The Labor enquirer., 1886-10-23

doubtedlvs ,beecharacterlzed as WHO 90
cialists. 1t is net unlikely that ! said
Washington would have been hanged for
treason if the Revolution had failed.
Grlnnell has made this "sacrilegious re-
mark" his main arrow against me.
WhyP Because he intended to invelgh
the know-nothing spirit against US. But
who will deny the correctness OF the
statement?
That should have compared myself
to Washington is base lie. But II l
had, would that be'-murder? = ! may
have told that individual, who appeared
here as witness, that the workingmen
should procure arms, as force would
in all probability be the ultimo ratio, and
that In Chicago there were so and SO
many already armed. But certainly
have not said that we propose to inau-
gurate the Social Revolution" And let
me say here that Revolutions are no
more made than earthquakes and cy-
clones. Revolutions are, like these, the
effect of certain causes. l, who have
made social philosophy specific study
for more than ten wears, should have
talked such nonsense! LIDO believe that
the Revolution is near at hand, in fact,
that it Is upon US. But did I or my
friends here make it? Is the physician
responsible for the death of patient be-
cause he foretold that death? If any
one is to be blamed for the coming Rev
olution it is the ruling class, who stead
lly refused to make concessions as re-
forms became necessary, who MAINTAIN
that they can call a halt to progress and
dictate a standstill to the eternal forces,
of whom they themselves are but
whimsical creation.
Seven policemen have died, said Grin
nell, suggestively winking at the jury.
You want a life for life, and have con-
victed an equal number of men, OF
whom it cannot be truthfullY said that
they had anything whatsoever to do
with the killing of Bonfeld's victims.
The very same principle of iurlspru-
dence we find among various savage
tribes. Injuries among them were
eoualized. 80 to speak. The Chinooks
and the Arabs, for instance, would de-
mand the life of an enemy for every
death they had suffered at the enemies
hands. They were not particular IN re-
gard to the persons just 80 long as they
had life for life. This is also the old
Judaic principle, and it prevails to-day
among the natives of the Sandwich Is
lands. If we are to be hanged on this
principle, then, let us know it, and let
the world know what civilized and
Christian country it is in which the
Goulds, Vanderbilts, Stanfords, the Ar
mours and other local money harvesters
have come to the rescue of liHertY and
Justice
Grinnel has repeatedly stated that
"our country" is an enlightened country.
The verdict against us is the anathema
of the wealthy class over their des-
poiled victims, the vast army of wage
workers and farmers. If your honor
would not have these believe that we
have once more arrived at the Spartan
senate, the Athenian areopagus and the
Venetian council of ten, sentence should
not be pronounced. But if you think
that Gy hanging us you can stamp out
the labor movement, the movement
from which the downtrodden millions,
the millions who toll and live in want
and misery, await salvation-if this is
your intention, then, call on your hang
men.
Here you will tread upon spark, but
there, and there, behind you and in
front of you and everywhere, flames
blaze upl 1t is subterranean fire
you cannot put it out. The ground is on
fire upon which you stand. You cannot
understand it; you do not believe in
witchcraft and magical arts, as your
great grandfathers did. who burned
witches on the stake, but you believe in
conspiracies You believe that all these
occurrences of late are the work of con-
spirators. You resemble the child who
is looking for his picture behind the
mirror. What you see and what you
try to grasp is nothing but the deceptive
reflex of the creation of your own bad
conscience. You want to stamp out the
"conspirators," the "agitators ?" Ha
Stamp out every factory lord who has
grown wealthy upon the unpaid labor
of his employees Stamp out every land
lord who has amassed fortunes from the
rent of over burdened workingmen and
farmers. Stamp out every machine that
is Revolntionizing industry and agricul-
ture, that intensihes the production and
ruins the producer, that increases the
national wealth, while the creator of all
these treasures stands amidst them tan
talized with hunger. Stamp out the
railroads, the steamships, the telegraph,
the telephone, steam and yourselves
for every thing bears the stamp of our
Revolutionary time.
Rapine and plllage are the order of a
certain class of gentlemen who find this
mode of earning livelihood easier and
preferable to labor. This is the kind of