Workmen's advocate., 1890-10-18
LAST WORDS OF A SOCIALIST
J. Henry Dwyer, of Lynn, Mass.-His Economic Conversion aud ntimely
 Death.


 the death of J. Henry Dwyer, who in the latter days of his life had proved an efficient and faithful worker in | he cause of Socialism, So rapid had been his economic conversion that number of his friends were not yet aware of it at the time of his demise. When he first attended a meeting of the Lynn Section, he had been for some time Ma tionalist and, in his own words, dropped in i'm pelled by mere curiosity and W as actu. ally afraid to be caught among such violent fellows". He soon became an active member of it, however and was chairman of the committee that three months ago established the Independent Labor party of Lynn, whose convention platform and ticket are briefly reported in another column of this number. The extent to which he had grasped the labor question is best shown by the following extracts from lecture which he deliver ed to his fellow Socialists of the Lynn Section a short time before his Heath: Artisans, mechanics ucorhingme,a
 "Why is it that those who perform all the labor necessary to draw from the earth the products required to sustain life and afford comfort and pleasure to man are held to incessant toll without adequate reward, while the employer of labor lives at ease reveling in luxury?
 "A deep scheme is the cause of this. It was put in practice at an early date, and from age to age it has been i'm proved upon, modified extended, and adapted to conditions.
 First, human beings were directly enslaved; then came the lord who claim ed ownership of all the land that he was enabled to defend against the rapa city of other lords, and on which he forced the people to toll in order that he and his favorites might live in mag nificent luxury.
 "Ages of hardships followed, of suf- fering even unto death, until some large hearted men rose from among the slaves and began to demand their share in the product of their labor.
 Ages of hardship followed, of suf- fering even unto death until by de grees the system of chattel developed into that of wage ge-slavery. Instead of the land or feudal lord, there came the capi- talist; and by him was appropriated the whole product of labor less that portion of it which, in the shape of wages, he felt compelled to give the worker in order to keep him alive, And this is the system under which we now live.
 "Once master of the situation, the capitalist entrenched himself in his posi- ton by the assistance of laws passed in his interest exclusively. Backed in this way by the whole power of the State, he now does as it suits himself, and makes your necessities his opportunity. He discharges hard pushed worker for one who is still harder pushed; or, by stop. ping production, causes rise in the price of his products. Then he brings further to his aid his finance system.
 "It takes dollars worth of labor to produce dollars worth of gold. Hence he into whose hand gold is legis, lated by the millions is able to live at your expense. He will have the enjoy ment and you all the work.
 Mammon, the monster, drains in the factories the life blood from women and children, driven thither in order that the capitalist may destroy his com petitor and rise to riches upon the latter's ruin.
 "In order that the few, who have seized the land, the instruments of pro, duction, and the mediums of exchan ge, transportation and communication, may live in ease and luxury, men, women and children in this very Land of Free dow' that produces in abundance, and tof :, are left to starve while gram Is st in the warehouses awaiting a ' and is allowed to spoil to prevent a de fine of prices.
 By these means it comes to pass that in this Great Republic where it is clai m e all men are endowed with certain inalienable rights among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness men, women and children, from want of food. lose life; from want of leisure, owing to prolonged hours of toll, are deprived of the opportunity to acquire knowledge, and, through ignorance lose liberty; and, finally, from want of liberty, lose the power to pursue bappi' hess-
 "What are you going to do about it,
 In the first place,
 n,r Eatbaro in tha Rallot Seuad thf