People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-03-10
THE LABOR QUESTION.

public.
In the beginning of this shall assert
that labor has at last discovered its
enemies and located the factors which
conspire TO rob it of the product
of its honest toll will 90 further
than that and assert that labor is
rapidly closing up its ranks and mass
ing its forces in solid phalanx for the
grand onslaught upon the citadels of
plutocracy. The conflict in the future
will not partake of the nature of
skirmish nor will labor display its
forces upon dress parade, but the fight
from now on will be waged with stub
bornness and determination, and the
banner under which organized abor
will march will bear the inscription,
United we stand, divided we fall its
depth and import being fully appre-
hended by labor's marching hosts But
labor will use no revolutionary meth
DDS, nor will it strive TO institute a
reign of lawless anarchy. 1t is not
labor, but rather it is plutocracy which
is revolutionary. II there are anarch-
lists they are not to be found in labor's
ranks, but seated in high places are
they, corrupting the Judiciary and buy
ing legislators; with blood stained
lucre overturning and overriding all
law and constitutional barriers As
Edward Bellamy well and tersely
writes:
We maintain that the rapid concentration OF
the greater part Of the wealth OF the country In
few hands, and the establishment so swiftly
going on by means Of combinations and consoli-
datiOns OF commercial and industrial oligar-
chy, constitutes a revolution against the spirit
OF the republic which will, II successful, ulti-
mately overthrow its forms also. We declare
the capitalists and their agents who are en-
! gagged In this movement 70 be, In effect II not
Intentionally revolutionists and enemies Of
American liberties and institutions and as
such we oppose them in the only eiectual way
and call upon all patriotic and loyal citizens TO
support US In Russia we should be properly
called revolutionists because the nominal and
traditional government OF Russia is despotic,
but in America we are conservatives because
we seek 10 defend the republic handed down by
/ the fathers against those who would substitute
/ for 1t government by a petty minority under
/ the methods OF plutocracy. Our flag is no en-.
sign OF revolt, but the standard Of the republic,
to which its enemies and assailants have no
right The black flag Of piracy is the proper
banner Of the business-wrecking law-defying.
man-crushing party Of the trusts and syndicates
which we resist
Gaze at the fields of battle and take a
glance at the opposing forces On the
one hand the triumphant and autocratiC
plutocracy, seemingly impregnably en-.
trenched behind the bulwarks of special
privileges and class laws. Claiming
the ownership of the earth, Gods gift
to humanity, they control all natural
opportunities and all of natures re.
sources. The coal and timber, the iron
and lead and the multitude of Gods
bounties they arrogantly claim in fec
simple and control the output and dis
tribution of all the prime necessities o.
life. With a long line Of legal pre-
cedents and an imposing array Of man
made laws they set at naught the law
of God and the rights Of man and exal
their vested rights" far above the God
given rights vested in a common human
ity. They own all the tools of produc
ton and distribution, all the money
and avenues of transportation and
claim indebtedness against the world
of humanity, to pay the interes
upon which requires the best efforts O
the whole nation and virtually means
the perpetual slavery of the people Il
these august personages. BEHIND
them, subservient TO their will and sup
porting their pretentious claims, stand
the national and state Judiciary ant
the Legislative departments of the sew
eral governments, while subject Il
their beck and call is the police force o
the nation, the state militia, and as
last resort, the United States army
Leagued with them and fighting thei
battles are the demons Of hunger
cold and despair, while all the forces o
nature, the resources of inventiv,
genius and the mechanisms of scienc,
are used by them to retard the onward
march of a progressive civilization an,
hinder the development Of higher
nobler type of manhood
And labor What of labor's hosts? 4
mighty army is that of those who labor
numbering thirty or forty to one o
: their exploiters and oppressors But
mark this-in their numbers lies thei
weakness, not their strength, and it i
, upon this fact that the eight-hour de
mand is based and around this truth re
wolves the agitation for a shorter day
J labor Labors army is molly an
, heterogeneous band, composed of fight
ers, neutral non-combatants and len
forced) sympathizers with the enemy
J In 1892 labors forces were probably di
vided as follows:
Engaged in manufacturing and mining 2,l9l 81
Engaged in transportation. ........... 1856.
Engaged in personal service .......... 2,42i. o.
Engaged in agriculture labors) ........ 4,2s4,st
, Otherwise engaged. ................... 7.Os,O
Total ~ ON q,
} These figures are given as an appro,
imation, in the absence Of any officia