Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-10-29
George rngel spoke next using the cerma,

brought to this by the same causes that COM
PEELED me TO leave the fatherland. have seen
with my own eyes that in this freest and richest
country in the world there are existing proleta-
nans who are cast out from every order of So
clety. L saw human beings who tished out their
food from the slop- barrels on the streets in or.
der to exist from day to day. 1 read of exam
pies IN the daily papers, which prove to mo tnat
III this glorious country here are people con-
demned to die from hunger. became sorry for
having left my own land, and asked myself
what are the reasons that could bring about
such state OF things.
II have lost my respect for American laws l
nm convinced, aud this conviction no one can
t ,aea out OF my heart, that the proletarat by
means OF machinery, will gain power to educate
themselves. Not even those can hinder it who
to-day arrogate to themselves the government
OF the workngmen."
Engel lifted his voice and flourished his right
hand over his head as he cried:
In spite Of all, anarchy will exist; if not in
puplie, 1t Will exist in private. If the States
Attorney thinks by sending seven men to the
can break up anarchy, he is mistaken He can
only change the tactics, he cannot stop the
movement. Nothing can stop the workingmen
nom making bombs. and they will be used.
am convinced anarchism cannot be rooted out
Engel wound up with TRADE against the
capitalists and coal barons He was followed
by sam flelden, who prefaced what he had to
Ferdinand Freiligrdth, entitled, Revolution.
The first stanza was as follows:
And tho We caught your noble prev within Won,
hangman's sordid thrall,
And tho your captive was led forth beneath
your citys rampant wall,
And tho the grass lies DER her green where at
the mornings early red,
The peasant girl brings funeral wreaths I tell
you still-she is not dead
After eulogizing the poet, Fielden declared he
crime to be q revolutionist when the man enter
tanning such ideas was poor man; among in
tellectual people it was no crime He declared
he had been arrested and indicted for murder
but had been tried for anarchy
Fielder took up the Haym arket meeting and
discussed his speech at great length, claiming
that there was no excuse for the interference Of
the police. In closing, he said:
Your Honor. with due respect to your years. +
wish to say this, that it is quite possible that
ferent atmosphere from what we have lived in
how men can hold such ridiculous idoas, s
have no doubt that you have felt that way. Yet
ripe old age very seldom change their opinions
But inlpute no wrong motiye in that It is 9.
natural result. But we do claim that our rrin-
ciples will bear discussion, investigation and
criticism.
If can say anything in the interests of hu-
manity, in the interests of liberty, equality and
fraternity. would say it now. Take heedl take
swift process of reduction of the masses into a
condition of depravity and degradation as is
evinced by the numbers of men out of employ
ment, shows us clearly where are going We
cannot deny it. No thinking man. no reason.
ing man, no friend of his kind can ignore the
fact that we are going rapidly onto precipice.
Your Honor, I have worked at hard labor
since l was eight years of age went into a
cotton factory when was eight years old and
have worked continually since, and there has
never , been time in my history that could
say single thing by any man or for any pur-
pose which did not believe to be true. To
contradict the lie that was published in con-
nection with the bill by the grand jury charg.
ing US with murder, wish to say that 1 have
never received one cent for agitating.
"To-day, as the beautiful autumn sun kisses
with balmy breeze the cheek of every free man.
stand here never to battle my head in its rays
/ again. have loved my fellow linen as have
loved myself Ihaye hated trickery, dishonesty,
mts the crime Of killing its best st friend cont
will live to repent of it. But, as have said
before, if it will do any good freely give my.
will be a better understanding, more intelli-
| gence, and, above the mountains of iniquity
wrong, and corruption, hope the sun of right
bathe in its balmy light an emancipated world
| thank your Honor for your attention"
| Albert r. Parsons followed Fielden. With
flower in his button-hole, water, lemon. red
| handkerchief, and a bundle of manuscript on
the table before him, it was seen at once that
he is vain and affected. He rolled his IRIS" and
his eyes, said me- for my, was gentle as a
mouth the next He paced up and Ind
down, stood on his toes, and crouched
to the floor. He aimed to be dramatic, and sue.
ceeded only in being sensational and vehement,
| Almost his first utterance showed the character
| of his address, as with dramatic gesture and
intense tones he Numbered forth: Il will tell
the truth though my tongue be torn from my
mouth, and my throat cut from ear to ear, so
help me God Continuing, he said "Your Honor,
stand here as one of the people, q common
man, q workingmnn, one of the millions, and
| ask you to give ear to what have to say.
You stand as bulwark; you stand as brake
between them and u.s. You stand here as the
! ,on sortQf jnafSno ba r,nioo 1
scales in your hands. You are expected to
look neither to the right nor to the left, but to
be subserved. Now, the conviction of man,
| your Honor, does not necessarily prove that he
is guilty. Your law books are filled with in-
| stances where men have been carried to the
scatfold and after their death it has been proven
| that the murder was judicial; that it a
judicial murder. Now. what end can be sub.
manner in which it has been done2 Where are
| the ends of justice subserved, and where is
truth found in sending seven human beings at
the rate Of express speed upon a fast train tc
the scatfold and IN ignominious death? Why,
if your Honor please the very method of oul
extsrmination the deep damnation of our tax.
of rectitude, and OF honor, judge may also
be an unjust man. Such things have been
known.
"Now I hold that our execution as the matter
stands just now, would be judicial murder, and
judicial murder is far worse than lynch law
far worse. But your Honor bear in mind,
| please, this trial was conducted by mob,
prosecuted by a mob, by the shrieks and the
bowls of a mob, an organized powerful mob.
| That trial is over. Now, your Honor, you sit
here judicially, calmly and quietly, and it is for
you now to look at this thing from the standpoint
| Of reason and of common sense There is one pc.
culiarity about the case, your Honor, that want
to call your attention to. 1t was the manner and
the method of its prosecution. On the one
side the attorneys for the prosecution con.
Quoted this case from the standpoint of CAPT.
talists as against labor. On the other side. the
attorneys for the defense conducted this case
as q defense for murderera, not for laborers,
and not against capitalists. The prosecution In
this case throughout has been q capitalistic
prosecution, inspired by the instinct of capital.
ism, and mean by that by class feelings, by q
dictatorial right to rule and a denial to COM
mon people the right to say anything or have
anything to say to these men, They conducted
this trial from that standpoint throughout.
"The capitalistc press has taken great pains
to say that socialists fight machinery; that we
fight property. Why sir, it is an absurdity, II
is ridiculous, it is preposterous. No man ever
heard one of US speak who ever heard an utter.
ance from the mouth of socialist advising any.
thing Of the kind. They know to the contrary
We don't fight machinery; we don't oppose
methods of it, your Honor, that we object to-
That is all. it is the manipulation of these
things. When we see little children budding
around the factory gates, the poor little things
whose bones are not yet hard, whom we see
them clutched from the hearthstone,, taken
away from the family altar and carried to the
1ul>o f1,nt,r 1,Np