The Labor enquirer., 1888-02-11
THE FORCE IDgL
Tho Men Of rs Were Justified
in Using Violent
Measures.
The DYNAMITE OF IDEAS
Will, II Free speech Is Allowed,
Prevent an Appeal to
Force.

' - APpSh W
Editor Labor Enquirer.
In your issue of twenty-eighth
ultimo occurs significant hints as
to the value of "a big repeating
rifle" and Winchester rifle balls"
to hasten about the great social
reforms. Individually l would
consider Winchester rifles as alto
gether too weak and expensive
a weapon for the poor to handle.
When it comes to, that state when
force must be resorted to. weap-
ons must contain two chief char
acteristics, namely, great cheap
ness and powerful destructiveness.
But now the the question natur-
ally arises, Would the working
masses be justified in engaging in
a process of killing and destroying
the robbers who manipulate the
products of labor1" To this l
would merely say, that if the COL
onists under that sublime man,
George Washington, were justi-
fed in engaging in an eight years
war because the government tried
to impose paltry tax on tea; if
the Americans have been justified
in acquiring by force the land
from the native Indians; if the
North were justified in sending
into the South several hundred
thousand men to murder, burn
and destroy in order to compel
the South to abolish slavery, for
no other reason than because the
North had found they could not
use slaves advantageously, and so
were determined that the South
shouldn't have them; if the United
States were justified in conquering
Mexico and compelling her to
give up an area of territory greater
than the Mexico of to-day. so asto
have more slave territory-ifth these
cases were justi6able, and be-
lieve, according to the code of
morals existing to-day, they are
considered so, then the laboring
men who have natural right to
all they produce, and which they
do not receive by about s. per
cent, would be justified in resort
ing to any kind of force to accom-
plish their ends.
We do not think of condemning
a man who kills burglar that is
attempting to rob him. Why,
then, condemn the. workingman
who, reduced to starving condi-
ton, endeavors to acquire by
force what rightfully belongs to
him1 But although the toilers
would be morally justified in de-
manding their full rights and back
ing up their demand with dyna-
mite and other explosives, still
the question arises, would this be
the best policy3 l do not think
it would, for the principal reason
that so long as the laboring men
consider this the best possible of
all worlds; that everything is ex-
actly as it should be; that this is
absolutely free country and all
have equal opportunities and
other rubbish of this kind, they
would undoubtedly exert their en-
ergies against those who were
striving to liberate them.
A revolution by force could not
be successful until the men who
are to benefited by such revolution
are educated to see defects in
present government and that their
wretchedness is due to mans in
Justice to man and to imperfect
industrial conditions. When men
are educated to this point then
they can vote wrong conditions
out Of existence. and until then it
is unreasonable to expect any ac-
tion from them whatever except
that which will further enslave
them. +. n. M.
1