The Labor enquirer., 1886-05-01
DENVER. COLORADO, SATURDAY. MAY l, 1885,

create strikes and panics, destroy prop
erty values, paralyze busln ess, throw
labor out of employment, and stop the
demand f,r its production.
In Just such influences as this will
thoroughly honest investigation of the
facts find the germ of all the evils now
distressing the country. 1t is no. capital
against labor, nor labor against capital,
but 1t Is the authority granted or allowed
to monopolies to exercise an undue con-
troll over labor, not in one, but in all
things, holding as it does in a firm and
merciless grasp the unlawful right to
deny the employe the sacred privileg ge
of exercising political rights in accord
ance with the dictates of conscience,
when doing so comes in conflict with
their views or pet schemes. And then
VIXEN manhood revolts against slavery,
with solemn faces do they come before
the people exhibiting this evidence of
American liberty, in the light of a great
wrong, inflicted upon great and good
monopoly, as was the dead Dody of Cesar
by the Romans-for effect.
The first organized to advance,
regardless of the rights of others, their
own selfish and unlawful purposes, and
now labor has organized for protection
against the evils these monopolies would
force upon, not one, but all classes not
cooperating directly in their interest.
Monopolistic influence has grown so
powerful that in order to protect our
free institutions tits absolutely necessary,
to avoid the entailment of greater dis
tress upon the country, for labor and all
other organizations to act with intelli-
gent discretion, and by ballots and not
bullets, correct the crying evils of the
hour. 1t can be done, if all patriotic
citizens, whether in or out of labor or
carnations, will take hold at once and
advocate the prompt payment of the
public debt the Issuance by the gov
ernment of all the currency of the cOun-
try, such currency to be legal tender for
all dues, public and private; tn estab-
lishment of government postal tele-
graph system the restriction of railroad
corporations, to promote public welfare
and to prevent them from becoming op,
pressive monopolies the ref cal of all
class legislation and the enactment of
laws compelling all property to bear its
Just proportion of taxation the reten-
ton of public domain for the benefit of
actual settlers economy in public ex-
penditure honesty in the administering
the government an American civil ser
vice that will place officials more directly
under the control of the people, and
finally, the purity of the ballot through
laws adding disfranchisement to imprls-
onment for all who bug or sell votes, or
render false returns of elections.
What say you, Knights of Labor? DO
YOU accept the views herein expressed
and are you ready to stand by and advo-
cate your and my cause on such prlnci-
pies and prove by actions correspond
ing with such principles that your Or
CARNATIONS are not violators Of the law,
oppressors of the rights of others, and
only intended to improve the condition
of their own members, but that they are
unselfsh, composed of patriotic citizens,
and are thoroughly emblematical of
American ideas and American liberty,
as proclaimed in the Declaration of Inde-
pendence of the United States.
IRWIN MAHON