Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1885-12-13
AGITATION.


are two large classes directly inter
ested IN the present conflict. A
third class, the farmers and middle
men, who are impartial or partial
spectators, are indirectly interested.
When, now and then, the boycott
takes one Of these lookers-on by the
ear, tiguratiyely speaking, they be
come somewhat directly interested.
Now, there is such IA thing as pub
lie favor and public sympathy. It's
"A wise thing to have the community
ON our side, that is, if we can have
them without playing the hypocrltc
or doing violence to our honest con
yictions. To-day there is considcru-
bic preaching and editing going on,
to win over the public mind to
either side. Yes, even the stage is
occasionally utilized to begct sym
pathy for one side or the other.
Agitation is either education or
something else which is not cduca-
ton, but humbugging. The pulpit
and the press can only rely on the
ancient policy Of persuadng their
listeners or readers to ''shut their
eyes and open their mouths, when
people are gulllble enough to do 50.
Our most dangerous antagonist is
ignorance. Our greatest ally Is Ell
lightenment. Agitation, to be
effective, like II gun, must have II
specific aim. 1t must not simply
aim at ignorance i'll general, but at
u particular kind of ignorance,
namely, at that kind of ignorance
on the part of the people which per-
mlts the money-power to manipulate
our legislatures, and which permits
the legislatures to pass laws directly
aimed at the life Of this republic.
For illustration, the legislature Of
Illinois, shortly after the Pittsburg
riot or thereabouts, hurried law
through forbidding the carrying of
arms. An appeal to the Supreme
Court confirmed what the legislature
knew all well enough, namely, that
to carry arms is constitutional
right. again ii is "a.lored or whis-
pered in IN undertone, 50 secretly
that one can hear it all through the
East, that the bribcd pcttiioggcrs
and shystcrs of various corporations
are going to make u fierce onslaught
on the X. of l.. by passing u bill
that shall punish boycotting and
striking rs conspiracy" In Massa-
chusetts biennial elections are
praised to the very skies, to induce
gulllble citizens to help the corpora
tons in removing the law-making
power from the masses and to per
manently establish an obligarchy of
Mammon. 1t is plain that the legal
profession is the cringing lickspittIc
of capitalism, and the X. of l.. did
wiser than they knew when they cx-
cluded lawyers from the Order,
Lawyers--the majority of them are
paid to play hide and seek with
Justice; to show not what Justice is,
but to prove that injustice is Justice.
Agitation must aim at educating
the public to fully appreciate the
fundamental principle underlying
all just government. The people
must learn that the common interest
Is as a mountain compared to which
the claim Of corporations and com
petlng spectators, is Ms II mouse.
1t is well said that stealing is wrong
in principle, even if the object
stolen is only pin. Now, if any
thing is wrong and unjust in princi-
pie, it is wrong to any extent,
whether small or large; and, on the
other hand, if anything be right in
principle, it is right to any extent,
whether large or small. Let us now
apply this simple rule to monopoly
and see how it works. If it be right
in principle that a corporation should
issue money, that another corpora
ton should own the street RAILWAYS,
that still another corporation should
control the water supply and another
the supply of gas. if it be right in
principle that private individuals
may own land, buy land and sell
land; if it be right that few men
should own and control the railroads
and telegraphs and the mines; if it
be right that small minority should
own, monopolize and control all the
machinery; if all this private con-
troll and monopoly be right in prin-
ciple, then let us rejoice and con-
1