The Labor enquirer., 1886-08-28
Written for The Enquirer.
THE COMMON CURSE.
BY LIZZIE N. swANK.

To look upon its sons, and learn the source
Of that sad cry, which trembled through the
spheres
Where er the planet hurried on its course.
Posing aloft, on pinions of swift light
Where ocean winds and island breezes
meet;
| With wild, free waters rolling far behind
And all the peopled world beneath his
| feet,
He looked and listened. Over every land
| Hung the same shadow -somber, dark and
drear;
And, rising heavily beneath, the moan
Of suffering myriads, swelling to his ear.
What is the causeP Why thus do nortals
mourn?
Is Nature derelct? Has earth grown
| cold
Have oceans, forests, mines turned miserly
That men must toll and slave, and young
die old?
He looked beneath the cloud, in every land
And saw that bounteous earth gave back to
A hundred fold for every stroke of toll
Yet toilers lived in want as meath ban.
First, lowering on an ice-bound coast he saw
A vast divisiOn-dotted o'er with slaves
Whose fates lay in the hand of one proud
man;
Ending in living deaths or tortured graves.
Wealth and starvation, palaces and prisons
Were here. A track marked out with
bleaching bones
And blood, where travlers, chained and
driven passed,
Stretched its terrific distance through two
zones.
The people said: "If our great king we're
less king
And bound by laws we might create,
With lessened power to punish or reward,
We should be free, and prosperous, and
great"
Now thence, the split passed fair land
Where kindly ruled queen, whose we'll
made laws
She could no sooner break, than subjects
might,
Nor take from them right without a
cause.
A noble constitution, Magma Charta,
House of Commons as we'll as House of
Lords
Had they-and yet the burdened people
groaned.
Economists with many learned words
Laid all the poverty and idleness
To ''over population" "greed," "free-
trade"
The monarchy" nobility" "church-rule"
All pretexts but the truth, the cause was
made.
Now onward toward sunny cline he sped
And saw a wealthy nation reared by
might;
A stern republic, built above the bones
OF those who died for liberty and light.
Emperor and king, the peoples rule, the
church;
All forms of government had come and
gone;
And misery with each-it dwelt there now,
Where neither king or noblemen were
known.
Across purple stream kingdom rose
In proud defiance of weaker world;
With its "strong government" and army
grand
And flag of menace constantly unfurled.
| And here the mas ses groaned beneath their
Or sulked in idleness; while Poverty
Gnawed its stale crust at Luxury's soft feet
And Truth, and Thought in chains crept
stealthily.
From o'er a dark blue ocean cleaned light
Where "Lberty"i in golden letters glowed; !;
A shield, a flag, an eagle poised for flight
Proclaimed that Freedom" here had her
abode.
But when the spirit nearer drew, he saw,
The glowing shield was brass, and LIB
erty"
Shone luminous through tinsel, while the
Was ragged, and looked fierce at all things
| free.
The goddess was a tyrant hag, disguised
Beneath flag striped with the blood of
Slaves
AS Columbia, and her shadow fell
On needy toiers, paupers, tramps and
knaveS.
Here ruled no king-the people made the
LAWS,
protected labor" and gave homes to
ALL"
Yet strangely, even here, the shadows dark
Hung heavily and low, deepning pail.
ooh, blinded race of menP, the spirit cried
You would dispel the clouds with futile
breath
Or VOW they were not there, while all
around
Your brothers but exist in living death.
You may swear allegiance to a God-sent
king,
Or swear it to republics or to church;
Thin out your restless crowds of unused
slaves,
Or deep in statute lore for causes search !;
Protect your trade, reduce production
still
The woe and misery the people feel
Is undisturbed; here will remain until
You dare to know the truth and make it
real.
You hope for happiness, while Natures
gifts
Are stolen from her children? Or for
peace
Until the robbery of Industry
By pampered, selfish Idleness shall cease
No never! One curse blights each land
alike,
The gifts the bounteous earth bestows
Are stolen by the few-the rest are slaves,
Slaves to the thieves and suppliants to
foes.