The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-21
AS VIEWED BY FOREIGNERS
London Newspapers Moralize on the
Labor Strikes and Riots in America.
Deductions that Show the Ignorance of Brit
ishers Concerning Affairs in the United
Siates-Tbeir Own Toilers Restless


QUEER BRITISH VIEWS.
Comment on the American Labor Troubles
London ToiIers in an Uneasy Mood.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
LONDON, Aug. 20.-The greatest interest
is felt here in the labor troubles in Ameri-
ca. and the newspapers are taking the
Homestead strike IS text The news from
the coal-miners of Tennessee, the IRON
workers of Homestead and the striking
swltchmen of Buffalo is read with an IN
terest that IS significant, and It 10 evident,
from the mutterings heard among the
crowds as they scan the bulletins or peruse
the newspapers, that the success of labor
insurrection in America would be speedily
followed by q similar uprising here. There
are thousands of people in London out of
work and desperate and ready for almost
any deed of violence, without regard to the
legal results. These people need but q
leader and banner TO start riot that
would rival the Partisan commune, and
that might become a revolution. IL is II
the alleys of the East End that these enc
mics of existing order can be met with and
listened to. for there they fear no caves
dropping They hold meetings nightly,
and inveigh against what they call the op-
preston of capital and talk of what tile
masses will do when they have the upper
hand. Among intelligent working
men the subject is more calmly
considered. 81 cannot see," said one
of these. why American workingmen
should have TO riot for their rights when
they have the ballot, and really have cheese
capitalists at their mercy. If they yOnly
knew il. They ought to take the railroads
and the telegraph lines for the state. aboi-
ish or reduce the tariff, and impose
graduated income tax. Then. if the capi-
falists attempted to resist tho laws the
capitalists would be the Anarchists"
The views of London newspapers on
events In America are always interest
ing. because nine times out of ten the
writers show wonderful lack of knOwl-
edge concerning the thing they criticise
or commend. Here are few comments
on the labor troubles
The Chronicle this morning says: "Af.
fairs suggest the question. What grave
crisis is forming itself for the American
peoplef What are we to say concerning
such startling phenomena In country
which enjoys on paper complete demo-
cratic institutional American papers and
statesmen Will attribute everything 10 All
arehists; but that is q suplne and un orthy
excuse for social and political shortcom-
Ings. In the main. the American people
have themselves to blame, Tor lack of the
true public spirit In the American Republic
is one of the saddest facts of our time.
The American people had the most splen-
did Inheritance ever conferred on nation,
and they have grossly misused It. Hordes
of vulgar office-seekers have been permit
ted to fatten on the public body; great
cities are given over to men who ought to
be IN prison. and millions on millions of
acres of valuable public lands are given
with light heart TO railway corpora
tons which now threaten to strange the
Republic in their octOpus-like grasp. This
Is the real practical anarchism which ruins
States. compared with W hich the anarchism
r.& fol
most innocuous. That it Is the general
merit OF the labor war: but there are spe-
cial questions relating TO railways and
convict labor 1t is simply mOustrous that
capitalists are permitted to use convict la
bor-so monstrous that no self-respecting
community could possibly tolerate it. Ex-
cepting In the Russian and German mon
archies no men In the world are clothed
with greater power than American railway
magnates. Things have come TO a pass
where people have to consider what is to
be done with the railways 1t is impossible
60 allow the owners to do as they please.
mere is no solution except the putting
forth by tho State of It's undoubted su-
thority to exercise rigid control nnder
which the managers shall be quasi State
officials instead of private servants of
Goulds and VanderbIlts"
The Standard says: The Importance of
these upheaval in the lower grades of the
working classes In America lies not yet IN
the power OF the men TO subvert and divert
the established authority, but in the Bit
terness of the desperation of the rebels.
Men do not fight like tigers and wreck
property with savage fury unless driven
desperate by want. Evidently point is
reached when the men feel that life is
not worth living. Never since the aboll-
ton of the corn laws has England expert
enced any thing like the bloouthIrsty hatred
against capitalists that is manifested in
these riots They arel vivid commentary
on the ignorant or dishonest plague of DO
f0r IN IN
led the American people astray in the fetid
marshes of protectionism." The article
continues TO Inveigh IN similar strain
against the results of the Mckinley
tariff and concludes: Good will result
from these strikes. sinister though they ap-
pear. and from amid the smoke of battle
will emerge the dawn of better day for
labor and for the world. We confidently
look TO America TO begin the reversal of
The crazy policy of protection, which Is
brushing Europe as we'll as the young
Btates of the southern ocean In it's de-
Btructive grasp
The Times says: THE labor troubles in
the United States have taken q form not
easily to be distinguished from civil war.
We cannot yet venture TO think the dam
ger ended. lt Is small wonder that the
course of affairs is watched with alarm by
those in whose memory the events OF 1877
are still fresh"
The DAILY News commenting on the la
Dor troubles in the United States. says:
Alb laDOI war, IN the lftcfal sense Oh tue
word. justties the prediction of many dill
gent students of American politics and So
ciety, that social troubles come earlier and
prove infinitely more bitter in q republic
than IN the old fashioned monarchies of
Europe. Although the strikers are cowed
for the moment, it would be premature to
believe that the back of the urbance is
broken
The telegraph regrets the supineness of
the authorities In America, and says: I'VE
can scarcely conceive of any utterance
more irKsome TO American national self
respect than that of the commander at
Oliver Springs IN which he described his
capltulatlon."