San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-01
A FIRE BRAND QUENCHED.

discord, bitterness and hatred be-
tween n class and another. These
pestiferous seed, like all noxious
weeds, terminate in all soils, and
flourish, in all seasons. They are
scattered ever ywhere, by the force
OF the wind. Lizzie H. Holmes ar
ticle sowed these noxious seed, broad
cast. She represented capital, in the
most odious colors possible, painted
it as the enemy and oppressor of
labor, and predicted q conflict DE.
tween the two at no distant day.
This kind of talk cannot possibly re-
cult in good, and is certain to produce
harm, and for that reason it deserves
severe censure. Order and peace
should be paramount objects.
The present wages paid laborers are
generally higher than they were in
1860. Food and clio are much
cheaper than in 1850 Wages IL the
United States are considerably nigh
er than they are in England.
What fresh wrong has CAPT.
tai done labor? Is such a new
wrong has been inflicted on working
men, it has entirely escaped my at
tention in the newspapers, which are
very apt to gather all the news afioat.
My attitude is one of perfect indie
p%endence. L neither play the dema-
gogue to workingmen to coZen them
out of their votes, nor bootlick cap
italists for favors, past, present, or to
come. Of n thing, I am certain, my
course is prompted by q patriotic de-
sire to diminish the friction be.
tween capital and labor ; to
bring about kindly feeling and
confidence between employees and
employers, and to avert calamity
from the country. In short, / would
gladly arbitrate their contention and
''pour oil on the troubled waters" II
that gracious task be beyond my ca
pacity aad good fortune, nothing shall
aver push me into playing the ineen-
diary and kindling q cOnfagrattcn,
by blowing the Goals smoulderlng
tonly create a~ntagonism.
My rule ID to call a spade a spade,
and to use frankness and plain.
dealing,
In my opinion, much of the discon.
tent. resIlessness and ill-humOr of
working men, is owing to the arts of
demagogues and agitators, and to the
declamatory writing of wild enthusl-
asts, and to the lack of mental indie
pendence and moral courage on the
part Of many workingmen. If you
din into the ears of men. that they
are wronged and oppressed, cheated
and abused, they will finally imagine
that they are terribly ill used. This
Is quite natural. And this has
happened to thousands of WORK.
ing men. They have been duped
by demagogues and a%gitators,
or misguided by enthusiasts. Then
they have surrendered their penson-
atty, individualism and independence
of action, by uniting with some labor
organization, which thinks and acts
for them; tells,them when they must
strike and when they must resume
work. The individual is a machine
and a puppet, the organization is all
in all. Every man should retain in
his W hands the right of regulating
his W private matters and of deter
mining whether he will labor It GER
tain wages or quit work. and he can
not divest himself of this glorious
and God given right without parting
with his personality, his individual
and becoming a machine in the hands
of others.
A very large proportion of the dis
content, restlessness and i'll humOr of
workipgmen Is the result of the arts
and articles of demagogues and agi-
tatOrs, and Is more imaginary than
real Such articles rs that of Lizzie
H. Holmes - lnfismatory, unjust,
declamatOry; addressed wholly to
the passions and prejudices, is Well
calculated to excite hatred towards
capital, and to create discomfort, in
men who are prone to be guided by
their impulses and passions. 1t is q
fair sample of the reading matter
thrown to working men.
Lizzie H. Holmes says dozens of
b%lue-costs appear to protect capital
lists, but not one appears to defend
working men. But why did she moi
explain the reason of this thing? A
parcel of workingmen go on a strike,
and set to work TO over-awe their
employers and to prevent others from
taking the places they have vacated.
They loon degenerate into q mob and
grow lawless. They violate the law
and the public peace. Policemen be-
come indispensable to protect life and
property from the violence of the
angry strike. That is the reason of
the state of affairs, which is cited as a
grievance by Lizzie III. Holmes. Those
who trample the law under foot and
disturb the public peace, are estopped
from any complaint about policemen
being called in to preserve the peace.
There are sixty-two millions of peo-
pie in the United States, and four
fifths Of them are interested in law,
order, peace, and the protection of
life and proserty. They feel very
kindly towards working men and