The Labor enquirer., 1884-11-15
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more necessary tDau ~ JIG Pt openp
We live in an age which is essentially
revolutionary when despotlsnl is every
where rampant, when all the forces Of
the reaction arr, combined against the
people, combined to keep them in politi.
cal bondage, in social slavery, combined
to keep them in the Rrosssst ignorance
by the. diffusion throughout the world OF
the most monstious misrepresentation.
It is therefore the interest Of everyone
to search out the truth, to examine for
himself, not to Go it by proxy. No sub
ject is too holy for examination; none
too sacred for iilyestii.ation, And this
should be done boldly and fearlessly and
without reserve,
We are told that the revolution aims
at the destruction of civilization, OF all
that is grand s.nd noble in human 50
ciety. But what is meant by civiliza.
tion2 Is 1.-THE Arts and the sciences7
These the revolution would preserve,
encourage, raise 10 their highest perfec-
ton and utilize for the benefit OF the
whole human race. But Of what benefit
are these to The workers of to-day ?
What is Art to She man engaged in max,
ing perhaps the third part of pin, or
the hundredtb part OF machine; or !"
the woman engaged in the weaving
sheds in Lancashire. contractiong dis,
ease while producing a fictitious article
intended 70 deceive and .defraud the
reople of India and China for the en-
richment of her employer? What are
The Sciences to the men and the women
who, after the days toll return to their
home with half empty cupboard, their
children asking for food when there is
not enough to half satisfy their wants?
What are the beauties of astronomy
the grandeur Of the starry heavens-to
The men or the women dying of hunger
in the midst of plenty2 What are all
your Art Gallaries and Museums to the
woman doomed to barter her virtue in
the streets to sustain her existence?
Talk of the g8ores If our civilization
1t is covered with blots and sores that
would be disgrace even to barbarous
age. And we are told the revolution
would destroy this glorious civilization
The revolution would remove these blots
and sores, it would elevate and purify
Art; it would free Science from the un'
holy grasp of the nonorolist, and make
it conducive to human happiness; and
the glories of civilization would become
reality and cease to be fiction and
delusion.
But what is cur present society but
system Of wholesale robbery and muir
der2 Robbery and SLOW murder. e1is
through all the ramitications Of society
they exist in all the relations of life
One man has a thousand acres of lane
which he received from his father, whC
received it for something called Service
to the state,n but for which he was vel
paid at the time. TIE present so-callee
owner Of the land receives in the shape
of rent Gl 100 per annum. Where doe
tie el 900 cone iro1n2 From unpalt
labor. Every penny of that FL 900 Il
plunder, and should be known by nj
other name. Another has 100000 in th'
government fnnds, on which E700 il
drawn per annum in the shape Of inter
est. Where does this e700 come from
From the taxation of the country. From
whence come the taxes? From unpait
labor. The s7O0 is nothing therefor'
but robbery. But where are the funds
Nowhere. They have no earthly exist
ence. The were spent generations sine
spent to carry on wars Of aggression
involving wholesale robbery and murde
in distant lands and the owner Of thes'
twenty thousand phantoms, claims tn
right to plRnder the worker Of E7OO
year.
Again, man employs one hundred
workers. The value of their lsbur i
f400 per week. He pays them on tn
average &l per week each. The wage /
said to, be rather over the average in tn
trade. At the end of twenty years h
retires rich man. He gives one thous
and pounds towards the erection Of
new church or chapel, or hospita,
Whata good nun, says one what gen
-tleman, cries another. Ses what tru
"beDevolence will do, cries the press an,
his name is handed Gown from geners
ton to generation as benefactOr of tn
human race, or base hypocrites
Where did these riches come from ,bu
from unpaid labor; what did thos
riches represent but wholesale robbery
and on what did the new church @
chapel, or hospital rest but the suffer
ings-cemented by their blood an
tears-ef his undergrad workers. A
such wealth.is robbery all such richie
are plunder% 4
And Socialism is synonymous with a.
sassination! So say the penny a-lnel
of the press. But here again it is th
present system that is chargeable wit
the crime of wholesale murder, and tn
murder too Of the most useful class
society. Let rs refer to facts which cal
not be disputed. Turning to Chadwick
Sanitary reports, where Wa have tn
average duration Of life of the differer