The Labor enquirer., 1886-05-01
MONOPOLY.
Organized for Selfish and I'M
lawful Purposes, Against
the Rights oft0thers.
Ball0tg not Bullets, Advocated as
Y a Remedy for the Crying
Evils of the Day.
VOx POpuIi, YOx Dei-"The Voice Of
the People is the Voice
of God"
Editor Labor Enquirer.

Editor Labor Enquirer.
Laboring men, so act that your princI-
pie of action would bear to be made a
law for the whole world your brother
hood sustained as the great expounder
of American liberty your organizations
respected as we'll as fe tred, not on ac-
count of their numerical strength, but
by reason of their strength of character,
the ruth and purity of the principles
they advocate. In all things that you
say or do, be sure YOU are right, and
then with all frmness, tempered with
mercy, go ahead, fodder or no fodder"
Remember good intentions are all very
we'll, but if good Intentions be not sec
onded by good actions, the want of such
action as may be necessary to accom-
plish desired end is made so much the
more criminal and ineXcusable.
The charge Is made against you, that
|
only intended to improve the con llti n
of their own members, leaving a large
Dumber of your fellow beings uncared
for and oppressed, oppressed Lot only by
your trade unions, but by the very same
iron hand, Monopoly, that you YOUR
selves are to-day asking the c'ngress of
the United States to so regulate as that
you may be protected ia your rights as
American citizens, and that earnest,
honest labor shall merit igher reward
than a pauper's grave. The charge
made against YOU is rtainly a grave
one. Have you, with the intelligence of
thinking men, considered it? Is there
no some great wro; g, not Intentional,
but through force of circumstances, llv-
ing within yourselves at you have
failed to remove, or so act upon as to
control? ? If 80, canEot you now right
that wrong, and thereby prove the falsitv
of these charges and the humane SINGER
ity of your principles, the Christian
purity of your organizations? Do you
pot believe that little more care taken
in the selection of men to high political
places would remove many of the evils
yol are now charged with, right many
wrong, and at least tighten the cross
that you and your loved ones are now
forced to bear? Do you not think that
it IS now high time for you to say to
those seeking political preferment, that
candidates for Office and the platforms
upon which they are nominated are an
entirety, the former to receive the suf-
frages of the people on condition that
they represent and support the latter,
and that departure from the principles
as laid down in the platform upon which
they are nominated and elected, is such
breach of faith as to absolve all good
citizens from their obligations to support
such candidates, and rebuke the fraud
that attempts to secure preterment
through your sufrSges upon platform
containing promises, pledges I'd declar-
ations of principles, not promise OF
which is performed, a pledge redeemed,
nor principle maintained.
By adopting such principle as this as
the great foundation upon which you
are to build your future prosperity, and
SECURE for your organization the respect
and confidence of all classes of your
fellow citizens, you will not only remove
the evil charges that have been made
against you, but you will come before
tie country with clean hands, an organ
ization of pure principles, whose prac-
tices will not be utterly at variance with
professed principles; an organization
well prepared aud that will sedulously
labor for the neral welfare, not alone
for the workingmen, but for all classes,
both in and out oftrade unions, and all
other law-abiding organizations. An
organization that will be marked by a
fearless denunciation of corruption and
steady determined sympathy with
labor IN ali its Just demands, one that
will be persistent in It's opposl ton to
monopolies OF all kinds, favoring and
requiring public corporations to treat all
men Justly, fairly and lmpartially, toier-
atfng no discrimination in any Corpora
ton holdlug its franchise for the public
use and benefits.
There is no question in the world but
what YOU are correct in your belief that
.monopol1stic, and not labor influence,
threatens the liberty of the people. 1t
has divided American citizens into
classes of rich and poor and those who
live on fixed incomes, yet produce moth
4 ing, and those whose labor paws all taxes
and supports all classes it controls the
principal avenues of commerce and
travel and the transmission of intell-
gence; it wields an undue influence
over the public press and elections il
corrupts all legislative, Judicial and ex-
ecutive officers, and above all, 1t initiates
contracts and controls he volume o.
currency and credits, las evidenced by
the action of the forty-ninth congress in
refusing to enact such law or laws as
, will give to the American people what
the constitution of the United States de