The Labor enquirer., 1884-05-24

toward liberty, for with King Leopold
tho people Of Belgium obtained . good
man ald friend. who, notwithstanding
be was an aristocrat, WAS true and . mar
Of principles. The condition Of tht
masses Of this little patch of earth be
came considerably better and more sat
isfactory. All through the years $780, s.
the power of potentates we're shaker
and limited by the people. Hesse, Sax
ony, Brunswick, Rome and its papa
power, Poland, all these little state
and princlpalities were shaken up con
siderably by the endeavorS Of the people
to improve their political and social con
ditions. Poland fell into utter destruc-
ton. The Poles ceased to be nation
and became an enslaved part of tht
Russians. Their Revolution was no
based upon the rights of the people, anc
was more of a Revolution Of barons
against royalty, and hence failed utterly
as the greater beasts deyoured the lesser
In July, 1882, the Parisians again played
at a little Revolution, which only cos
blood, but accomplished nothing. Port
ugal and Spain, during 1S33-34, were
shaken continually with civil war O
contending factions, during which the
people suffered and found no benefits
Their task. masters were quarrefing and
they had to do the fighting, suffering and
dying. The century did not seem tc
have enlightened them very essentially
During the third decade several men
came to the surface of French society,
who tried to direct ideas toward the gen
eral goal of social freedom and equality,
Most diverginglyi in their methods, they
seemed to converge to the same object,
which none of them attained. Saint
Simonism failed to emancipate the
masses, and Bazard, the follower of Saint
Simon, dropped out of sight as he ap-
peared, an object of unreasonable propa-
garda as we'll as of propagated unreason.
Entantin preached emancipation of all
women, and forgot his own emancipation
from idiotic and impossible ideas. Four
ier followed in the wake of these Social
istie abnormities, and "out-Herod" them
even in his absurdities. Baboeuf next
tried his hand at Social reform and, OF
course, failed to erect the Utopian seci-
ETY. of which he and his crazy followers
dreamed. This abnormal period found
its termination with the club of "la sal
son." Its leaders, Blanqui, Barbes and
Bernard, attempted a Revolution, but
only enacted an excuse for a revolt,
which was nipped in its sickly bud. All
were demagogues who, tiger like,
watched for an opportunity Of self-ag,
grandizement at the expense of the rest
lessly, disorganized masses. They wanted
propaganda for themselves. The veal Of
the people was not one of their consider
ations. Half religious, half political, q
little Socialistic, but more egotistic and
mostly idiotic, these vampires of the
masses achieved nothing, not even their
own welfare, and only left an uncertain
stain upon the masses as their would-be
abettors
The people of Ireland had been de-
pressed and enslaved during the
eighteenth century by what may be
called the ferocious legislation by Queen
Anne, until their utter humiliation
had become full to the brim. Against
the tyranny of their English oppressors
which made war at once upon their
creed, their intellect, and their trade,
the Irish masses had not the strength to
struggle. There was an abject state Of
condition in Ireland during that century,
which it is horrible to contemplate and
awful to relate. Arthur Young shows
how terribly the condition of the peas
antry had sunk, when he is able to state
that Landlords of conseq uence have as
sured me that many of their cotters
would consider themselves honored by
having their wives and daughters sent
for to the bed of their masters" A mark
Of slavery, which proves the oppression
under which such people must live. In
to this century the organizations of the
white Boys" Coax Boys" and Hearts
of Steel" fell. These bands of Irishmen
held together for long periods, and were
only put down by the tyrannical govern,
ment after long and severe struggles
Had half of the landlords, instead OF
the boys, been killed by the government
Ireland would have had better peace
and times. The United Irishmen clubs
became the nucleus around which the
masses rotated and to whom they looked
for succor and relief. Grattan, Hamilton
Rowan, James Napier Tandy, but prin
cipally Theobald Wolfe Tone, were the
leaders of these united endeayors tc
help bleeding Ireland, which were also
enlisting Edward Fitzgerald, Thomas
Davis, Emmet, Arthur OConnor and
others. The ensuing Revolution was one
of ferceness and sanguine results. but il
was not powerful enough to effect Ire
lands liberation. But Its causes anG
effects taught Irishmen that selfpreser
yation must be the first law of nature.
The green grave in Bodenstowr