The Labor enquirer., 1883-03-03

!
because it rules politics. Do l stand
corrected, honorable sirs?
But even if I am wrong, only one man
out of 50,OO0,OO0 can be president of the
United States. and very few can hold the
office of governor of state. The rest
Of the people must needs be concerned
about the great issue of bread and
butter. And on this issue, Mr.. Evarts,
viii you have the efrontery to
assert that there is no legislation that,
fixes the position of any man." Aye,
it is there that labor is fixed, land fixed
too, under the feet Of its capitalistic op-
pressors by artificial, corrupt, and dis
eliminating legislation. 1t is an insult
to the intelligence of working people for
men like Blaine, Eyarts, John Sherman,
and others to assume that they can
seduce their eyes from this outrageous
fact by that sort of pretty Poll" trick of
reminding them now easy it is for
wOrkingman to become president of the
United States The light has been
spreading more than you are aware of,
honorable sirs, Do you not hear those
ominous voices scattered here and there
throughout the crowded hall crying
"Tafyw and reminding YOU to "Go
west" These are the Spread the Light
men, and they are rapidly growing
thicker and thicker at public meetings.
All, but says the Hon Mr.. Evart8,
"Nine-tenths Of the rich men among us
are men who, when they started in life,
were obliged to support themselves by
labor"
Indeed They supported themselves
by labor when they started out in life,
but why did they quit labor, and what
do they support themselves by at
present? If labor is such glorious and
honorable thing, what was it that in
duced all these rich men to labor 50
early in life? What is the secret trick
in the game Of life that makes all our
smart and successful operators quit labor
at the earliest possible moment?
And yet friends, all these rich men do
support Themselves just as much by labor
to-day as they'did when they started out
in life for without labor no man can be
supported. The only difference is
that they support themselves by labor
which is ground out of somebody eIses
poor bones, and which they manage to
steal by the black arts of legislation, as
sisted by the ignorance and heIpIessnes,
of theirVictimS. Those who have firth.
fully studied the labor question IN the
columns Of the Irish World know just
how all this is done, and cannot be sue
cessfuIIy humbugged by Mr.. Evarts,
John Sherman, and all those other hon
orable decoy ducks that inhabit the dirty
pools Of professional politics.
Finally says Mr.. Eyarts:
we have no distinctions, We know
no distinctions, except such as men find
by the dispensations Of providence, or
are caused by mems industry oridIeness, !
their temperance, OF prohigacy,"
Is it "dispen8ation of providence
when congress subsidies extortionoua
corruption5 with 100000, 600 acres ofathe
peoples land? Is it a dispensatiohE of
providence when 1000 national banks
are armed with amonopoly of the means
of exchange? Is the whole consequent
curse Of usury a diSpensation Of provi-
dence? If the terms rich and poor do
not involve a distinction, then l abdicate
all claims to common sense and a knowl-
edge of the English language. And is
not this distinction purely the result of
discriminating legislation?
But Brutu8 Evarts says it is intemper-
ance, idleness, and prohigacy-and
Brutus is an honorable man. l will not
attempt to answer him on this score; but
it does seem strange that if idIeness is so
fatal to riches how all these rich and
honorable men should have been in
duced to quit labor SO soon after start
ing out in life. In order, then, to be-
come industrious and get rich, it would
seem, 1t is. s.necessary to stop working as
early in life as possible. In this way I
fancy that the industry is simply shifted
from honest labor and changed into the
lively occupation Of going through" the
pockets Of those who still continue to
labor. Oh yes! I understand it now
and tllnv gre all hnnnra hIn mon