The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-08

son. lie knew / never struck match and
ignited the fuse in the bomb. He is not Social
him on the stand2 you ask. Because the honor
able representatives of Grinnell and Bonfeld
spirited him away. They knew his testimony
would prove the perjury of Thompson and Gil
mer will refer to the testimony given
by few Of our witnesses. The wage
workers began to say few things very
Objectionable to some of patrican friends.
They thought eight hours of toll ought to con-
stitute a days work The rabble ought to be
silenced. and it was felt Bonfield was the man TO
consnmmate the wishes of the citizens associa-
sion; Bon6ed with visage that only needs TO
be seen to he mistrusted-he was the man to do
this work. If l had thrown that bomb if l
knew the man who did throw it. | would not
hesitate to own it. This, your Honor is one
reason why sentence of death should not be
passed upon me In court of justice If that term
can be applied to this tribunal
81 remember that the Chicago Tribune of
Feb. 23, 1885, contained q long account of
dynamite bombs TO be used against rebel
lious workingmen. Why not the editor of
the Tribune tried for espousing the doctrine of
dynamite? for that is all the Arbeter Zeitung
did And why was not the editor of the Daily
News tried! III his paper there was long ac-
count of the manufacture of bombs, and one of
them was found in his possession. This, your
Honor is another reason why sentence OF death
should not be pronounced.
II have been a resident of this city for as long
time as Grinnel, and as good a one-I know |
should not like TO be compared to him. He has
appealed to the patriotism of the jury, but in
answer to that l shall quote from English
statesman: Patriotism is the last resort of a
scoundreL' The system of wages is the root of
the present social iniquities s-inquities SO mon
strous as to cry to heaven Grinnell has in
formed US that anarchism was on trial. Anarch-
ism belong to speculative philosophy, and not a
word was said about anarchism at the Hsymar-
ket But If anarchism s on trial, | am proud to
say am an Anarchist. You may pronounce
your sentence on me, honorable Judge, but let it
be known that in the year 1886, in the State of
Illinois, eight men have lost their faith in human
progress 1t is the old question. Look over the
pages of the history Of Greece and Rome. There
you will see the records of the sef-same strug-
gle-the ruling class dominating the poorer one.
Honorable judge, the demons of hell will join
in the laughter that follows your sentence. Ii
the opinion of the court is to become law. then
there is no person In this country who could not
be lawfully hung. l say that upon that law
every person in this country could be convicted
of conspiracy, or, AS the case may be, for mur.
der Every member of the trades-unions
Knights of Labor, or any such organization, can
be convicted of conspiracy. If you carry that
ruling into effect, you will be responsible for the
blood that will be she'd, and the blood of the in
nocent will come upon you. Seven policemen
have died. said Grinnell. You wantlife for life,
and have convicted an equal number of men
of whom it cannot be truthfuly
said that they had anything what:
Bonfelds victims The very same system of
jurisprudence can be found among various saw
age peoples and tribes. Injuries are equaliZed,
to speak, by the infection of a similar wrong
to that received at their enemies hands They
are not particular as to responsibility or the
identity of tho persons sacrificed so long as they
have life for lfe Principle prevails to a consid-
erable extent among the natives of the Sand
wich Islands. If we are to be hanged upon
these principles, then let it be known, let the
world know what civilized and Christian coun-
try is this, in which the Vanderbilts, the Jay
Goulds and the rest pose as the rescuers of law
and liberty.
"Grinnell has repeatedly said Our country is
an enlightened country. Well, he may put that
in his album. If your Honor thinks that by the
execution of this verdict you can stamp out the
lab6T spnvement, you DO not comprehend the
power ~ Shat mighty movement from which the
downtrodden and miserable children of toll hope
for relief. You know not where the blaze will
next break out. 1t is subterranean fire that
you cannot put out. The ground is on fire upon
which you stand. You want to stamp out the
conspiracy. You resemble child that is look
ing for his picture behind a mirror. What you
see and what you try to grasp in our move
ment is nothing but tho creation of your own
bad consciences If you want to stamp out the
conspraces and the agitators, you must stamp
out every factory lord who has made his wealth
upon the unpaid labor of his employees, and the
down and oppressed laborers and farmers.
'It is fact that few men control ali me
chanical appliances, out of which they make
gold by sacrificing the lives of little children
while able-bodied men are starving. But we
cannot go back. We are advancing The tide
cannot be stopped One of my clergymen
friends, shortly before my arrest said: You are
organizing revolution This ia my reply "A
revolution cannot be organized-cannot be cre-
ated-it is not any more the work of men than
earthquakes or cyclones We are simply pre-
pairing the conditions of the revolution Does
that look as if l contemplated that violence be
committed on May l, or May 4, as has been
charged2
Capital is of that school of economics that
teaches how one class can live off another, while
socialism teaches how all can get riches; but at
the same time it demands that all men shall
work honestly for their living. In socialism is
to be found the doctrine of cooperation. 1t
teaches that laborsaving machinery is the prop
erty of the state, are all the mines and
natural resources of the country. Society will
eventually come to this and will demand its
rights, though you erect a gallows on every
street corner.
Concerning my associates, I will say this:
never saw Lingg but twice before my arrest l
have not been on speaking terms with Engel for
over year, and Fischer, my lieutenant, went
about making speeches against me. If you
think you can crush out these ideas, which are
gaining ground every day, by sending US to the
gailows; that you can suppress trutb-for that Is
all we have been preaching-you will fail"
Then, fourishing his arms wildly, Spies fairly
shrieked:
II shall die proudly, defantly. for the cause
of justice. There is Socrates, there is Gahleo
there is Bruno, there is Christ-why, the num-
Der cannot be estimated of those who have trod-
den in these paths. and We are ready to follow
them"
Michael Sehwab then took the floor. In a
stentorian voice he began: ut is not much
have to say, and would say nothing at all did
/ not fear silence would look like a cowardly
approval of what has been done here. am
condemned to die for writing newspaper edi-
torials." The Anarchist then went on to justify
these articles by going over, in detail. all the
real or imaginary evils Of the accumulations of
capital, and the injustice of the relations be-