The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-06


interests and defeat the general welfare oil
whole community. Society often writhes under
ubo1 sa o. noiyiau ,s ana c1lpo,ssS poTef
Oh its forces. 10 cowed and helpless. The few
laws that have thus far been passed to regulate
ana control corporations do NOT seem TO have
materially checked their onward march 20 IN.
w1rrantable dominion over the people Where
attempts have been made to check them by
ioIcs: - IN the case OF the recent riots the re-
suit has been, not conservation, but destruc-
tfon- And here again We ind illustrated the
TACT that physical force applied for the solution
OF social abuses Is weapon that cuts both
weyA Its effect IL destructive, not constructive,
and 10 generally ends by leaving open for settle
nenf the very questions that were up 1T the
peginning OF the struggle. The use OF physical
force in q republic where every man has the
hight Of suffrage is q practical confession that
most OF them do not know bow to use the suf-
iragc; and bear we'll in mind that people who
DO NOT know how to vote right when they are
permitted to vote will not know how 70 shoot
right II permitted to shoot. The curse of all
violent revolutions is that they destroy life and
property, good and evil, Unfortunately. In
trying to do away with the bad they sweep away
the good also.
The l.borsr who feels the power of wealth
above him chafes under what he considers In.
justice, while the Capitalist may be, and gen.
orally IL. free from any desire to infict injury.
he simply desires TO accumulate wealth: aud,
a. the laborer 10 not concerned for the welfare
OF the capitalist, neither is the capitalist con-
cerned for the welfare OF the laOorer. The cap.
itaiist cannot be blamed for what he is. He is
tenn with access TO natural opportunities shut
on lie has acquired his wealth, sometimes by
luck. sometimes by energy and ability, and
sometimes by methods that would not bear care
ful scrutiny. In his actual character he will
average up pretty we'll with the rest of man.
kind, and we must Judge human character
apart from property.
"A man may own large estate,
Have palace, park. and a that,
And, not for birth. but honest worth,
Be thrice man for a. that;
And Donald. herding on the moor
Who beats his wife and a that,
Be nothing but rascal boor
Nor half a man for a. that"
Tits q question whether there is any good
reason either in logic, morals or public welfare
why any man should be worth 81 ,000, 900, while
there IL ample reason why all men should have
clean, comfortable. healthy homes. II there 10
one power in modern society that brings .ais
TACT into prominence and gives it emphasis aud
force that power is labor organisation.
Humanity is shocked at the injustice OF one
man receiving a dollar day and another man a
Thousand or ten thousand. There Is no such
difference az this in the value of mems services,
nor Is there any such difference in their legiti-
mate needs. The perception OF these broad
needs of humanity and the attempt to realize
them through labor organizations constitutes
the strength and tho merit Of organization.
Labor organisation 10 one of the necessary and
practical working tools of progressive society.
II is often asserted that labor organizations il q
selfish institution, because each craft aims to
raise its own wages without any concern as to
the wages received IN other craftA Nothing
could be further from the truth. A true men,
Der OF labor organization Is such as much if not
more from principle than from interest The
ethics OF unionism are just rs true to him as
the ethics of Christianity. have known thor
oughly sincere men whose moral code was
made up almost wholly of labor union erin.
ciples, and who had just a. much faith in and
devotion to those principles as any religious be-
lever has in his church formulas. Wherever
you find q man with Q deep moral conviction
that he IL in the right, and that the opponents
OF unionism are In the wrong: and If you try to
override that sentiment with force you come in
contact with q man who disputes your course
with that stubborn devotion that only moral
conviction can produce or sustain.
Another thing: Organized labor Is Intelligent
labor. This does not mean that every man IN
organisation IL . preacher, a lawyer, a scientist
or statesman. 1t means that taking the labor.
ing classes az q whole, the organized laborers
by far the most intelligent portion OF them.
Indeed, 1t goes without saying, that only iairly
Intelligent men are capable of organization for
with any degree OF permanancy: But it is the
moral side OF the labor question in which |
take the greatest interest, ana it is the moral
side that best like to present -
Men associated together IN organization either
industrial or political are subject to the common
weakness of mankind. Upon certain things
they differ. The questions with which they
have to deal are often very complex, and espe.
cially is this true when in addition to settling
branch out, as the Knights Of Labor and social.
lists do, into the consideration of the problem OF
society asa whole hole Here Her there is not only
OF opinion. but there is more scope
for dishonesty and more play for
the unreasonable dogmatst and the
type of men that may be described as part dema-
always takes the popular side of every question,
whether right or wrong, 10 demagogue; the
purposes that he knows to be wrong is a knave;
and the man who dogmatizes about great and
complex questions which no has not carefully
Investigated is certainly not overstocked with
Without going into metaphysics, IL may be
stated that all safe action is based upon knowl-
edge. that without knowledge there can be no
safe action, aud that the man who desires % di.
rect affairs which affect the interests Of great
masses OF people ought to be qualified in point
OF knowledge for the task assumed. And let
me say right here that one OF the best kinds OF
knowledge is seif-knowledge OF the capacity OF
each man, not only TO take measure OF other
men, but his own measure also.
Another thing. No mau Is ct to control 9th.
ers until he has learned 20 control himself. The
man who argues for victory and not for truth,
who pretends to be- talking for q principle
when he liz really talking for an interest, has a
moral weakness somewhere in his makeup l
have seen men who pretended to be reiormers
argue with savage ferocity against all reason
merely because they had taken false position
on some question and were determined TO de-
fend II, right or wrong. What kind OF reform
are you going TO get from man whose false
What kind OF reform are you going to get from
man whose views on public questions are
made up and expressed, not with reference to
the rights or wrongs of the case, but wholly
with reference to defeating some personal
enemy, crafty ing some personal feeling IF NAL
ice or vanity, or advancing or retsrding the
success of political party? What Kind of
reform are you goiug to get from q man
who Is constantly engaged IN brawls with his
associates, who talks al random on public CUES
tious without ever having given them any
eaii
selfish that where he has one thought for hU-
manity he has hundred Tor himself? al know
OF no alchemy" says Herbert Spencer, "by
which You can get golden results from leaden
instincts"
The whole world IL divided into religious and
political schools. which, in general, are nothing
more than warning factions, each assuming to
have the whole truth and discrsditing the opir-
ions OF others. Is 10 not reasonable 10 conclude
amid this general war of ideas and interests
that wisdom did not como into the world with
any class or sect. either religious, political or
soclsif Nor Will il go out with any.
Now. the sum and substance OF all have said
Is this: That when everything is considered
there are but two things upon which you can
depend either Tor good religion, good govern
inent or good economics. Those two things are
knowledge and virtue so far workingrneu
cultivate these their movement viii be- a sue
cess 80 tar a. they do not their movement will
be a failure. | care very little for Your plans
let them De elaborated as perfectly as they may,
for bad men Will not execute gooi
plans. nor viii good men be made the tools
10 execute bad ones / have seen plan after plan
torn u pieces by the angry passions ami self
Interests, of / have seen the am billions
jeai0ustes and animosities Of reiormers tramp
hing under foot ali moderation, foroesrance and
justice; and DO you tell me that plans will avail
when they are Su. feathers, TO he Sc. aside at
Will BY the whirlwInd OF mems baser instincts /?
do not wish 10 discourage any true effort or
aspiration. bat charge You when you tx your
eve upon the slitteriug peaks OF Olympus not TO
IL liza T.. IN