The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-12-24
THE TENDENCY OF BoYcoTTING.

his arguments without suspicion and with
confidence.
Fanaticism and ignorance are bulwarks
through which, with difficulty and danger,
truth makes breach and captures a
citadel.
Our workingmen are neither ignorant
nor fanatical. The American mechanic is
the most highly educated of his class in
the world, but to his honor be it said be
has paid more ttention to perfecting
himself in his business or occupation, than
he has in political history or political
| economy, thus soon becoming a master of
his trade and in a degree Independent, as
all workmen in this country are. He
looks around him and approaching the
great power in his and his fellow work
mems hands,b and through organization,
he Immediately joins such an organization
and without understanding the full scope
of all the objects of those apparently do
ing nothing more than cooperating with
him, he, too credulously, lends willing
ear to designing men.
We are and have always been the
friend of the workingmen of the coun-
try, as can readily be substantiated
by long membership of the Independ-
large eastern city, but while we are the
friend of the workingman against all un-
just monopoly and corporations, we must
say it was association, in the organized
capacity of workingmen, that we first dis
covered the danger to them and to the
country of certain designing men who
attempted to lead them.
The workingmen, as inti1nated while
not ignorant, are fanatical, and unac-
quainted with causes and effects of politi-
gal heresy, they are too apt to lend the
power of their organization to aid the
support of men and principles that would
lead thers to miserable ruin.
They are aware of the power of their
great majority, but they are unaware of
the supreme power there is in this knowl-
edge, combined with secrecy and infienced
by men who take advantage of this specious
argument of power and ''why not use y"
by pointing out to them few of their sur
face wrongs, and when persuaded of these
wrongs, led on to policy concealed from
them, but dangerous to the whole of the
workingmen of the country, and subver
sive of the best and safest principles of
constitutional liberty.
Whenever a set of men, in secret
conclave, conclude and resolve that, by
secret action, they are enabled to
intimidate by boycotting all other classes
of men, they must be governed in their
conclusions by men of small brains and
narrow intellects, for however great they
may believe their majority, it is reason
able to supp..s.:s - MorSs comes the
worst, or in other words, if the issue was
fully joined, all other classes of men
would combine against them, and if their
ed classes to succeed, then the result must
be that the wheels of industry and trade
must stop and unless the bully yielded
immediate anarchy must follow, and if, on
the other hand, all classes yielded to this
secret tribunal, misrule and anarchy must
come in a very short time.
The workingmen of America, unin
fuenced to socialistic ideas would never
conclude on such suicidal action.
Then how does it come about that we
have strikes and boycotting? Do not be-
lieve us if the truth of our answer is not
potent. Let the workingmen of every or
ganization in the United States,
whether the Independent Order of
Americans or the German cooperative
association, or any of the numerous for
eign organizations of workingmen in the
country. Let, we say, the individual mem
bers of all these organizations Einpass
view the kind of men that have led them
up to these strikes and boycotting, and
see if they do not recognize them as the
men who had some grand scheme, by
which they would bring about working
mems millennium, if the workingmen, or
dime week to the support of these phil
antropists, while they were working out
the problem for the laborer. Has not
every scheme of the kind been led by some
longhaired crank, either of the native or
foreign genus homo, who has discovered
a panacea for all the ills of workingmen
and wanted contribution to his personal
expenses until his scheme had time to
ripen?
Observe, further, are these men real
genuine workingmen? Or are they not
rather peripatetic tramps, carrying the
ticket of some deluded lodge who recon-
mend the brother as some second Mahom-
It, prophetic in the policy of bringing
,out a millennium. when carpenters and
icklayers, hod carriers and shoemak-
&oi1 cSc Jnt0