The oasis., 1894-07-19
BUT A SYMPTOM OF DEEP DISEASE.

The newspapers that are burned by
 consuming desire to stand inn with
 the wealthy and are always ready with
 covert sheer for the attempts of the
 common people to elevate their condi-
 ti0n, with common accord are now de-
 voting their attention to abusing
 Debs, the leader in the recent calamit-
 ous and impotent strike.
 Abuse of MT. Debs, and flinging at
 him and his subordinate associates
 the epithet ''demagogue," may seem
 very smart in the class of writers who
 now seem to have their inning, but it
 in no way softens the asperity of the
 situation, nor calms the feelings of
 those who participated in the strike
 with an honest feeling that they were
 contending for sacred principle. And
 the writers who are now so glibly gib-
 ing and sneering at the leaders in the
 unsuccessful strike but little read the signs of the times if they for mo-
 ment suppose that the quelling of the
 insurrection-for it began to assume such proportions-wi settle the prin- ciple involved.
 "Debism,n to coin word to it the case, is but a symptom of deep seat ed disease. And in republic, it is a disease which cannot be permanently healed by bullets. The patients have their turn to prescribe with ballots, with which they may turn the next prescription of bullets upon those now prescribing the dose.
 "Debism, is the organized protest of labor against the overshadowing power of organized capital. It ex- presses only one phase of the difficult ty to say that property should have the right to dictate the terms of its own management. But that right is not granted as between different class es of property. The state steps in and dictates to corporate property the terms upon which it shall collect from other property for the service it rem ders the owners of that other property. | "Debism" is the attempt of those who sell labor to bring about condition in which the state shall exercise sim liar supervision over the transac- tions where labor alone is the service rendered. And while it may be de- to endeavor to weld to- gether in common body, seeking a common end, all the labor in given | or similar lines in the country, it is, commendable demagO- | gueism, that is not to be obliterated | by sheer from such journals as the Star, nor frOwn from such | newspapers as the Los Angeles Times.
 AS has been heretofore asserted in these columns, the working popula- tion of the county has been educated | up to high standard of intelligence, and likewise to high standard of liv- ing. The latter standard has, doubt less, been greatly augmented by the wonderful prosperity the country has and also by the gradual purchasing power of the money in which American labor has been paid. Recently has come sud den stoppage in that prosperity. At the first possible opportunity organiz- ed capital has made the effort to re- coup itself upon labor, to shut of present, and make amends for past loss by reducing the wages of work men. And "Debism' is the revolt of labor against the effort. When Deb ism" came in conflict with the author ity of the United States it became in- and had to be put down by the military arm of the government. I2ut that dopc uof remove thp fact