The Labor enquirer., 1886-11-27
His First Two Weeks Expe-
rienee in a Large, Strange,
New Field.
Arousing the Bone and Sinew Of
the Land to the Wrongs Laid
Upon Their Brothers.
Blue Coats at st. Louis, Red Flags at
Kansas City, and Brave
Hearts Everywhere.
FoE the ENQUIRER.

For the ENQUIRER.
The readers Of The ENQUIRER will
pardon my seeming neglect in sending
an account of my wanderings when
inform them that during the fourteen
days I have been absent from home
have held four public meetlngs-at
which 1 was the only speaker-have
visited seven assemblies of the K. of L.
that have been kept continually busy
each day looking after matters pertain
Ing to the work I am engaged in, and in
preparing nv lectures. Having noset'
tied abiding place, engaged in work
entirely new and strange to me; besides
being by nature great home bird"
there is little wonder that ], too, became
unsettled neglected my private cores
pondence and my duties to The ENoU1-
RER and other papers.
What induced me to take up this
work? Why should offee my poor
services to cause SO apparently hope
less :? Looking back over the few DAYS
that have been wanderer, l try to
analyze my motives and my feelings.
can find nothing to regret; nothing to
boast of. Some may question my mo-
tives. I can only say they do not know
me. Some may praise me. With heart
felt thankfulness and deep humility I
can only say i do not desire or deserve
it. Others again may question the pro.
prietv of the public announcement of
my decision. To such will only say,
every heart knows its own promptings
best. With me there is no looking
back; no faltering; no dread of the fu-
ture. 1 have deliberately chosen my
path. For more than year have con-
tenn plated this final step. Ihave locked
forward to it as an event sure to come,
impossible to avoid. Unworthy and in
capable as l. was l vet felt that duty
urged me on. 1t was my fate and l
accel ted it as such. Only I thought
that few months further preparation
was necessary, but the incarceration
and condemnation of our devoted COM
rades IN Chicago assured me that the
time lad come. l saw my work and l
have begun it.
When the friends of humanity fall by
the Yayside others must take their
places. 1 felt that it was now my turn.
could not rest, could not be happy or
contented at home. Thousands of peo.
pie throughout the west had given their
silent approval to the iniquitous verdict
which was to send seven brave, true and
innocent men to the scafold. Some
thing must be done to break down the
wall of prejudice; somebody must 60
out and tell the people what crimes are
being done in the name and under the
sanction of the law. Talented and capa-
BILE men IN abundance there were, vet
they held back, and l determined it
should be my work. This, then, is my
labor for the present: to do what little
can in arousing the people against this
unholy verdict of passion, prejudice and
hate, which condemns eight innocent
men to an ignominious, barbarous
death.
l held three meetings in st. Louis.
The first was held on the Saturday
prior to election day. Although the city
was ablaze with political excitement
and torch-light PROFESSIONS, the meeting
was we'll attended. l spoke for two
hours and half upon the question :
The Haymarket Tragedy and Anarch-
lists Trial" and held my audience till
the end. This lecture l repeated, with
notifications, to an audience of about
500 the second Sunday following, and at
the close of the lecture recited, by re-
quest, The Modern Spartacus,' which
has been published by The ENQUIRER
This was the first time had read it be-
fore the public, and was highly gratifed
at it's enthusiastic reception.
Itried to impress upon my hearers
the necessity of energetic, and deter
mined action in resisting the tyranny Of
bourgeoise laws. The people of this
country do not know half the crimes
that are perpetrated under the sanction
| of the law and through the courts OF
Justice. They imagine themselves free
and in full possession of their constltu-
tional rights. 1 told them that a gov
ernment which sanctioned fraud at the
ballot box, which connived at the cor
ruption of Judges and the purchase Of
iuries; a government which is soug t tc
be perpetuate by suppresslng free
speech, interfering with the right of the
people to peacesbly assemble, and bang
ing innocent men at the command o
monopoly-such a government could
not and should not live, and even nov
its death knell is ringing over the land
The next evening we had anothe
meeting a: Carondelet (south st. Louis
at which 1 spoke about an hour and