The Labor enquirer., 1886-11-27

truth or what they think Is tne truth.
That is the sum of my offending. 1t
turns them out upon the wayside when
it is used as it is.
Mr.. PowderlY. in his official address
to large assembly of the representa-
tives Of labor. at Richmond, the 0 ther
day, said hat Anarchy was the legiti-
mate product Of monopoly. I have said
you must abolish the private property
system. Mr.. English said that I said,
1T had no mercy, SO ought you" Proba-
bly, if l said sit had no mercy" I did not
say the latter part of the sentence in
that way. 1 probably said. $50 you
oughtno to have any mercy" Is it
doubted by anybody that.the system has
mercy7 Does it not pursue its natural
course, irrespective of whom it hurts or
upon whom it confers benefts2 The
private property system then, in nv
my opinion, being system that only
subserves the interests of few, and can
only subserve the interests of the few,
has no mercy. 1t cannot stop for the
consideration of such sentiment. Nat
urally it cannot. So you ought not to
haye mercy upon the private property
system, because it IL we'll known that
there are many people in the community
with prejudices in their minds. They
have grown up under certain social reg
ulations, and they believe that those
social regulations are right, just as Mr..
Grinnell believes that everything in
America Is right, because he happened
ia be born here. And they have such a
prejudice against anyone who attacks
those systems.
Now, say they ought not to have any
mercy upon systems that do not SUBJ
serve their interests. They ought not
to have that respect for them that would
interfere with their abolishing them.
And that is all that they can possibly
mean by any kind of gymnastics. When
l say it does turn them out upon the
wayside; when l know-and Captain
Setback knows how many men there
were last winter and the winter before
who came to him and asked please to
allow them to sleep on the station floor
to keep them from the inclemency of
the weather, say it has no mercy. And
why should such men have mercv on it,
as to keep it in existe ce? Why should
they not destroy it, as long as it is de-
stroying them?
Your honor, after the hay market
meeting, after had escaped from the
showers of bullets with slight wound,
and after had been around, as I told
you on the witness stand, trying to find
my comrades who had been in the meet
ing to find out whether they we're alive
or not. went home. The explosion of
the bomb was as much surprise to me
as it was to any policeman. You can
Judge how l felt at that time, not know
ing what damage had been done, the
suddenn ess of such a calamity coming
down upon one, and knowing as 1 must
have known, that should be held, in
some respect at least, responsible. After
getting nv wound dressed I went home.
1t was late. Ny mind was racked with
the thoughts of what would occur on
the morrow, and finally resolved, as
anv innocent man would have done, if
they want me to explain my connection
with this catastrophe, let them come and
ask me to do 30.
Mr.. Slavton has testified here that,
when he came to my house. was sitting
in my room. didn't attempt to run
away When he came there l opene d
the door to him. l had been out walk
ing around the streets that morning, and
there was plenty Of ofopportunity for me
to have been hundreds of miles away.
He said he wanted 10 see me. I knew
him by sight and knew what was his
occupation. 1 said: "All right, l will
go with you."
l have said here that thought when
the representatives of the state had in.
ouired by means of their policemen as
to my connection with it that l should
have been released. And 1 say now, in
view of all the authorities that have been
read on the law of accessory, that there
is nothing in evidence that has been In
troduced to connect me with that affair.
One of the Chicago papers, at the con-
clusion of the states attorneys case, said
that they might have proved more about
these men, about where they were and
what they we're doing on the second
and third of May. When l was told
that Captain Schaak had got confessions
out of certain persons connected with
this affair, said, Let them confess all
they like. AS long as thsY will tell only
the truth care nothing for their con-
fessions." l had nothing to do with it,
no knowledge of it, and the gentlemen
there know it, was arrested.
l am going to speak about something
that has not come out In the testimony.
l have right to tell it now. 1 do not
do it with any vindictiye feeling.
I do not do it to hurt any body. But the
last few days that l have to live l hope
to do some good, and hope what am
going to state will have the tendency to
do do some good. was arrested and
brought to the central station. l had