The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-02-26
SOVEREIGN'S ADDRESS
TOTHE IOWA STATE ASSEMBLY
! KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
The State Master Workman nelivers an
Able Speech i'll Which He Treats o: the
Reasons Why LaburcIs and Pr ducers
should BE Org anizcd.

Reasons Why LaborcIs and Pr cducers
should BE Organized.
To the officers and members of the
Iowa State assembly. greeting:
Once more the Iowa Knights Of Labor
meet in delegate assembly to consider
the demands OF labor and the claims of
humanity. Once more We are called
upon to icgi>latc for the welfare OF our
order and define uur future course i'll the
struggle for social adjustment.
All OAR past efforts have been to adapt
social organization IL natural laws and
the inherent rights of ali mankind
And to the ciitiration of cur order. it
may be truthfullv said that our greatest
weapon of assault S education. Educa
tion is the only power that can diSpe!
partisan prejudice. r"Nolutiunizr bad
governments dcthFonr tyrauts and give
To the world lis jrne!cd honorS and Il
homage to fairness. Iuagnaiimity and
brotherhood.
Through the power OF education. in
tolerance and superstition are passing
away. Tho prison cell fer the inventor.
the poison hcmlOck 10. the philosopher
and the fagots fer the thinker are 10
more. Hy this >anIe great agent OF cvo-
luton and fellowship III" knights of La
Dor and kindred associations will work Il
relaxation in the hatred and sciti>lIncSs
that have So long dominated the con>ti
tuition Of society until all labor is re-
deemed from oppression and greed.
Our sauvtuarits are the school houses
of economics. III which We educate our
members in the powers OF government.
responsibilities of citizcu>hiy and the in
herent rights Of the common people.
hn hal lrtl tpH I,a riran
movers of our order was education, to
the end that there might be created i
healthy public opinion on the subject of
labor, and but for this feature it would
not command public respect or establish
the necessity Of its existence. Nor have
we been without reward. The last dec
ade has seen o,.r educators on every pub
lie rostrlim and our principles pcrmeatc
the libraries and literature Of the nation,
while many Of our important demands
have been rngroSsrd on til" calendars of
legislative councils. And Before another
decade shall have passed away our orde
will put the dctalUgue and the golden
rule into politics. ans: tine tclegra phS, tel
ephoncs aud railroads of this nation will
be owned and operated by the general
government Tor the benefit of the whole
people. The monetary prerogatiycS Of
the nation will be taken from private
banks and restored to the general gov
ernment the burdens of taxation equal
lied and mitigatod 70 pnbic necessities,
and the homes OF labor given higher con
sideration than the dollars Of Shylock.
There is no cause for di>cOllragemcnt.
The principles Of our order are shaking
the social drfertS Of the civilized world:
they spread ont over the sea Of moral
philosophy. civil government and human
liberty: they are dcfacing tn" thrones Of
Europe and era>iny til" impprfertions i'll
our republican stprr7tructurr. Even
the cart and hypocrisy in the politics
and religion of the agr are giving way to
the spirit uf progression.
But let the future mark no cessation
of agitation aad 81 .:atio:, the phil
anthropy OF til" .sorid bechons us on
ward.
Let u only demand opportunities
for pr ,-ai and social Improvement to cor
res ,,ond with new and improved methods
of production. but let lis demand the
abolition Of all those laws and customs
upon which rest the classification Of So
ciety into higher and lower grades. and
let no member h." lurrd to the contcntcd
footstool of monopoly under the guiSe
that our high standard of civilization is
guarantee Of Justice and equality. Civ
iliZation l. necessary to the welfare
of labor. Art and Scicuce and literature
could not flourish without if. But civil
ization and justice are not Synonymous
terms. Civilization means culture.
politeness and refinement, and nothing
more. Therefore no man need be honest
to be civilized. The highest civilized
man may be the greatest thief. In fact
culture and even religious pretensions
and all that go to make up Il high stand
ard of civilization are the most perfect
accomplishments Of our great modern
thieves. Civilization may flourish OF
wage slavery. child labor and trusts.
Colossal fortunes may be massed from
watered stock and produce gambling:
There may be courtesy and civility in
the house of greed aud cxtortion. All
legalized thieves are civilized thieves.
Rome died in the zenith of her civiliza-
4ion from lcgaiizcd thieves. Humanity
to-day is groaning on the rack of
iegaiiZed injustice Sayag"ry. with
its rowing bands of free
hooters robbed the innocent, divided the
spoils among marauding chiefs, con-
ferred titles of nobility, proclaimed the
divine right to rule and built its thrones
on the bones of its vanquishcd. But the
system has been changed from the brut-
aity of savagery to the polite and re-
fined methods Of civilization. Civiliza-
ton clips its coupons, gambes in bread,
lies to the assessor, opens its bank with
prayer, robs its dcpositOrS. sends men to
heaven on . per cent. per month, and
digs a veritabe hell for the poor.
Civilization has no spear. mailed
,armor or battleaXcs, but it marSilalS
lobbes against legislatures, converts
wealth into worcestershire bonds, over
avs the people with Pinkerton thugs and
robs labor through taxation and usury
Civilization freed the chattcI slaves
but there are now more white slaves
sewing cotton than there We're black
slaves picking it thirty years ago. ana
more money and brains are now devoted
10 tiiching wealth from labor than are
combined with labor to produce it
Civilization without justice is Il failure
But revolution is at hand. The farmers
of the west are aroused to the supTem.
necessity of a change and are concen
fratinR their forces in lines parallel witt
our own. And appeal to this order tt
extend the right hand OF fellowship t
them and court their closest possible 60
operation. The cause is common ant
the interests mutual. We need not onl.
a. reform ballot system but we need re
form voters to use it and in this struggl,
we enjoy the support Of the organizct
farmers. Let us in turn consult thei
interests in our future work.
At the recent session Of our genera
assembly held at Denver. Col, our gen
eral master workman recommended tha
the local assemblies discuss the tarit
question, and gave as a reason the fac
that every four years we are called upol
to cast our votes oD one side or the othe
of this great question. | consider 1t il
the line of duty to repeat that recon
mendation to the locals of this state as
sembly, and will give as my convictions
after careful study, that high tariff
robbery perpetrated under the g,lise q
patriotism and exalted sentiment to dc
yelop the wilderness. But it helps t
make the wilderness when developed tn