Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-02-24
intelligent and liberty-loving people en-
dure the absolute dictatorship of their
finances and business by this associa-
tiOn?
"Mudsills OF Society,""

"MudsiIsot Society,""
The Commoncr.
Workingmen you are denominated
by the aristocracy the "mudsills of So
ciety," and as such you are debarred
from social intercourse with that class
which you, as "mudsills," support or
keep out of the mud. This epithet is
used against you in an opprobrious
sense, as if you were of no consequence
but rather in the way.
Do you know that if the "mud-
sills' were removed the foundation
of society would be gone and it would
fall?
That is why they dO not want you to
think; "mudsills" never ought to
think. Thinking always proceeds ac-
ton and if you were to get to acting,
what would become of society which
is built upon you. You remember
Sinbad and his comrades found, what
they supposed to be a small green
island, and landed on it. 1t was all
very well until they undertook to build
a fire on it. The island could not stand
this, and made a dive for the bottom
of the ocean, leaving Sinbad and his
comrades with extinguished fire and an
aqueous fluid uncomfortably about them
The island proved to he a ponderous
whale who took it into his head that
when those wicked fellows went to
building fires on his body they were
abusing his hospitality. These fellows
too, who are establishing themselves
upon you as the "mudsills of society,""
woLld rather when they take advan-
tage of your generosity that you would
not think of the impositions for fear
you might undertake to turn yourself
in such shape as to make yourself more
comfortable in your humble position,
and by that means overthrow the
whole structure of society built upon
you. Therefore if you are the mud
sills" you must not think; for that
would be very unmudsill-like and quite
unbecoming.
That is why they are always crying
Communism" They want to terrify
you to be "mudsills." If you should
attempt to displace YOURSELF or re-
arrange your position, you might topple
over the structure which is built upon
You and that would be duccd bad for
the superstructure, however pleasant
it might he for you. They did that
thing in France once, and it complete
ly dethroned the aristocracy and placed
the common people on Il social equality
with them, and no power has since
been able to revive the good old
days of large landed-estatcs, when
one class controlled the actions of the
other.
"SOciety"is necessary in all countries
though it is no advantage TO the "mud-
sills" who are excluded from it. But
then it is very convenient TO the favor
ed class who are admitted to cross its
thresholds. 1t gives them a chance to
be idle, engage in small talk, luXuriatc
on the productions of the 'mudsillS'
and have happy time generally.
Look, for instance, at the society in
England. Many of the "mudsills" are
in ireland, and their earnings are 50
absorbed by English society that thou
sands of them famish for want Of food,
or perish for want Of clothing; but
what of that? Those who are benefit
ted by it have Il splendid time; they
travel on the money and squander it,
waste il in procuring useless things to
throw away. Then there is the spen-
dor, the magniicence, the show, the
pomp to compensate for the lives that
have been wasted in producing these
advantages. without these ''mudslls"
this could never be accomplished
Communism" therefore, is direct
thrust at society" for it seeks to make
the laborer dissatisfied with his position,
and thus to remove the foundations of
society.
But, it is asked. Is it not necessary
that society should have some ground
work? Would you entirely destroy it
by removing its foundations? Our
answer is not to be built upon any
elias as "mudSills," that good society
has its foundation in the behavior of
its members. No one part of the hui
man family should be built upon an
other. If so, the abolition of slavery
was II mistake.
Worliingmcn, we want you to think
upon these subjects. When you do, you
will demand that society shall no
longer be established on the blasted
lives and the wasted toll of others !;
but that each person shall perform his
or her part towards adding to the
worlds stock of productions, and that
he or she who will not contribute their
quota shall themselves suffer the con-
sequences.