Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-19

but it is also limited in its funds. The
great drainage canal may, and probably
will, give employment to a considerable
number of men, but after all you must
recognize that these things will he only in
the nature of makeshifts; only to tide
over; only to keep men and their families
from starving. And on this point les me
say it VII be the duty Of all public officials
to see to it that no man is permitted to
starve on the soil Of Illinois, and provision
will be made to that end But all this is
temporary. The laborer must look to ways
and means that are permanen MT for the i'm
provement of his condition when the
panic is over, and these measures must be
along the line of and in harmony with
the institutions of this century, and must
move by gradual and steady development
Nothing that is violently done is of per-
manent advantage to the working man.
He can only prosper when his labor is in
demand, and his labor can be in demand
only when his employer prospers and there
is nothing to interfere with consumption
The world has been slow to accord labor
its due. For thousands of years pillaCe
plumber, and organized robbery, called
warfare, We're honorable pursuits, and the
man who toiled in order that all might
live was despised. In the flight of time it
was but yesterday that the labor of the
earth was driven with the lash and either
sold on the block like cattle or tied by an
invisible chain to the soil and was forbid
den TO even wander outside his parish. In
the yesterday of time even EMPLOYERS of
labor were despised. The men who con-
Quoted great industries, who carried on
commerce, who practiced the useful arts
the men who made the earth nabitable
were looked down upon by class that
considered II honorable torob the toiler of
his bread, a class which, while possessing
the pride of the eagle, had only the char
acter OF the Vulture. Great has been the
development since then. This century
brought upon its wings higher ideas, more
OF truth and more OF O nmon sense, and il
announced to mank nd that he is honor
able who creates, tina, ne should be des-
pissed who can only consume, that he is the
benefactor of the race who gives il an ad-
dltlonal Thought, an additional flower,
an additional loaf of bread, an additional
comfort, and he Is n curse to his kind who
tramples down what Others build or with
out compensation devOurs what others
create. The century brought with it still
greater things. Not only did it lift the
employer to IA position Of honor, influence
and power, but it tore away parish bound
aries, 1t cut the chains OF the serf, ii burnt
the auction block where the laborer and
his children where sold; and it brought
ideas, II taught the l..boring man to eX-
tend his hand to his fellow aborer
not only TO read but TO investigate, TO
inquire, to discuss, to consider, and 10 look
ahead, SO that to-day the laborer and his
cause at least theoretically, command the
homage OF all civilized men, and the great
est states in cbristendom have set apart
day TO be annually observed as a holiday
in honor of labor.
The children of Israel were forty years
in marching from the bondage of Egypt to
the treer atlnosphere of Palestine and n
nf oil hAir IN,
the last forty years the children of Toll
have made forward march which is
| greater than any ever made IN the wilder
ness. True, the land Is not conquered.
lou have simply Camped upon that higher
plane where you can more clearly see the
difficulties OF the past, and where in the
end you may nope FOR a higher justice and
happier conCItion for yourselves and
| your children, but a great deal remains TO
be done. In sense, you are Just out OF
the wilderness. You ask, along what lines,
then, shail we proceed when the times get
better III order to improve our condition
l answer, along lines which harmonic,
not only with natures laws, but with the
| laws OF the land. Occupying, as ! do,
| position winch makes me IL sense n con-
servator OF ali interests and classes |
| desire TO see the harmonious prosperity OF
| all, and let me say to you, that until all
the active interests of the land prosper
again, there can be no general demand for
/
| prosperity. What ! w.pn to point ont Is
| the absolute necessity OF each class or in
| terest being able to lake car of itself in
| the fierce struggle tor existence. You
| have not yet fuzzy reached this state. In
! the industrial world. as well as in the
| political world, only those forces survive
| when can maintain themselves, and which
| are so conceptrated that their influence is
! Immediately and directly felt. y
| scattered force, DO matter how
| great, is of no account in the sharp
| contests of the age. This is an age of con-
| centra5lOn. Everywhere there is concen-
| tratlOn and Ombination of capital and
| OF these factors which today rule the
| world. The formation of corporations has
| greatly accelerated this movement, and no
| matter what Is said about ii, whether we
| approve 1t or not, II Is he characteristic
| feature OF our civilization and grows out
| of increased invention the speedy conmu-
mcation between different parts of the
| world, and the great industrial general
| ship and enterprise of the time. 1t is
| questionable whether this tendency to
| combination could have been stopped in
| any way. IL Is certain without tuIs con
| centrauon of force, the gigantic achieve
| ments OF our times would have been an
| lmpossibIlity. Com binauIUn aud concan-
| tratlon are the masters OF the age. Let the
| laborer learn from this and act accord
I ingly. Fault finding and, idle complaint
! are useless. Great forces, megrejt rivers,
| fight your own battles. For the laborer
| TO stand single-handed before giant comb.-
/ nations of power means humiliation. The
/ world gives only when il is obliged to- and
respects only those who compel It's respect.
! government was created by power and
| has always been controlled by power Do
| not imagine that 1t Is sufficient II you have
| justice and equity on your side, for the
earth Is covered with the graves of justice
and equity that failed TO receive recogni-
I haa
! force To compel ii, aud it will be 50 until
| the millennium. Whenever you demon
| strate that you are an active concentrated
! power moving along lawful lines, then you
| will be felt Ill government. Until tuen,
| you will not. Thisis an age of law as well
as of force, and no torce succeeds that does
not move along legal lines. The laborin9
J men of the world always have been
| and are to-day, the support and principal
! reliance OF the government. They support
! Its flags in time of war. and their
hands earn the taxes in time of peace.
| Their voice Is for fair play and no great