The Labor enquirer., 1883-01-20
CONSISTENCY.
Van Valkenhurg, Of Weld County,
Shown to Possess None Of
That Quality.
l o the Editor of The Labor Enquirer.

| I O the Editor of The Labor Enquirer.
Shakespeare has said: Consistency,
thou art a jewell p and Shakespeare was
pretty near right. Now, let us see how
some of the members Of the legislature
stand on consistency. On the fourth day
of November last, Rev. R. S. Van Val
kenburg, then. a candidate for the legis-
lature from Weld, made his last speech
of the campaign in the Cumberland Pres
byterian church at this place.
In the course OF his talk, by which he
was bidding for the suffrages of the work
ingmen of Sterling, he pledged himself,
in the event Of his election, to such legis-
lation as would rebound to the greatest
benefit of the faboring classes of Colo
RADIO. This is all right as far as the rev.
erend is concerned.
How is it with he"Hon." R. s. Van
Valkenburg? Having been elected by
the votes of workingmen and sent to our
legislative body to,represent the laboring
classes; with his promises to them still
fresh in their minds, if not in his, he in
troduces a bill that for odiousness and
arbitrary tyranny has no equal in the
whole calendar of class legislation.
The Rev. Van posed as a champion
of free speech and the vindicator of
labor The Hon. Van comes out boldly
on The side of labors deadliest foe-capi-
tal-and wants to make it a crime to
state YOUR views and endeavor to con-
vince others that you are right If his
bill prevails, it will be a misdemeanor
for a man to ask his brother to assist
him in case he is imposed on by some of
our tyrannical corporations.
It is not enough for the solons of our
glorious country to prescribe what the
laboring man shall eat.and what he shall
drink, and where he shall spend his only
leisure time-Sunday-but they 60 a step
farther, and now a Workingman, no mat
ter how agrieved, must speak according
to law, or he is guilty Of mlsdemeanor,
and is liable to heavy fine and imprison-
ment. 80, Temporal O, mores !" The
only remaining step for our wise law
makers to take is to say what man
shall think, and the subjugation is COM
plete.
On the other hand, how long does the
American Workingman intend to stand
this fatherly treatment? Is he creature
of so low mental organization as to be
unable to judge and act for himself?
That he is a power in a community of
powers has been conclusively proved on
divers occasions, among which was the
late election in Colorado. That he is in
telligent is also indisputable, shown by
the fact that some of our greatest states
men and public benefactors have been
called from the ranks of labor, and their
number is by 10 means small.
But so long as the laborer is content to
cast his vote for any one who is nomi-
mated, so long will laws be passed deroga-
tory to his interests. The remedy lies
with himself The only safe course left
to the laboring masses is unifcation. 1t
matters not in what branch of industry
he is engaged, he shares equally in the
great principle which extends through
all the various ramifcations of labor
the greatest good for the greatest num-
Der; and that does not mean special
legislation to protect mine owners in
case the miners are forced to the last re-
sort to secure their rights.
But this is already too long. As
close, [ would just like to remind the
honorable and reverend gentleman from
Weld that each workingman in that
great county has memory as we'll as a
vote, and that to suppress mans thought
and speech is to- accomplish an impossi-
bility. Respectfully yours,
fARGUs.
THE LAW-MAKERS(N.