Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1886-10-13
SPIES SPEAKS.
He DenOunces Capitalists, Berates Justice
and Says He'll Die Game.


August Spies rose before u little table upon
which his notes were placed, a,ong with glass
Of water, wearing plain black suit with but
ton-hole bouquet. stroked his hair back over his
somewhat intelligent forehead and perspired
freely, indicating the great strain upon his
physical powers which the critical situation i'm
posed upon him He spoke for thr ac-quarters
of an hour. We present a few choice extracts
from his remarkable speech He began by as
sorting that there was no evidence connecting
him with the Haymarket massacre. and de-
clared that the execution of the sentence
against him would be nothing less than
willful malicious and deliberate murder as
foul murder as may be found III the annals of
religions political OF any other sort of persecu-
ton.
The class that ciamors for our lives, the
good and devout Christians have attempted in
every way, through their newspapers and
otherwise. to conceal the true and only issue in
this case by designating the defendants an
archists and picturing them as a newly dis
covered tribe or species Of cannibals, by in
venting shocking and horrifying stories OF their
consr cies These Christians sought to keep
the naked evidence from the working people
namely, that the evening Of May 4two hundred
armed men under the command OF notorious
ruffian attacked a meeting OF peaceable citizens
with what intention? With the intention OF
numbering them of murderins as many as they
could. / refer to the testimony given by two
Of our witnesses. The wage-workers of this city
began to object to being feeced too much.
They began to say some tfuths that were highly
disaga eeable to our patrcian class. They
We're discontented. They put forth some
very modest demands. They thought that
eight hours hard toll u day for scarcely
two hours pay was too much. This low
rabble had to be sienced The only way to
silence them was to brighten them and murder
those whom they looked up to as their leaders
Yes. these foreign dogs had to be taught a les
son, SO that they might never again Interfere
with the high handed exploitation of their be-
nevolent and Christian families. Bonield, the
man who would bring q blush OF shame to the
lnurderers Of St Bartholomew night Bonfeld
the i!lustrious, with visage that would have
done excellent service to Dore In portraying
Dantes Fiends of He'll -Bonfeld was the man
to consummate the conspiracy OF the Citizens
Association Of our patricians And il l had
thrown that bomb, or caused it to be thrown,
or had known of it, would not hesitate o mo-
mens to state so. 1t is true number Of lives
were lost and many were wounded; butt hun
dreds of lives were thereby saved. But for
that bomb there would have been a hundred
widows and hundreds OF orphans where nov
there ARE few. These facts have been sup
pressed. while we were accused and convicted
Of conspiracy by the real conspirntors and
their agents. Tnis your Honor is one reason
why sentence should not be passed by a court
Of Justice.
1T has always been the opinion Of tho ruling
classes that the people must be kept in igno-
rance. They lose their servility, their modesty
and obedience to the arbitrary powers that be
blacksmith q quarter Of . century ago was a
criminal Offense Why? Because the intelli.
gent slave would throw off his shackles at hat
ever cost. my Christian gentlemen. Why is the
upon by certain class as treason against the
state? For the same reason. The state. how
ever, wisely avoided this point in the prosecu-
tion OF the case. The court this morning stated
that there Is no case In history like this have
noticed during this trial that the gentlemen of
the legal profession are not well versed in his
tory Again, in all historical cases OF this Lind
the truth had to be perverted by the priests OF
the established powers that we're nearing their
ends
aWe have explained to the people tho different
phenomena OF the socinl laws and circunl-
stances under which they occur We have
further stated that tae wage system as a spe-
ci3ic form OF social development would, by the
necessity OF logic, have 10 make room for q
higher form Of civilization that the wage sys-
tenn WAS preparing the way and furnishing the
foundation for q social system of cooperation.
That is socialism We have said that the ten
dcncy OF progress seemed to ne toward anarch-
ism; that is, q fre, society, without king and
classes--a society OF sosereigns in which the
liberty and economic qualitf OF all will fur
nish an unshakable equilibrium as a condition
Of natural order. 1t 10 not likely that the Hon.
BOMBED and fjrinnell can conceive OF con-
dition Of social order not Eeld intact by the
policemen s club and pistol, nor OF free soc
~ without prisons gallowses. and States At
fail to find Place for thems elves. And ID this
the reason why annrchisni 10 such a pernicious
and damnable doctrine? Grinnen has in
II that IS the case Your Honor, very
well, you may sent nee me, fer am an an
archist ! believe with Buckle, with Paine.
many other great thinkers OF this century that
tie state OF caste and classes, the state where
one class do inmates and lives upon the labor OF
another class, and calls It order. should be
upon me. honorable Judge but let the world
know that in tho year Ammo Domini 1see, In the
State OF Illinois. seven men were sentenced 70
the ultimate victory u liberty and justice. We,
who have jeopardxed our lives 10 save society
from the neild that has grAspsd her by the
throat, that seeks her life blood ana deycurs
tns woaEds, who would free her from the letters
you have wrought around her, fcom tho misery
yol have brought upon hes@-we ~ ~