Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-08-17
The True Way.
WHAT is TIE INTEREST OF THr WORKING.
MEN?

WHAT is TIE INTEREST OF THT WORKING
MEN?
Mayor Powderley tells the readers of
the North american ReUie,0, in the course
of a very able article, that the knights
of Labor were organized to take the
place of the labor unions, which had
not answered all purposes as they should
have done. But we should like to ask
Mr.. Powderly or any other equally sin
cere and intelligent friend of labor
what they can hope to gain by any po
litical action outside the Democratic
party. That party has always supported
the just demands and defended the
legal rights of labor. That was the
leading purpose of its formation. I'm
der Jefferson, Jackson, and their sue
cessors, it fulfilled that mission until it
was split on the slavery question and a
minority party came into federal power.
But there is not principle or a rule or
a maxim laid down anywhere by Thorn
as Jefferson which does not make for
the protection of the plain common
man against the cunning devices of
legislation, by which combined capital
| tAAN NNh II aA4G'A lbNtl alC dlNhNH ENth-
! ing to appropriate the earnings of labor
Let Mr.. Powderly and his friends look
all through this much talked of but
little understood system of Jefferson,
which is after all so simple and so easily
summed up in a few great principles,
and tell us whether the laboring man
can ever make for himself party or IA
| platform better calculated for the pro.
lection of his rights than the Demo
cratic.
Let Mayor Powderly and those who
! honestly co operate with him discounte-
nance any separate political action of
manual laborers, and instead advise the
workingmen everywhere TO organize
| Jefferson associations, and enforce JET.
ierson's doctrine upon the party which
| he formed and vitalized to serve the
common people. Such associations
which, in the language of Senator Wal
lace, shall reach into every election
district, and there teach the gospel of
individual right, local government and
pure administration, are among the best
that can be devised to produce that
harmony of counsel which is necessary
to cope with such foe. Community of
. interests begets unity of opinion, and
hence we must practice what we teach
| Such an organization Of thinkers, speak.
ers and writers striking everywhere at
centralized power and corrupt rule, and
acting with and for the masses, will
| speedily place US upon fighting equality
with the party of the administration.
and give us an even chance in the great
struggle for popular rights. Unity and
successful progress can come to our or.
ganlzatiOn only through closer following
OF Jeiierson's own practice. We must
err, II we err at all, on the side of the
masses OF the people. We must incur,
as he did, the charge of sans c,,lottisD,.
rather than bear the faint of aristocratic
tendency and moneyed control. We
must denounce, as he did, every ICON.
trivaEce for corruption" and strip our.
selves OF responsibility for a system that
enables men so to manipulate franchises
granted by the people as to amass
prlncely fortunes IN decade at the ex-
pense OF their rights and privileges, and
we must attack with unbought pen and
the wondrous power of honest poverty,
the use OF those fortunes to corrupt the
sources and channels Of public opinion
and to pollute the ballot boz.
Hamilton is the political saint of the
Republican party. He was an avowed
monarchist. He said in the constitu.
tional convention; "All communities
"divide themselves into the few and the
many. The first are the rich and the
"well-born, the other the mass of the
people. The people are turbulent and
changing they seldom judge or de.
"termine right. Give therefore, to the
first class distinct, permanent share in
the government" No one will deny
that this has been pretty efectually
done. Just before the last presidential
election General Garfield announced
that the influence of Hamilton was
waxing, while that of jefferson was
waning. The Federalist. Republicans
draw, as they always did, and as they
boastfully avow, their inspiration from
Hamilton.