San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-10-30
Monday, November LIST.
ADDRESS
To the Workingmen of Bexar
County.

ing and waiting and working has at last
come. The industrial classes of this
state, and OF other states also, despair
ing of securing through the regular party
channels that redress of grievances I'M
der which they have so long suffered,
have determined to cut loose from their
servtude to the old political parties and
name their own candidates for office in
which, as wOrkingmen, they are more
Immediately and particularly interested.
The time for taking this step in BeNar
county is most Opportune. There never
has been in the political history of the
county a more favorable opportunity
for asserting our rights. The two great
political parties are torn by internal dis
sentions. The democracy of the county
and of the state are alike dl-
vided. The republican party of the state
Is in the field with a ticket, up
on a platform so very generally in
harmony with our views, as working
men, that we have concluded to give II
oar hearty support. The republican
candidate for governor, Hon. A. ".
Cochran, in his recent speech in this
city, took substantially the ground for
which we have been COntending for
years. This gives us every reason TO
hope that in the present mixed COndi-
receive very general support from the
republican voters of the Countrywide are
themselves without any ticket in the
field.
The iniqutOus class legislation OF
the democratic party of this state calls
for the sternest denunciation on our
part. Grown powerful through over
whelming majorities, the democracy of
the state, while claiming to be the
workingman's friend, have turned their
backs upon his claims and denied him
his rights. There is to-day upon the
statute books of this great state one
law for the poor man and another law
for the rich man. The burdens of city
and county and state fall more heavily
upon the poor, in proportion
rich. Even in the punishments
melted out to offenders the poor are dis
eliminated against, and that which is
only misdemeanor in the rich is felony
in the poor. The whole state is stirred
to its center and the cry Of the outraged
poor is heard from one end of it to the
other, demanding reform.
The hour is ripe for revolution. Not
the revolution of FORCE, but the revOlu-
tiOn of the BALLOT BON. We call upon all
workingmen in Bexar county, without
regard to race or condition, without re-
gard to former political affiliations, 10
come to our rescue and their own. with
no thought but that of Tescuing our
state legislature from being the mere in
strument of the rich for the oppression
of the poor. we call upon you, working.
men, to vote only for the candidates of
the labor party. Put only wOrkingmen's
candidates into the legislature this win
ter. With them your interests are safe,
and those interests are safe with the
candidates of no other party. The battle
is being fought in every section OF the
state rs well as in BeXar county. DO
not imagine, workingmen of san AntO-
MO and Bexar county, that you are alone
in this tight. The Issues have been made
and the battle RACES from the Rio
GraDde to the north line of the
state. In every county and in
every precinct of every county, on next
Tuesday, your fellow wOrkmen wi be
working and voting as We here in San
Antonio will be working and voting:
working to elect a legislature that will
enact equal laws for alP' and give sex
elusive privileges to nOne;" working 10
elect assessors that Will lay the burdens
of government as heavily upon the dol
lars of the rich as upon the dollars of the
poor, dollar for dollar; working 10 put
good men in Office who will devise wisely
for the good of all; who will feel the
wrongs which the industrial classes suf-
fer. and be ready to redress them.
This Industrial league Is not for this
campaign only. 1t is for all time. 1t is
a permanent departure that we have
taken. We mean to stick.
The power is in yOur own hands. OF
this there is no doubt. The workingmen
of this county Outnumber all other
classes. Our power at the ballet-box is
greater than the power of all our enc
mics combined. Take the wOrkingmen's
vote away from the pOll-sheets OF this
county and you take away much the
larger half. II we only exerted our
power as working men, the enemies of
labor could not stand against us single
day. 1t is not disuniOn, REORGANIZATION,
anarchy that we want. We want, and
must have, equal rights for all men;
equal protection before the law; equal
punishment for crimes; equal taxes too.
We Fave as great stake in good gov
eminent as the rich, and greater.
Their wealth is their defence; our de-
fence is the righteousness of equal laws,
impartially administered. To get these
laws we must elect our own candidates
to the state leg islature. To do this we
must poll united workiDgman's vote
for these candidates.
The ticket you have put in the field is
the strongest ticket now before the peo-
pie Of this county. Not man on 1t
whose record can be impeached. No
power on earth can prevent that ticket
from being elected next Tuesday but
divisions among ourselves. If We keep
our ranks closed up and unite as one man
at the polls on that day, the victory is
ours. Evil men with all the corrupting