St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-05
EVOLUTION OF PEACE.
Violence Not Calculated to Ac-
compiish ANY Good.

Violence Not Calculated to Ac-
compiish Any Good.
Let us now turn away from our con-
temptation of the conditions which
seem to surround us, and look each
other honestly in the face. ask our best
intelligence what we ought to do In this
most moment0us period i'll the history
of our race. Accepting that the evolu-
ton of labor has demonstrated that
fraternity is divine, and calmly taking
full notice of our surroundings, let us
contemplate our duties. Let us remem-
Der that all inherent truth ever remains
latent and unavalllng unless such truth
is first evolved into some plan of intelli
gent action or system of action. Let us
not forget that suffering is the divine
means by which the intellects are awak-
ened to action and TO motion, and that if
we. who suffer, will not move and act
intelligently no others will.
If true economics are based, as history
plainly demonstrates. upon true morals,
then we will admit that the evolution of
free labor is possible only by the evolu-
,tion of peace. We can accomplish moth
ing by violence. Nor is it possible to
accomplish even material advance by
means of successful violence. Life,
liberty and property are sacred, and only
by defending them as sacred can we
evolve the liberty of labor. France tried
to found the tenets of the physiocrats by
violence, but her efforts in violence were
of no avail. She proved to us that the
evolution of free trade must be by peace
and peace alone.
How truly human is this resort to
violence to conquer peace. How loftily
the souls of suffering men must struggle
against this swift temptation of the
bloOd-must struggle and strive in order
to obey the teachings of the Infinite
alone. We have the numbers and the
strength. and were it right and had it
been taught or permitted by the high
est intelligence which has spoken in the
ears of man that force aud violence
were the means by which propitfous
heaven sent blessings to our race, then
are those now living among the toilers
who would, before yon glorious sun
could battle his flashing pinions in the
fiery West, lead your misguided masses
to the commanding ridge of battle. Still,
society should know, and, knowing,
ever remember, that 1t is not by force of
human law that suffering men refuse
the paths of violence. That which con-
serves the public peace was built q lofty
barrier by the God of heaven. 1t is His
barrier, not mans, and that lofty barri-
er Is the conscience of the poor.
Therefore, as Intelligent action is
necessary to evolve economic freedom,
and as such action must and ought to be
only the action Of peace. what action
shall be taken? There is but one an
swer to this eXigency.
All labor must peacefully organize.
With the least possible delay all labor
in this republic must organize itself in-
to vast federation upon fraternal prin-
ciples-not selfish principles.
Unjust organize en- masse TO secure
the freedom of labor, for the practices
of the nations of the world now are
hostile to free labor.
This first necessity of labor-its free
dOm-wil demand the exercise of the
aggregate powers of all the laborers and
producers of raw materials in this re-
public. You can look for aid at this
time to no existing government. You
must rely upon yourselves. Free labor
will be compelled to enlist all the toilers
fully and patiently toll and confederate
for the discovery of the hidden processes
of economic liberty. and cO-labor for
the establishment of such processes in
The constitution and laws of the
land. You must erect your
boards of inquiry and advice, your con-
ventions of agreements your congresses
of patriotic endeayor. Your assembly
and confederation will at once be
-n1 lN,,, 1E nj
cation, which seek to propitiate mere
power and influence in political en-
gagements. You will act politically
only when necessary: for it requires
years to undo the mistakes of
moment. To reconstruct the trade,
commerce, and markets of the republic
can only be done By striving patiently
along right lines. Legislation is only
legal violence. The legislation now on
the statute books against the freedom
of labor will melt away before the sun
of federate fraternal organization. If
the wealth of nations is as Adam Smith
has proved, your most patriotic i'm
pulses will warn your organization to
disdaiD the practice of selfish principles
as you march slowly but surely on
toward the true glory of the republic.
in organizing this fraternal fedora
ton you will be, of course, compelled
to recognize that for $40 years capital
has been permitted to rule over labor
as sort of natural right. You will find
yourselves compelled To notice the great
bulwark of law which has been hedged
around capital. But you will find two
kinds OF capital around yon. One we
will call honest capital, in its owners
hands, and the other false capital, Dor
rowed to do business upon. Honest
capital is willing to do a fair and hon.
est business if it is not pressed by false
capital to do otherwise. False capital
is always false, unless restrained by law
from fraud. Even the law it evades. 1t
Is labor'S inveterate r0bber enemy. 1t
is the thief which even pillages the store
and rights of honest capital. If this re-
public had been premature wise it would
never have permitted false business to
do business in the land. Perhaps " e
might go further and say that the repub-
lie should never have allowed herself.
her state corporations or citizens to Dor
row of other nations false capital to
create false business within the repub-
lie. Had we relied solely upon our
selves | believed we would have COM
PEELED all Europe to be republican long
ago. But we had the sin OF slavery. We
have done well-perhaps as well as we
could. Even Adam Smith, the acknowl-
edged economist. never considered that
the rent of capital, or interest of Dor
rowed capital, ought ever to enter
into the computation of price or be
part of the value of any commodity.
His whole system was based OH the idea
that capital worthy of protection was
the stock of accumulation of labor itself
not the accumulation of fraud, false
capital or other humane ehlcane.