The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-28
PowDERLY's VIEWS.

Mr.. General Master Workman Pow
derby entertains ideas in regard to gov
ernments and societies. He has ideas
in regard to this government of the
United States, and ideas regarding what
it should be. The other day he COM
municated his ideas to a convention of
workingmen in Philadelphia, and
while the communication was 20 be re-
garded as of a secret nature, and there
fore not to be spread before the vulgar
and carping eyes of the reading pub
lie, il appeared in the newspapers just
as If It had been in
tended for publication. The Amer
lean journals. has views concerning
his profession which are not in strict
harmony with those entertained by Mr..
Powderly as TO what should be kept
secret and what made public. The
newspaper mans idea is that whatever
the public is interested in is news, and
should be published.
But as 10 Powderly's governmental
ideas. These may be reduced to two a.
TO the present government, and TO
two with reference TO the government
he would transform this one into. He
thinks the United States government is
clumsy and corrupt, and that the lawyer
figures in it too prominently. He would
reorganize the nation, on such plan as
would bring the honest men into office.
and would keep the lawyers in the back
ground. As to the first proposition,
We would all hold up our hands and
vote aye on it. But the difficulty lies IN
ascertainIng who are the honest men.
There Is just one way of learning as to
mems honesty and. ability, and that is
in the dear school of experience. Mr..
Powderly would probably establish the
rule OF accepting mans word
as to his honesty and capabilities,
but that would be no better than
the present system, if as good. The
Powderlys and the agitators generally
would come TO the front as they do now
and declare themselves good and pure
and capable, but their self-given GER
tiicstes of character might prove to be
reliable or otherwise. with the chances
largely in favor of the latter. Mr..
Powderly may not be aware of a pecu-
liar feature of human nature, which is
that honesty and modssty move to-
gether, as do real ability and diffidence.
Your truly honest man would no more
think Of mounting the stump and pro-
claiming himself honest than he
would think of supply ing his
CRATE from his neighbours coal-bin; and
the able and learned man who proelaims
his ability and learning from the house.
tops is a phenomenon. or would be il
such an one were to appear. We fear
that an "honest mans government.
according to Mr.. Powderly, would be a
very dishonest mans government.
As TO eliminating lawyers from the
legislative and executive branches of
government, the suggestion ought to
come from an ignoramus, and not from
a man protesting intelligence and che
who stands at the head of the most nu-
merous organization in the country. 1t
simply shows that Powderly Is
the narrow = minded man that
some have alleged him TO be. The
man who cannot OF does not distinguish
between lawyers and the scrub fellows
who hang out their shingles ard pro-
fess themselves lawyers displays mex
cusab.e ignorance. In all civilized
countries lawyers are found in the
front ranks of society, being among the
leaders of progressive and patriotic
and employing their abili-
ties and influence for good. 4 govern