Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-12-28
THE NEW WORLD,
BY ERNEST JONES.
Concluded from No. 50,)

Working men of America You have
not arrived at either stage of weakness
vet. Fortunes as colossal, monopolies as
threatening as ours are forming among
you. You do not yet feel their effect
very keenly, because of the productive
powers of your soil, and the varied
resources of your country. Let the
present system progress much longer,
let olgarchy be firmly seated, the re
sources will be but SO much additional
strength to the monopollSt--and the
rich interior prove tantallzing VISION
to the crowded 5eaboard.
Republicans of America Look to
your remedy; ASSOCIATION, Associa-
ton not local, but national-applied to
both machinery and land. You still
possess political power: use it to develop
cooperative labor, and to restrict the
Capitalization of capital in the hands of
few-not by tyranical laws but by in
direct and gradual legislation The poor
of England, reft of political power are,
fear, sunk too low to raise themselves
by associative means alone. They have
waited too long, capital is too far in adj
vance-and they possess not that which
you still enjoy, the franchise. Our hope
lies in the fact that the present system
is sinking from its own corruption.
Reversing the case of Saturn, the OIL
springs of class government, taxation,
crime and paupersm are devouring their
own parent; our only hope lies in the
knowledge that the falling middle class
stances to Join the proletarian ranks.
Z, . bat oh tt,,
BEFORE THE TIME-unite upon terms
based on middle class advantage only.
If we unite now such must be the result,
for we are not strong enough at present
to dictate equal terms, and what
strengthens the middle class without
strengthening us in the proportion,
throws us further from the goal of free.
dom.
Such is the living aspect Of society
on either side of the Atlantic. In the
following pages Ernest Jones here
refers to his celebrated poem, "The
New World " | have endeavored to
shadow forth the successive phases
through which the nations of the earth
have passed, to show how the working
classes have been made the leverage by
which one privileged order has sub.
verted another-the ruling power con
stantly expanding from the royal unit
to the feudal nobility, and thence down
to the more numerous middle class,
always including larger numbers in the
elements of goverment-till progression
reached the turning point, when ii
vibrated between reaction and demOc.
racy. AT, that point, hitherto in the
worlds history, reaction has always
won the day, but never once from inev.
table law il has ever been owing tC
an external force, or to the ignorance
and folly of the people. Recently
owing to a combination of both causes
the semi-barbaric power of Russia--th,
semi-barparic ignorance Of the agricul
turists of France.
England and America now hold tn,
balance of the future-the great neutra
powers of the East and West-ant
France is the fulcrum on which the,
turn. These are the only three coun
tries in the world where the presen
realization Of democracy is possible
In America, young nation, because i
has not gone too far to recall its error
in France and England, because the,
have, step by step, moved up ever,
form of the social school. In the res
of Continental Europe, democracy i
far distant--it has yet to pass through
the grades of constitutionalism TIL
rule of the middle class. Royalt
subverted heirocracy; feudalism sui
verified royalty; plutocracy subverte
feudalism-and at that point we stand
the next stage is DEMOCRACY or REAC
TIoN. A revolution may state demoC
racy IN power, in both Germany an
Italy but that power will not last, 70
its victory will be premature. A hot
house plant placed under March SIX
must perish. A stage on the road t
freedom was never yet overleaped wit
impunity. The secret of victory is
NOTHING BEFORE IT'S TIME.
The test of the statesman is to know
when that time has come-the duty {
the people is, never to let it pass.
Free citizens of the Republic m
country has been called the ARK {
Freedom but in yours see its ARA
rat, and to you, at whose hands Shelle
looked for vindication and Immortality
a humber bard now dedicates his worl
Unenfranchised subjects of the MOI
archy To you also | address thes
pages, written chiefly with my bloc
while prisoner in solitude and silence
You and have suffered together in til
same cause-oce are suffering nolc--an
we will battle on.