The morning call., 1890-05-08
POOLING WORKMEN.

For a magnificent specimen Of adroitness
the reader may be referred to the speech
delivered by the Emperor of Germany to
the Rechstag on Tuesday, In no modern
official document has living question been
handled with such dexterous care to avoid
the real issues in the case and to divert at
tention to side issues of no moment. What
the German workman wants is liberty Of
speech-hberty to meet and discuss the
policy of his Government, with view to
ascertain what error, if any, in this manage
ment Of public affairs loads him down with
taxes and renders his labor improbable
There is not single reference to this sub
ject in the speech. The Emperor informs
the workman that his real troubles are
Sunday labor, the employment of women
and children in factories and the dangers
which threaten his life, health and morals.
His Majesty seems to think that German
workmen don't know what they want; that
they have no objection to seeing their
unions broken up by troops, and that their
real concern is about matters which. we
venture to say, never engage their atten-
ton for moment. 1t is the old story
the workmen ask for bread and he gives
them stone
There was once Queen of France who,
when they told her that the people Of Paris
were clamoring for bread, is said to have
replied, Then why don't they eat cakeP"
People laugh at the Queens ignorance, but
after all, there is not so much difference be-
tween her and the German Emperor, who,
when the workmen wanted to talk over
their rights on May-day, dispersed them
with bayonets and told them that their real
trouble was rules obliging them to work ON
Sundays and their habit of reading bad
books, which slapped their morals. The
Emperor, if he is honest, is as far from
understanding the situation as the Queen
was.
1t will be curious to observe whether any
change has come over mems minds of late
years, and whether it is easier than it used
to he to throw dust in peoples eyes. For
long series of years it was the custom of
statesmen in this country to divert mems
minds from the growing danger of slavery
extension by drawing attention to minor
outrages. When thoughtful Americans
prayed that the soil of Kansas should not
be polluted by slavery, James Buchanan
assured them that all would be well if we
wrested Cuba from Spain. When American
manhood revolted at the execution of the
fugitive slave law, the Governments at Wash
ington reminded the people that the British
lions tail required a little more twisting.
And so, for 4 long time, tie eyes of the
great mass of the people were withdrawn
from the real issues of the day to trumpery
side issues which called for no action But
the trick could not work forever. Accident
upset the well-lad scheme. The Kansas
difficulty and the split in the Charleston
convention awakened the public to dis
criminate between questions that were real
and questions that were artificial. and the
end followed in due course.
The question now is whether the trans
parent effort of the German Government to
divert the attention of workmen from their
real grievances to grievances which are
imaginary, while an army is all the time
being strengthened to crush out insurrec-
tiOn, will succeed. and if so, for how long?
1t will depend on two factors-first, the in
telligence of the mass of the German people,
and second. the fidelity of the army to the
throne. If the soldiers continue to be
machines, as ready to bayonet their own
kith and kin as foreign enemy, and if The
workmen allow their minds to be diverted
TO paltry questions. present evils may last
long time. But it generally happens that
some unexpected accident brings to naught
the best laid plans 10 check the march of
human progress. A man may sit on a bar
rel OF gunpowder for quite a while without
injury; but when careless people throw
cigar-ends and lighted matches round, the
seat cannot be recommended as a perma-
nent place of repose.