The Labor enquirer., 1886-12-18

/ 49, sAeSA~ W. w w pS8 WOVhs LII Q
hundred dollars year guaranteed woul
be considered good pay by these miners
found that my radical friend ha
already sown some good seed. Numel
GUS copies of Victor Hugo's address t
the Rich and the Poor had been distrit
uted among the miners, and the signif
can't closing sentence, "Be reasonable
poor man, you were made to be slave,
was often repeated with a bitterness
which showed the working of the dis
contented mind.
I After hume rous difficulties, some Q
which seemed almost overwhelming,
meeting was arranged, and at the ap
pointed time small number of miner
and few knights IN the town gathered
together to listen to the gospel of dis
content. / talked to the men of thei
poverty and their trials. I told then
that the wealth which they we're digging
from the bowels of the earth had beel
stolen from them-their natural inheri
tance and birthright-by their capital
istic masters, aided by the laws which
they were called upon to honor an(
obey, spoke to them of natural right
and the imposslbility, in equity. of ont
man or class owning the land or its pro
ducts until labor, which alone produced
wealth, had been expended upon it.
The next day l went back to KaDsa
City, just too late to meet the English
Socialists. Dr.. and Mrs. Aveling. The
same night took the train for Law
renee, where stayed over THANKSGIVING
with an old friend who had moved tc
Kansas some wears SINCE. During my
stay in Lawrence | visi ed the principle
assembly there, and was as usual, well
received by the bre .hren. Topeka was
my next objective point, and accord
lngly FASTENED thither and was met al
the depot by one of the radicals of that
city and taken to his home.
l am sorry to say that l fonnd the sit
uation of afAirs among the Knights of
Labor very different in Topeka and
Lawrence from what l had expected
Internal dissensions and iealou5ie5 have
done much to weaken the order in both
cities. Topeka is virtually under con
troll of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe road, and the railroad employees there
are almost afraid to call their souls their
own. Were it MT for few of the mem
bers Of the International the situation
would be extremely discouraging. How.
ever, found most of the "old timers
there only needed little stirring up,
and backed by them (although l was
compelled to do all the work myself l
managed to get quite a turnout to my
lecture, l had sent notes Of invitation
to the college students and was much
pleased to find quite a delegation of the
boys at the meeting. Accordingly
spent more time in the elucidation ol
Socialistic principles and defining An
archy than l had done at previous
meetings, and for two hours had 6
very attentive audience.
Having heard nothing from Omaha,
to which city had written, l turned
my gaze homeward and accordingly
started for Chicago the day following
that on which the meeting was held
sto Jping a few hours at the Labor Or
ganizer office in Kansas City where l
found the Vrooman boys hard at work
as usual.
Five weeks experience in the field
among people of all shade of opinion
and in daily contact with the selfish and
the self-sacrifcing, has only made lne
more pronounced in nv radlcalism and
more determined to fight the Beast Of
Property to the bitter end. AS the de-
maDds of family are pressing s, re upor
me, however. and the trip just finish eC
has been made largely at my own ex
pense, shall be compelled to turn my
attention for the present to a means o1
livelihood, hoping tnat before long,
may again be enabled to 60 forth tC
preach the gospel" This time my
whole endeaVors have been in behalf .
our condemned comrades, and The great
question of labor'S rights and wrongs
has been made subservient to that o
Justice for the Chicago Anarchists. Lei
us hope that should again be calleC
into the field the urgent, immediate
need of justice toward eight men viii
have been removed that the great ant
increasing necessity of justice to all mer
may receive my whole attention.
WM. HofAEs.
CHICAGO, Dec. l3.