The Labor enquirer., 1885-12-26
one Of The Many Hartyrs 70 the
Cause of Industrial
Liberty.
Eulogized BY Those Whe Knew
Him Well and Appreciate
His Heroism.
Dswa on Your Knees, Ye Wsridlinss,
just HANS spirit is
Ger YtIu.

Dl0, new IofK, IN looh
His parents were poor, but respect
able, and could trace their descent back
TO Plymouth Rock and beyond. but We
place NO emphasis on the distinction Of
his ancestry. he whose life was nobler
than any pedigree and whose labon
marx new epoch for the name.
His early life was spent on his fathers
farm which has long since become 9
crowded quarter Of Buffalo.
The only educational advantages he
received were two winters at the public
school, 30 that in the ordinary sense Of
the word be was comparatively unedu-
Gated, but in it's broader and truer sig
nifcapce he was highly educated indeed,
for his mind was fully developed, un-
folded, drawn ont by reasoning and OBJ
seryation, and al, his natural intelligence
was of the highest order, he needed
none of the false Embellishments which
shallow book Learning gives.
Having heard many golden legends in
his cold north home Of the auriferous
and sunny land ON the worlds west rim,
with the enthusiastic daring Of youth
and the adventurous spirit of his ances-
tors he grit up his loins and followed the
setting sun to join the immortal caraban
of Argonauts who sought to conquer
their fate in the quest for gold. Failing
to find the fortune of his ambition on
the streets Of San Francisco, he sought it
in Sacramento, falling there also. he
prospected his way into Nevada where
he worked in the silver mines for sew
ersl years. Getting tired of mining he
next turned hi, attention to farming;
for this purpose he prs-empted 100 acres
Of government land, paving for it in full.
He soon had it in a good state of cultiva-
ton and was on the high road to affu-
once and ease when q land shark Ia
well-known lawyer Of San Francisco)
came along aid claimed his ranch on
the ground Of prior title, he having pre-
yious to Starkw,,ather's entry covered it
with "Indian-sTipt," that most infa-
NOUS of American frarlds. In fighting
this land thief in the courts, he spent
every dollar hs had in the world and
lost his home and labor into the bargain.
Immediately ftsrz.thia lasa, -hes sre
turned to San l!fancisco and worked in
the grain warehouses few years until
his health began to fail when he was
forced to abandon hard labor and adopt
the business Of . petty trader, id fact, a
peddler, but moi a Ia Solomon Levy with
pack on his back and q lie on his tom
que; the special branch that he followed
was that of selling stationery and &C
count books to the business houses this
pursuit was always revolving to his high
sense Of useful and honorable citizen.
ship, not that it was less useful or respect
able than barking, brokerage or mer'
chandize on a large scale, but because
he regarded tho whole system of mod.
ern distribution as gigantic swindle Of
both producer s.nd consumer. However
he was fairly successful in this new
enterprise and had he possessed the fac
ulty for graspins, boarding might have &C.
cumulated sufficient TO enable him to .ex'
plot others, but he was sadly lacking in
these respects, for hsd his income been
vastly greater, his disbursing capacity
would have been equal to any emer'
gencv of superabundance-not that he
was extravagant (unthrifty, or the slave
of p4sonal intlul9ence) but he could not
keep and seq others in need neither
hadshe much weakness for almsgiving
but he applied all he had where it would
do the most good, not in lifting an in
dividual but in raising all men.
During the last ten years of his life he
was actively engaged in the labor reform
movement, bllt tho first time he came
prominently before the public was in ~
during the Pittsburg riots when he car.
ried the banner announcing meetings te
sympathize with the strikers. On thii
occasion he WAS arrested four times, hii
banner taken away each time, but al
quick as released on bail he would have
another one panied and start on hil
solitary parade as if nothing Unusual
had happened.
At this tine he introduced the "Irisf
World" to the Pacific coast readers a
being then one of the best reform paper
in the English language. During tht
following three years he sold and distri
buted free at least 100000 copies, th'
reading of which must have borne some
good fruit although we may not see th,
harvest.
He was one of the earliest members o
the socialistic LABOR party on this coast
and with few others the organizer o
the first English speaking section. 4
was in connection with this organization
that his lif,s most glorious work wa
done, his devotion to principle exempli
fed and his heroism crystalized. On
of his most useful labors at this time Wa
the establishment of a fund for the pul
chase and iistntution of Socialistic Iii
erature. Not only did he do all th
labor of this department himself but b
L was the largest lash contributor to il
finances.
He WAS the EVERLASTING foe of polite
and it Wis chiefly owing to his effor