The Labor enquirer., 1884-09-06
From MICHIGAN.


Zoe labadis Says Butler is Mich.
gan'a Tavoite Other Inter
esting Matters.
Editor Labor Enquirer.
+ LANSING, Aug n Within thelast woo,.
there has been quite stir in Michigan laho,
circles. Buffers letter created comnlet,.
change OF sentiment In the greenbaek and
labor men, who, previous to its appearance
were for straight independent action at hs.
polls, withoutany alliances whatever with the
democrats. The greenbackers, anti-monopo. I
lists and democrats all held their state con.
venti0ns this week and comparative unan.
unity Of feeling on the "Butler plan'' Of
combination was manifested, the outcome Of
| which was a combination ticket with the
greenbackers and democrats on state ticket
the greenbackers taking governor, treasurer
attorney and superintendent of pub.
| lie instruction, and the democrats lieutenant.
governor, secretary Of state, auditor-genera
| alkQ iuOulL5A VI sOOolQ VI CuuCN1lOu.1 Ou che
electoral ticket the democrats have seven
| candidates and the greenbackers seven
Michiganfs only entitled to thirteen electors
In the electoral college, but by the arrange
ment made IL the combination ticket is elect
| "a only twelve will be elected, one Blaine
elector being elected sure If he gets more
votes than either the greenbaekers or demo-
crats. There will be one name on the green
back ticket that will not be on the. demo-,
erat ticket and vice versa This is done so
as to ascertain the relative strength of the
democrat and greenback votes, and whatever
proportions of the votes cast by each party to
the union will be the proportion Of electoral
votes each will have. Comrades Cridge and
Stetson, Of San Francisco, will find in this
plan something akin to this proportional rep
resentatioh plan. have been, as my friends
know, always opposed to any alliances what
ever with either the democrat or republican
parties, because did not believe any practi-
cal good could come to the moyementby such
alliances. But experience has shown that
was somewhat in error, at any rate so far as
actual results in this state are concerned.
Two years ago the labor men OF Detroit put
in the field full legislative ticket, The
democrats indorsed two Of our candidates
and they were elected. The work that
Brothers Brant and Devlin did in the legisla
ture, with old Governor Begole to back them
(who, by the way, was elected on combina-
tion ticket also) ,is satisfactory to the labor
ing men Of the state. The bureau Of labor
statistics was established and much bad legis-
lation was killed by their determined oppo
sltion. The bill known as the Saginaw char
ter bill was one to grant East Saginaw a char
ter which provided that only freeholders
should hold Office and vote on questions in
yolying the expenditure Of money by the
city. This bill passed the Legislature, and
about dozen others of the same kind were
ready to be introduced, but Governor Begole
vetoed the bill, notwithstanding the protests
of the lumber kings and land monopolists of
the Saginaw. This was a substantial victory
for labor, looking at it from the standpoint
that labor can better its condition by the bal
lot While we may not be able to accom-
plish much with the ballot still / believe we
should use it while we have 1t, and if the
labor interests can be advanced by voting
with this party.or that party 1t is well for us
to do So. believe in the doctrine that the
end justlies the means Did l not believe in
this doctrine / certainly should not sympa-.
thize with the nihilists and socialists, and
communists and fenians, and raise my voice
in commendation Of every s'outrage" COM
mitted by them in the name of human rights.
Therefore believe IN voting, however little
such action may advance our cause. Amy
way, even with our defective political sys-
tenn, the ballot is an approximation OF public
intelligence upon the questions of the day.
But without organization and economic edu-
cation our ballots can more firmly bind the
chains that now hold us in slavery, while
with correct knowledge of social economic
laws it may be possible that much more can
be done with the ballot than we now have
any idea. History shows us but little prog
ress that has not been bought with blood, but
are we never to improve upon our methods?
Is it possible that right must always appeal
to might to clear way to higher ground?
Must our intellectual always be subyerted by
our brutal natures2 So long as the human
race Is ignorant enough to hate liberty just so
long will liberty be unable to guide them;
and just so long as they are not guided BY
liberty, just so long will they stumble in the
darkness, and bruise and lacerate their ten
der flesh upon the rocks and brambles that
lie in the way. We must have tight, and
that must be the light of liberty. Sometimes
l think there is a deep vein of satire In the
action of the French people donating us a
statue Of liberty lighting the world. We
need that light, not necessarily to light the
pathway Of other nations, but to show our
selves the pitfalls that lie at our own door
step. Agitation, fraternal association and
education are the primal means to better
conditions.
And WEI are doing our. share in this yicin-
ity. Six Knights of Labor assemblies this
year, and seven more nearly ready for the Or.
ganizer. One thing must be done with the
Knights Of Labor and that is tokeep it out
of political action. Let it be distinctly un-
derstood that it is a fraternal and educational
institution, and that Its work cannot be inter
fered with by partisan strife. Those who
want to take political action can do so outside
the assembly just as well as inside. Close
your assemblies before anything is done po-
litically, and then those who oppose that
line Of action have no grievance. We.don't
enter into actual business in colleges, but we
60 there to learn how to do business. The
Knights Of Labor is the working peoples
college LET If he there that tha nrohleuis of