The Labor enquirer., 1886-03-27

Armed ReVOlt6, WHICH, was - ~
from beginning to conclusion. It WAS as
follows:
A study Of the social condition OF
mankind throughout the periods with
which history treats, and q survey OF
the advances made by the people in
their efforts to better their social and
political conditions, forces US to the con
clusion that every notable advance has
been made by armed revolt.
Ihold as . preliminary to successful
effort to secure political and social free
dom, that the great mass Of the people
should possess perfect mental freedom,
that in order to retain such advantages
as may have been gained they must re-
tain perfect mental independence. Is
A man who believes that he should
think and act according to rules laid
down by some other man is obviously
incapable of asserting his independence
in any particular, however immaterial it
may be; no matter whether he uses the
language and belief of the child VINO
says, ''its 50 because ma says so, and if
ma says SO, it's so if it amt so,D or that
of the intelligent American sovereign
whose idea of the responsibility deyolv-
ing upon him is limited t. "But john P.
Robinson he sars he won't vote for
Governor B." or whether the rlvets that
bind the stackles of mental slavery are
the words; "Thus saith the L:rd."
1t matters not what the form of men
tai slavery may be; if it generally exists
the people cam OF long be free, and con-
versely, let people be mentally free
and their complete emancipation is only
a question of time.
Let us now examine the means EN-
ployed to gain political, personal and
social freedom; of what do they con-
sist? In order to clearly comprehend
these means we must look at the means
employ d to uphold political, personal
and social slavery, and we must con-
clude that they are essentially the same
and the foundatlo on of slavery is force.
Like >repels like; club will not dis
prove an argument, neither will an ar
gument demateri lie club. A man
or a class who are so constituted as 10
use force fer an ar gument can be effected
by no argument but force.
In defence of this proposition l will
cite few comparatively modern and
noted instances, and particularly call
your attention to the mental pictures
presented to you by Mr.. Van Ness some
weeks ago. He portrayed very elo'
quently the landing of the Pilgrim
Fathers on the stern and rock bound
coast" of Massachusetts, as representa-
tives of religious liberty, and the sign
ing of the Declaration Of Independence
as representative of political freedom
he omitted the picture of the signing Of
the emancipation proclamation, which
would naturally suggest itself in con-
nection with the other two.
Let US examine the pictures closely
let us turn them round and see what II
written back of them. Behind the pic.
ture of the Pilgrim Fathers is the his
tory of the thirty years war. Back O.
the picture of the signing of the Declar
alton of Independence we read he his
tory of the bloody and terrible contes
of the American Revolution; and thu
world knows that tie applause which
greeted the signing of the emancipation
proclamation was the rattle of musketry
and the thunder of artillery.
The two great aids to mankind in hil
onward march to the ideal state of per
feet freedom have been, and ever viii
be, intelligence and force. They are as
far apart as Alpha and Omega, you will
say, but the alphabet of progress would
be incomplete were either left out.
Did the declaration of the American
colonists that "these colonies are free
and independent states" eau g tyran.
nous England to relax her hold on
these peoples? No; it was the force O.
the blows that followed that caused thai
iron hand to fall, nerveless and emascu
lated from the throat of America.
Did the man-stealers of the southern
states free their human chattels from
any sense of right? You may answer
that question yourselve' When the
crvs of the starving workmen give us
bread" reached the ears of royal Louis
and his spouse Marie Antoinette, did il
cause those royal robbers to relieve thell
distress? No; the response of his royal
nibs was. ''go and eat grass" and the
beautiful queen, tossing her lovely head
in great amusement said, "havn't they
got any bread then why don't they eat
pie?" But ere many days the people had
bread, while the lifeless head of Louis
was carried through the streets of Paris
on pike with tuft of grass in its
mouth; and the lovely head that was
tossed so scornfully at the mention Of
the peoples distress, rolled into the bas-
ket at the foot of the guillotine.
Gunpowder has been the greatest aid
to the Goddess of Liberty. She has
ever lived and thrived in those coun.
tries whose inhabitants were armed, and
who had the spirit use their weapons.
By inhabitants I do not mean the stand