National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-06-12
THE SECOND ou1oAGo ooNvENr1oN.


THE SECOND CHICAGO CONVENTION.
The gathering vt Chicago of greenbacls-
ers, communists, social democrats, labor re-
formers, workingmen and women suffragists
! will attract more attention just now from
the student Of social philosophy than from
the politician. The platform is a series Of
protests and denials - protests against
things and institutions which vast ma
jority of the people of this country regard
as our best evidences Of civilization and
progress, and denials of what the same
majority regard rs self-evident truths. The
national system, the refunding at low
rates Of interest of our bonded indebted
ness, the building of great railroads, the
preservation of the national credit, the
maintenance of an efficient militia, etc,
have all been subjects of congratulation
among citizens of all parties. Yet here is a
large convention, composed of delegates
from every state in the union, which de-
nounces all these as national mislortunes.
The unrest and dissatisfaction evidenced
by the proceedings of this convention are
not without cause. Its protest is protest
against social process which has almost
annihilated the individual laborer--he is
lost in the mass of associated labor
Fifty years ago a spirit of personal indie
pendence inspired the citizen in his private
business Just rs it inspired him in his public
action. His success in life depended upon
himself, his own industry, invention and
activity Competence and social considera.
ton came to him with almost absolute Ger.
tainty if he possessed energy and intelli-
gencc, and individual labor was held in
high esteem. Later came tho age of ma.
chinery and the necessity for organized and
associated labor. The displacement of the
laborer by the machine in this country was
at first less felt than in the old world, be
cause of the vast field Unemployment opened
by our free public lands The displaced
laborer hewed his way westward, and the
land absorbed the labor which would other
wise have been idle.
But the process has not been without it:
hardships to the toiler, and it is not strange
that the intelligent working man finds that
the work accomplished by him has trans
formed vast continent.
We do not think it wise to Jest at the
proceedings of such a body as that which
hasjust adjourned in Chicago. There are
real evils in the present organization of so
ciety which will have to be remedied before
we can truthfully call ours achristian civil
izsstion. The methods proposed by some o
the delegates in the greenback convention
to rectify the inequalities of society and it
admitted injustice to the Ia10ser may ere
ate uneasiness by radical attacks upc.
vested rights, or they may suggest a smil,
at their crudity; but there is little to ex
cite alarm and less to create mirth whel
the gu estions involved are subjected to tn,
arena of public discussion.
These labor leagues, trades unions AM
worllingmens parties, with their resultan
political conventions, although they ma,
for the moment disturb the equanimity o
organized capital by vehement resolves ant
unwise acts, are not by any means unmixe(
evils. They do work Of education to boil
workers and masters. They fhmiliariz
both classes with the true relations of labo
and capital. Though the workman may
start into the debate full Of prejudice AM
unreasoning heat, he cannot fail to becom
informed where he had TN ought himsel
impregnably intrenched behind his wrong
The masters learn also that there are tw
sides to the economic question, In tn
course of time the violence of Both is toned
down by the conviction that after all Their
is something to be yielded by each side
! 1t is far better that the discomfort of tn
worlkiugmen should find expression in nos,
and sometimes ludicrous conventions thar
that there ahould DO hroodng, sulIeu, un
heard hate rambling below the surface o
society, waiting only for occasion to burs
forth in riot and pillage as we saw it do il
1877.
GOOD ENDORSEMENTS.