The Labor enquirer., 1883-11-05
A TIMELY BIT OF ADVICE.

In the history of America there has
never been a time when organization
was so complete or the interests of work,
ingmen so common among themselves
as at present And this argues the ad,
yaneement of labor and the laborer; to a
place and position in the nation and ma
tional affairs which it and he should
have attained to years ago. There is nc
denying the truth of the statement that
such result would have eliminated
from the years of laborious agitation had
the workingmen been true to their in
terests and to themselves Along the
plain where passionate discord rears
eternal babble, have been scattered the
cherished hopes and the ambitions of the
American toiler. Internal dissensions
have sundered the ties that should have
bound men together frmer than kinship.
Petty jealousies and chickering's have
taken the places of friendships and con-
fidence, until the laborer here found
himself sinking to the level-and even
beneath it-of his European brother.
When a great cause is put forward it
behooves every man to stand by it, fight
and even sacrifice his life for it. But no
cause can be won where there is unity
of purpose and interest. The one great
trouble with the workingman has been
the withdrawal of his support at the
hour when that support was most needed.
He has been prone to look upon the
raising of some individual Ito him OBJ
jectionable for personal reasons) to a po-
sition above his wonted level as injurious
to his own interests, not taking into con-
sideration that the man was the means
whereby to gain what otherwise were
lost. He has been too prone to allow
warm personal friendship to influence
his better judgment and curb his desires
when some candidate for office proved
objectionable to the friend who wrongly
counseled, not stopping to consider that
the victory or defeat of that candidate
was of vital importance not only to him
self but to men whose interests were
Identical with his own. Hundreds of
enterprises of great moment have gone
awry through the worse than senseless
chickering's Of an insatible minority.
Newspapers which gave promise of
future influence and even greatness, in
dustries, which would have taken labor
ers from the slough of despond and set
them upon a solid foundation of pros
perity-all the outcome of the endeayors
of the laborers themselves have been
crippled and ruined through the worse
than senseless plottings of workingmen
against worKingmen. Such acts are not
censurable only; they are, criminal.
Against the labor of the nation and in
seperable from it, is capital. -. Evenly
balanced, prosperity and blessings will
greet the toiler on every hand; but, pit.
ted one against the other, it would be
worse than mockerY TO- hold. out any
hope for labor other than that of toiline
on through miserable existence to a
grave beside the pauper in the potters
field.
What soldier would be justified, on the
'eyeof decisive battle, to take an ig.
noble revenge upon his superior officer
for some personal grievance by sending
a rifle ball into his heart? What mum.
Der of soldiers would be justified in SO
doing? If one is disaffected, there are
always more to follow his leadership
The workingman's means of warfare lie
in his ballot and in agitation, and that
man who wilfully throws away his vote
through feelings of personal pique at his
fellow laborers' nominee is as criminally
guilty as the soldier who would wantonly
destroy the life that fed the BRAN that
matured the plan which would carry
victory for his cause on the morrow.
Workingmen, bury all personal diff
ferences; cast every jealousy from your
hearts as unworthy a place therein; unite,
once and forever, and your voice for
right and for the good of the people is
Is boundless and composites as the air
of eternal space.