The herald., 1894-03-13
rHE UNEMPLOYED MOVEMENT.


tits not practicable for the unemployed
to go on to Washington in large NUM-
bers to present their grievances to the
authorities there. .ss is now contemplated, d,
It is too long a journey and involves
too large an expenditure of time and
money. Time is OF less consideration
than the money. There is no lack OF
time with. the unemployed, but oi
money there is a woeful lack. 1t can
not be had in sufficient smount for such
purpose to make an impressive demon
stration.
Not one out of hundred, perhaps not
one out of thousand of the people we
are talking about could undertake such
a mission. Some other method will
have to be resorted to, to reach the dig
nitsries st the nations capital. The
right OF petition for the redress of griev-
ances is secured by the constitution,
and that may we'll be put in operation at
this time. Petitions may be so framed
and executed as to command the atten-
tion of even the most stolid and indiffer-
{. / members Of congress, and so as to
be quite as effective for good as the per-
sonal presence of the petitioner. II is
not every petition that goes into the
waste basket. There is no disputing
the fact that the labor interests OF this
country have been most shamefully neg
lected by the government. The inter-
aasa Of naDifai hova rar.;voI kha al,,o.k
exclusive consideration of congress for
the last thirty years, and ever since the
war left us burdened with great public
debt. Full twenty times as much at
tcntion has been paid to the welfare of
foreign bondholders as to the laborers
of our own country. Even today there
is manifectly a most astonishing disre.
gard at Washington of American inter
ests. II you would behold an exhibit
tion of patriotic" zeal on the part OF
our greatest" statesmen, wait till
some question comes up on which our
foreign creditors have q wish to express.
Then you will see statesmanship dis
played with all its reserved force. What
Lombard street would have, or the alien
money changers OF Wall street desire,
commands at once the most approved
talents of our wise, or otherwise, law.
makers. We have reached that pass,
that thousands heapsd upon thousands
of American citizens may perish for
want Of the simplest necesssries of life,
while not the slightest disappointment
will be permitted to come to the English
or German bondholder who lie 30
fortunate as to possess our Ameri-
can securities, even when the doub.
ling of the value of those securities
causes the death of thousands and the
impUverishment of millions OF our own
population. The common people are
lost sight of in our legislation. The
early msxims of the republic are forgot
ten. 1t used to be said and often repeated
that labor was honorable. THE dignity
~f laha-' Was expresaion frannantlv
heard in the earlier and better days OF
the republic. 1t was then q common
opinion that every able bodied man
should take pride in making himself
us6lui III buO au0 bhdt ~ Vhb
disgraceful not to be so, or to be drone
in the human hive. But times have
changed and men have changed with
the times, until now the laborer is no
longer worthy of his hire. The exer-
tions of the government are expended
towards the rich, and to make the rich
richer and the poor poorer. This is
plain suoversion of the fundamental
principles upon which our government
was founded, and it is equally plain that
this government cannot long endure as
free republic while the ship of state is
continuing to sail upon this tack. I'm
equal government and unjust laws are
responsible for nearly ell the evils Of
mankind, and certain it is that in
America at this time our ills can be at
tributed to no other source.