The examiner., 1886-06-26
THEBALLOT, THEBALLOT.
"HT WILL WIN ALL THAT SHOULD
 BE WON.-
And mske America what it Ought lO be
 "A Happy Country"
Address of Hon. Sidney E. Clark, before the Hartford Labor Lyceum, Sunday evening, June 20.

Hartford Labor Lyceum, Sunday evening" June 20
 Mankind is endowed with some right
 which. cannot be infringed lawfully by
 human authority. The rights are thu
 three absolute rights of Personal Security
 Personal Liberty and Private Property
 These rights are recognized by every
 christian country in the world as coming
 direct from the Supreme Ruler of the uni
 verse. But while they are thus recognized they are not always maintained and res. pected by all. If we could conceive of one man living alone by himself on an island where intrusion by any person was an inn possibility, then, we should find him in the full and complete enjoyment of these fighss.s But the moment he becomes a member of society, or in other words, of a social Community he, either infringes on others rights, or others infringe upon his.
 Let community of persons start out upon life with equal rights and guarran- ice that these rights shall be respected, and it will be but short time before they are infringed. History has taught us this fact, and there is no better example of the truth of the assertion than the present so- cial condition of our own country.
 Nations have rights of their own, which are often infringed by other nations, but of these rights 1 shall not attempt to speak inasmuch as intend to apply myself di- rectly to the rights of the laboring commu- nifty of our own country. The rights already spoken of belong to the laborer in as full a measure as to any other person whether he be the chief ruler of the nation, public magistrate or 9 private citizen. They are recognized and guaranteed to us by the common law of England, the constitution of the United States and the separate con- stitutions of every state in the union.
 These rights, or one or them, at least, has been infringed, transferred, and over stepped. The one right above all so trans gressed is the right of private property. This right consists in the right of man to freely use, enjoy, and dispose of all his own property without control or diminu- tion, save only by the laws of the land Property is whatever man owns, whether visible or invisible, purchased or inherited, possessed or expected. So sacred is this right, that not even the government itself can take the property of an individual for public use without making due compensa- tion. A labOrer may not possess estate, either real or personal He may not even own the clothes on his back, but yet he has property, in his skill and ability to perform any kind of labor, and many a laborer is richer in this skill thon the man who pos sesses many houses. Moreover, labor CTS property in his labor is greater and of more importance to him than the bond holders property in his -four per cen. s.'' It is that property of the laborer which buys bread and sustenance for himself and family, and it is that which gladdens his heart and softens and quickens the beam Of happiness in his eye when his little ones elam5er UP en his knesS Tih t1 kiss fer e,i upon the cheek of a tyrant king.
 The right of this property is the one and to retrieve this right is the purpose of the present organization of labor in this country. Now it is an old fla miliar maxim of jurisprudence that wherever there is a right there is remedy. Ubi jus ibi Temeddu,n. Ii this right has been transgressed there is remedy and that remedy is within the scope and limit of organized labor. For years the remedy has been sought, but up to the present time has not been attained. It is not the first example in history where the rights of the people have been transgressed and the remedy sought. The pages of history are full of them and of the methods sought by the oppressed to retrieve their rights. But each case is peculiar in itself and to it's people, so also must this case be.
 The toiling masses began to appreciate the condition of serfdom into which they were gradually being drawn by the trans gression of this right by organized capital number of yeaIs ago, and to avert the evil and extricate themselves from the con- dition into which they had already been thrust, they began to organize fourteen years ago. They grew rapidly in every State. The history of their growth in our own little State is fair example of their prosperity in numbers. During this period their organization has grown to upwards of 100000 members. They have had wise leader in the great Powderly. A man with a master mind, at the head of the greatest organization in the country, if not fhe world, commanding the respect even of his enemies. His policy and that of the organization as pursued under his direc- tion has been of great benefit to it's mem bers towards retrieving their rights; but this has not, as yet, been fully done, and 1t remains for a future policy to culminate the great object in view. It is perhaps the first instance of the kind in this country where the great majority of the bone and sinew of the nation have united in one great object sfto make industrial and moral worth. not wealth the true standard of in dividual and national greatness and to secure to the workers the full enjoyment of the wealth they create, sufficient leisure in which to develop their intellectual, moral. and social faculties, all of the bene- fits. recreatiuns and pleasures of associa- tion, in word to share in the gains and honofs of advancing civilization"
 What the future policy of this organiza- tion will be for the purpose of accomplish ing the great aim in view, is the question of the hour. It is a great and important question whose significance means simply life or death to the great and good princi- pIes connected with the revolution already begun in this country. The plan of proce- dure is not to be jumped at as expelimen- tai. but must be deduced from a wise course of reasoning based on past great events of a like nature. Every obstacle will be thrown in the pathway of reform by the enemy. Every scheme will be adopted to thwart it's plans; and it will re- ouire the same calm and dispassionate judgment in the future as has character ized :he past history of this great move ment. When bold, determined, well meaning workers, direct their energies towards needed reform, that reform is generally accomplished. It often happens that the right policy ore scheme is not at first adopted, but sooner or later it must come. Agitation is always essential. It has the disadvantage of alarming the enemy and puteing him on guard; but these disadvantages are over-balanced by the warning that is given to allies and friends, and the strength attained by their help and influence.
 There are three methods known to the world for accomplis hinga revolution. 1st, war: 2nd, social agitation; 3rd, the ballot. And the were adopted by the world In their order named. The French nation to- day is an example of reform brought about by war; internal war. Struggles with fire and sword, of liberty bought by blood, and liberty wrenched from the hands o1