisfy US that such things
can happen here. And we read enough
then to make US fear. for the future.
There are tens of thousands of idle men
in the cities, without money, without
food, without fuel and with no work to
do to enable them to purchase. these
necessaries. There are other thousands
called 'tramps,' proving from State to
State in search of laber, living upon
what the farm-people can give them and
sleeping at night by fires they-kindle in
the woods or on the roadsides. The
Honorable Charles c.. Ellsworth made q
speech in the House of Representatives
at Washington recently in which lie adj
vocates a large and powerful standing
army. and goes in for making short
work Of the "besotted mob" He said
"such wild attempts to crush out law and
order as surged through the city Pitts
burgh last July, until thatgr city be
came the sport and play hglofaHangfy
/ besotted mob, and life and property
were simply toys with which it playedi
| and blood flowed in the streets, and the
| flames swallowed upmillions of preciou:
treasure the needy could i'll afford tc
| lose-such cfiminality must be put
down, and, if necessary, with the sabel
! and the bullet and the cannon and the
| bayonet. And I would have a standing
army to protect the innocent and the
peaceful. the industrious and law-abid
| ing; his home and his property must be
sacred in the eyes Of the law, and thai
law must be enforced, no matter whom
it hurts. There is no other way of safe
ty. Law must be maintained, and al
any cost Of blood or treasure; the life Of
the nation demands it, the best Interests
of ali labor demand it, and every inter
est in human society demands it. There
is no ether way; and when the honor
able gentleman from California Mr..
LuttereIl asks, as he did when the
Army bill was under discussion, Of an.
other honorable gentleman on this side
Of the House, eff he would keep stand
ing army to shoot down laboring-men 2
Ianswer unhesitatingfy and unequiyo
callv yes, shoot down laOOring men
when they become criminals and beyond
the control Of the law; shoot them down,
or any other men, lawyers, merchants
or doctors, or any class of men who
willfulIy and wickedly take the law in,
to their own hands and trample upon
life and property and tie most sacred
rights of man; then they must be put
down. ahd with the cannon and the
sword if necessary" s-i-
1t sounds very well to stand up ia
Congress and say when poor men be-
come criminals "shOot them down,
and it may be that that the mob spirit
will grow TO snch an extent that it will
be necessary for some shooting to be
done. But If it is possible to put all
these men to work would it not be better
to do so now than to wait until they be
come desperate, seize arms and go ia
plundering. The trouble is the surplus
wealth of the people has been put into
Interest drawing bonds. The money Of
the country is not used any more foI
| developing our national resources, moi
in the erection of manufacturing estab
| Iishments; there are no railroads being
built, no canals being dug, no new mines
Of iron or copper being opened. Publ,
enterprise is dead. Men who have
money arc keeping it locked up, or are
4 investing it in National securities
Hence the great class Of people who de
pend upon their daily labor for theil
! daily bread are idle and suffering. These
bonds must be released. The enormou:
amount of boarded wealth must be
brought out and put into active circula
ton. This great army Of idle men must
be hired and put to regular work, OF
they will make trouble. Satan find
mischief still for idle hands to do" 4
standing army cannot prevent these PEG
pie from stealing and robbing. They
cannot all be killed, as Mr.. Ellsworth
would seem to recommend. It is mucl
cheaper and much more humane for the
capitalists of the whole country to us'
their money in some great public i'm
provement, and thus hire the poor PEG
! pie at good wages, than it will be to OF
ganizs an army and : i'll them. Besides
this killing business is a two-handeC
! game .. sr