The Labor enquirer., 1884-06-21

to sober thinkers and observers of the
present drift Of things. Corporate cor
ruption, land grabbing and industrial
slavery have already reached point
where the great robbers see that it can
not 20 on unless it is choked down the
throats of the toiling masses by brute
force. Moreover, they see that the work
ingmen are organizing by the thousands
with ever-increasing activity, and organ
izing intelligently, too. They notice that
the labor vote is already formidable and
that the politicians are beginning to
tremble before it. and bid for it They.
see such mighty organizations as the
knights of Labor and the amalgamated
trades and labor unions of the United
States consolidating, and read their
doom as legalized robbers in all the
signs Of the times.
Now, while all is yet peaceable and
orderly, think these glutless robbers, is
the time to forestall their organization
and growing intelligence by the stealthy
and gradual development in this country
of the military terrorism which holds
despotism in its seat in the old world.
I am not interpreting these things fan
tastically or for the purpose ofgetting up
scare. In my own state / have it from
the very lips of capitalists themselves.
1 was told distinctly in my city by at
least dozen leading citizens" that the
purpose of these drills was to lend
security to property and capital as against
strikes, apolitico-Irish .mobs" and the
spirit of Communism" generally, which
is getting hold of the masses of working
people. il, ,.z, ..,,. -. ..,t-,..... .. II,
Alas, these blind creatures of greed
know not what they do. Hundreds OF
innocent laborers in my city who had
never dreamed that capitalists intended
to yet settle industrial scores by the
bayonet in the streets were set to serious
thinking and they stood in groops talk
ing it over in suppressed voices while
the militia boys were playing around
them as the supposed mob. Not few
advocated the arming of the labor Or
CARNATIONS a thing which they would
never have dreamed of if these insult
ing proceedings had not been going on
around them. =
In these disgusting and insulting pro-
ceedings capitalists, factory and mining
lords openly advertise to the people that
they do not propose to rest the conflict
of labor and capital on the basis OF
reason and the moral sense as developed
out of peaceable organization and the
ballot box. They say virtually that they
intend to rest their case upon brute force
and are already getting their forces in
order. In the peaceable and rlaw-and-
order community where l live they know
that not a threat or any conceivable
menace to property and life was ever
uttered or acted by any of the scanty
labor and trade organizations. Why,
then, this noisy and insulting parading
of all the military companies in quarters
alone Inhabited by working people?
Why this mock skirmishing about their
houses and bodies with deadly bayonets
in time of perfect peace? 1t is indeed
delicate and dangerous trifing with the
tempers of men goaded with starvation
wages in the midst of riotous luxury
stolen from their sweat and sorrow. In
the spirit of Christian pity forgive
these mad lords of mammon, for they
know not what they do.
When the emperor of Germany or the
Russian czar calls out his veteran guards
these behave as steady and discrete in
the face of mob as though on dress
parade and not drop of needless blood
is split in passion. But a voluntary
military company is ever found toksoon
become demoralized and bloodthirsty
and NOW down the innocent as greedily
as the guilty. Yet few cowardly capt.
talists propose to set such militia mob
bers upon the people in our great cities
upon the outbreak of great strikes and
other manifestations of discomfort. II
is an audacious and hazardous expert
ment, and were these robbers of guilty
conscience not maddened with plundel
they would tremble at what they are
doing.
Watch these schemes of prospective
brute force wherever you are, but be
calm and do not retaliate. How much
better can labor afford to be insulteC
than capital to put it on this line O
blood and force? If ever day" O.
terrible reckoning is forced upon you
let these towards precipitate it, not you
The doom and theinfamy shall be theirs
l-HoNoRIUs, in Irish World
HOW TO ORGANIZE.