The Labor enquirer., 1885-12-26

his continual trlumphs over the sleuth-
hounds of the law. His personal cour-
age, nncoupled with any brayado or
egotism, could not probably be eoualed
by any other living man, and in our
short sightedness, we have sometimes
wished that he might have had greater
theater for its exhibition.
The foregoing are but a few notes of
the man, jotted down in haste as they
occur during the writing. Nothing has
been exaggerated, the thousandth part
has not been said, even had we the time
and the desire to do SO. we should still
forever leave unwritten his history, such
omission being the most fitting tribute
our friendship could give to the memory
Of a man who, if he could, would be.
'pamesess lest sfd5eeff ef,o one might mention
him with pfaiiy- tl.--T1=-7' 80, J
To fatter him living would be insult;
to praise him in death would be desecra-
ton. s. ROBERT WILSON.
In the preceding columns, Comrade
Wilson has given you little of what he
knows about the first martyr in the
American Socialist movement. His
words have treated of the man, his char
acter, his actions. On me falls the de-
voir, without detailing those deeds that
made his life glory. to define as best /
may some of the beliefs he had, that
effect the fate of the American people.
Of this people he was one; of all the
great impulses, the lofty thoughts, the
rightful purposes which it has had, he
was the microcosm more than any other
man these eyes have seen.
For the Cause of Others, as ours is. 1
have starved little, and could starYe
more; for it I feel that / can not only
die, but live and struggle. For in all the
world see but two things which doubt
whether I would sacrifice for it-my
personal pride.and the love of my wife,
the one that draws me up to Heaven,
the other my darling sin. But for it
could not do what Stark weather did. For
it could not don red shirt and cap
and sell Truth upon the streets of a city
where all men knew and ieered me; for
it could not give up love and the sweet
babble of young children; for it / could
not with infinite meekness (having q
lions heart) endure the rough hand Of
arrogant authorfty-No, cost what it
might should reply to force by force.
In the Cause that we all hold 80 dear,
few have / seen who have never lost
faith, who have forever smiled when
spit upon by those whose lives and whose
children's lives they labor to preserve
Glory to that Cause, glorious above ali
others, if there be men besides, as I
know there are, that live and labor still
as he of the blood of the old Vikings
did, on the shores washed by the western
sea.
| 1t is to Starkweather more than to any
other man that the reorganization in
America, upon a scientific basis. of the
International is due. 1t is to him thai
the first definite statement of the prin
ciples and tactics of Scientific Socialism
that appeared in English on American
soil is due. It is to his efforts, his hero.
ism that was owing greatly the publica
ton of Truth as Socialistic organ
| Above and beyond all it must be placed
to his credit the International &c
widely and clearly, SO absolutely con
dems the spirit ofjealousy, the curse o
dlscord, the quicksand of persona
/ leadership. the iniquity of ignorant de
structiveness.
4 He was among the first to foresee anG
proclaim that the private quarrels be
tween the Headers" of the German
Socialistic Labor Party and the Com
munist- Anarchists must not be permitted
! to iniure the great cause in America Il
declare that Socialism here must b,
propagated by Americans, upon Ameri
can lines, upon basis drawn from oul
!, country's history; to protest against AM