The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-05-21

working classes" They have all their
sympathies with Shylock, and not with
Antonia and Portia. They are pluto
Gratis, and their feelings are internal.
They are filled with irritation and iras-
cibility on this subject. To stop this
awful imbroglio between capital and la
Dor they will lift not so nut ch as the tip
end Of their little finger.
Neither will there be any paciflcation
Of this angry controversy through vio-
lence. God never blessed murder.
Blow up tomorrow the country seats on
the banks of the Hudson, and all the
fine houses on Madison Square and
Brooklyn Heights, and Brooklyn Hill
and Rittenhouse Square, and Beacon
street, and all the bricks and timber and
stone will just fall back on the bare
head of American labor. The worst
enemies OF the working classes in the
United States and Ireland are their de-
mented coadjutors. A few years ago
assassination-the assassination Of Lord
Frederick Cavendish and Mr.. Burke in
Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, in the
attempt to avenge the wrongs Of Ire
land-only turned away from that af-
flicted people millions Of sympathizers.
The attempt to blow up the House of
Commons, in London, had only this
effect: to throw out of employment tens
Of thousands of innocent Irish people in
England.
In this country the torch put to the
factories that have discharged hands
for good reason or bad reason; obstruc-
tions on the rail track in front Of mid
night express trains because the offend
ers do not like the president Of the COM
pany; strikes on shipboard the hour they
are going to sail, or in printing offices
the hour the paper was to go to press, or
in mines the day the coal was to be de-
livered, or on house scaffoldings so the
builder fails in keeping his contract-all
these are only hard blow on the head
of American labor, and cripple its arms,
and lame its feet, and pierce its heart
As a resultof one of our great American
strikes you find that the operatives lost
four hundred thousand dollars worth Of
wages, and have had poorer wages ever
since. Traps sprung suddenly upon en-
ployers and violence never took one
knot out Of the knuckle Of toll or put
one farthing of wages into callous
palm. Barbarlsm will never cure the
wrongs of civilization. Mark thatl
Frederick the Great admired some
land near his palace at Potsdam and no
resolved to get it. 1t was owned by
miller. He offered the miller three
times the value Of the property. The
miller would not take 1t because II was
the old homestead, and he felt about 1t
as Naboth felt about his vineyard when
Ahab wanted 1t. Frederick the Great
was rough and terrible man,
and he ordered the miller into
his presence; and the King, with
stick in his hand-a stick with
which he sometimes struck his Of
ficers OF state-said 10 this miller:
snow, have offered you three times
the value Of that property" and
II you won't sell 1t I'll take 1t anyhow"
The miller said, "Your majesty, you
won't" "Yes," said the King, ~ will
take it." "Then," said the miller, 'if
your majesty does take 1t, / will sue
you in the Chancery Court" At that
threat Frederick the Great yielded his
Infamous demand. And the most i'm
perious outrage against the working
classes will yet cover before the law.
Violence and contrary to the law will
never accomplish any thing, but right
eousness and according to law will ac-
complish It
Well, II this controversy between cap
ital and labor can not be settled by
human wisdom, II 10 time for us to look
somewhere else for relief, and 1t points
from my text roseate and jubilant and
puts one hand on the broadcloth shoulder
Of capital, and puts the other hand on
the homespun-covered shoulder Of toll,
and says, with voice that will grandly
and gloriously settle this, and settle
every thing, "Whatsoeyer ye would that
men should do to you, do ye evon SO
10 them" That is, the lady Of the
household will say: 81 must treat the
maid in the kitchen just as would like
TO be treated II / were downstairs, and
IL were my work TO wash, and cook, and
sweep, and 1t were the duty OF tho maid
in the kitchen TO preside In this parlor." "
The maid in the kitchen must say: "If
my employer seems TO be more prosper
GUS than /, that IL no fault OF hers; /
shall not treat her as an enemy. will
have the same industry and fidelity
downstairs as would expect from my
subordinates, II happened 10 be the
wife OF silk importer"
The owner OF an iron mill, having
taken dose OF my text before leaving
home In the morning will 90 into his
foundry, and, passing into what is called
the pudding room, he will see . man
there stripped TO the waist, and be-
sweated and Exhausted with the labor
and toll, and he will say TO him: why
1t seems 70 be very hot in here. You
look very mnch exhausted. hear your
child is sick with scarlet fever. II you
want your wages q little earlier this
week, so as TO pay the nurse and get the
medicine, just come into my ofiico any
time"
After awhile, crash goes the money
market, and there is no more demand
for the articles manufactured in that
iron mill, and the owner does now know
what TO do. He says: "Shall stop the
mill, or shall run 1t on half time, or
shall cut down tho mems wsges?" He
walks the floor Of his counting-room
all day, hardly knowing what TO do.
Toward evening he calls the la
borers together. They stand all
around, some with arms akimbo,
some with folded arms, wondering what